Archive for March, 2013
Because I’m All About Value
So, buying a bottle of wine in the UK has just got more expensive.
What to do?
a) Trade down – which could mean more goes on tax. Producer Gavin Quinney has calculated that half of what you spend on a £6 bottle of wine is tax.
b) Drink less, but better – something your doctor would approve of, no doubt.
c) Get more savvy about wines that offer more bang for your buck – such as those from Languedoc-Roussillon in South-West France.
Lying almost between its more famous neighbours of Bordeaux and the Rhône Valley, Languedoc-Roussillon offers real diversity, not just because of the wide variety of grapes grown there but also the different terrains under vine in this large region. (more…)
Koshu Can Match White With Lamb
I won’t beat about the bush. There’s a lot of crap spoken about food and wine matching.
On the one hand, there are people who stick doggedly to rules. No red wine with fish. No white wine with beef. Ever. No matter what cut, or how it’s served.
In turn, this causes the polar opposite. Drink what you want, all food and wine matching is rubbish.
I’m not going to argue with the drink what you want bit. Why drink something you don’t like?
But if you believe all food and wine matching is nonsense, please do tell me how fabulous you think a glass of young, tannic Médoc is with a piece of salty Roquefort.
The truth, of course, lies somewhere in the middle. (more…)
The Port House
A few weeks back, I asked the great and the good on Twitter if they knew of any places that sold flights of Port in London.
I knew of bars where I could buy a series of small measures of different types of Sherry. For Port, though, the only option seemed to be by the normal-sized glass, and usually one style on offer only. Two if you were lucky.
I got some replies. None bore fruit.
But that has all changed with the opening of the aptly-named The Port House, tucked away amongst the monolithic buildings in The Strand. (more…)