By Olivier Gasselin
Klein Constantia Estate
We are happy to publish a series of extracts from Olivier Gasselin’s wine travels across south Africa. Olivier is currently the Head Sommelier at the Blue Bird in Chelsea.
After almost 3 years of service at Le Pont de la Tour restaurant in central London, I thought the moment was right for me to leave. I was …
By Mike Britton
As my train from Genoa chugged slowly into the beautiful hills and valleys of the Piemonte region in North West Italy, I cast my thoughts forward to the weekend, where I would be attending the famous Alba truffle festival.
My very good friends, Neil and Richie, have owned a house in this area for a year now and not only do …
Recovering from a mammoth session in Gascony, where we had a three hour lunch in the middle of the Samalens Armagnac distillery, followed by a tasting through their wonderful range of blends and vintages back to 1888, and a Champagne dinner somewhere in the dark countryside of Gers, we wake to silence other than the creaking pipes of the creaking hotel. There is only time for …
By Mathilde Delville, http://mathildescuisine.wordpress.com/
Turkish Delight
The sun rises on the land over two continents and Istanbul slowly reveals its beauties to the world. The Bosphorus awakens to a complex scene of tankers, sea buses and cruise liners, dancing ponderously along their courses between the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara. A perfect reflection of the city that caresses its …
By Kirstie Papworth
It was Simon Farr (Co-founder of Bibendum and masters its wine strategy) who decided we were going to spend a weekend in Mexico. Tim (Wine buyer and a fresh MW) and I, knackered by jet lag and a week of meetings, tried to persuade him otherwise, but we failed miserably. Just as well, really, or we’d never have discovered the beautiful Baja California, …
By Nick Rodgers
Samalens distillery
It’s a 5am start, and we’ve got a busy schedule for the next three days – a visit to our new Armagnac producers in Gascony, then it’s off to Cognac. Conveniently Easy Jet’s only flights to Bordeaux leave early Wednesday and come back late Friday night. Wait a minute, I obviously did not connect those words – ‘Easy’ …
By Dale Sklar
Dale in Agave fields
It’s October 2nd 2009 and I’m booked on BA 243 to Mexico City, flying out five days later, when I get a telephone call from an old friend, a Mexican Ambassador… “Dale, I strongly recommend you delay your visit, my sister tells me there’s an outbreak of Dengue fever…”. I cancelled my …
By Samantha Sherwood
Melnik
A tiny village on the Bulgarian/ Greek border that hosts a couple of special wineries. Named after the white chalk soils that surrounds the village it also gives its name to the local red variety. The Melnik vines can grow only on these local soil and cannot be found elsewhere.
The hours of bus journeys and trekking up to the cellars …
By The Winesleuth http://winesleuth.wordpress.com/
cork forest
Another European Wineblggers Conference has come and gone….sigh…it just flew by! Before I knew it, I was back winging my way back to Heathrow. But in between landing and take off at Lisbon’s Portela Airport I met some of the nicest people, saw the most amazing scenery …
By Tori Reynolds
Wine tasting ahead
The Mosel wine region in South West Germany plays host to some of Germany’s oldest and most beautiful vineyard areas, famous for its Mosel Riesling. This grape variety is considered to make some of the world’s best white wines and can be found in many guises along the Mosel River. The Valley is blessed with an …
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