London
Yi-Ban is located by an old dock near London city airport, hardly a place that will get a lot of passing trade. It is also bereft of decoration, people …
Non-alcoholic
Vie Shot orange, banana and carrot, Knorr Lawks, this smells like cockatoo shit. It is really repellent. The taste reminds me of vomit from when one has been having …
Germany
One of the best tastings I have ever attended was at Thanisch; great wines were shown by the charming owner. There are two Thanischs is Bernkastel, this is the …
Champagne
This was one of the bottles we picked up on a booze cruise to France. It cost there in euros what it costs here in pounds. Brut Blanc de …
Germany
The Bandol wasn’t good enough, time for something that is definitely good! Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel Oberhäuser Brücke 2004, Helmut Dönnhoff This smells really bright, fresh and fruity. Not much …
Other
I am a big fan of Bandol, they are lovely when they are old. They can also be quite a lot of fun when they are young. 2001 was …
Buying recommendations
This month’s buying recommendations include some bargains from Howard Ripley. Clos Vougeot Grand Cru 2001, Rene Engel: Sadly no longer with us, Philippe Engel used to be one of …
Fast food
On Friday night we visited Haché in Camden, it is a gourmet burger establishment. As usual I looked at the wine list first, which was laughably poor, but I …
Australia
Bannockburn are one of my favourite Australian producers. The winemaker, Gary Farr, has worked many vintages at Domaine Dujac in Burgundy and with Alain Graillot in Crozes-Hermitage. These influences …
Burgundy
The 2002s from Daniel Barraud were quite excellent for Pouilly-Fuissé; I put a few bottles in my cellar. When I saw the first 2004 on the shelf of Lea …
