Cracking Open the Noah’s Ark of wine

Portugal shipped 7.5% more bottles in 2017 than the previous year (a value of €777.9m) – setting a new record for the country. Sales are up across the board too, including 56% at… Continue reading →

Wassails and Toast – traditions of Christmases past

Cracking open a bottle of something special you’ve squirrelled away all year, and presenting it with aplomb on the 25th… Is there anything more quintessentially Christmassy? For what is essentially the most important… Continue reading →

The Sanctuary of a Wine Cellar

After the dreadful destruction of the recent extreme weather across America and the Caribbean, one particular story caught the imagination. Sir Richard Branson, the famously bearded-entrepreneur, hid from the destruction on his private island… in… Continue reading →

The Rise and Rise of the Urban Winemaker

I recently moved to the Big Smoke to take up a job manning PR for a large UK wine company. One of the many positives about living in London is the wine scene.… Continue reading →

Mothering Wine

Today is mother’s day in the UK. It can seem a little contrite, but it’s a day worth celebrating for more than just Hallmark – particularly when it comes to wine. The relationship… Continue reading →

Good Legs, Great Body; Olympians & Wine

In the month of the Olympics, we take a look at wine’s surprising role in the athletics of the Ancient, and not so Ancient, world. In just under a month, I, like thousands… Continue reading →

Brexit By The Bottle

There are plenty of rich pickings in the current political climate for a historical blogger to take a ‘wider perspective’ of current events, always with the benefit of hind-sight. As someone who likes… Continue reading →

The Medicine of Humanity

It seems that every single week the health benefits or concerns regarding wine are played out in the press and online. With the advent of the ‘reddit’ style news-bite internet media, articles seem… Continue reading →

Child Sacrifice, Chica & Travels

I’ve just returned from the best part of a month travelling in Peru and Bolivia and am, as you can imagine, eager to tie in a blog post to this phenomenal part of… Continue reading →

The Origins of a Modern Wine Pilgrim

When modern travel, food or wine writers set about beating the bounds of their chosen destination, you often see a distinct word pop up – “pilgrimage”. A journey of thoughtful reconciliation, an aim… Continue reading →