Monthly Archives: February 2009


Following on from my cat and dog post a few days ago, thought I’d see how couple of New World wines were coping with middle age. Neither was from a particularly warm region, so I thought they stood a fair chance of still being in reasonable nick. First up was […]

Old and New


Just been reading a recent post on Colin Smith’s blog, all about the Monsoon Valley wines from Thailand – anyone else tried them? For me, they fall into the ‘er, interesting’ bracket, as the following piece I did a few years ago for the now-defunct North West Enquirer will testify… […]

Thai a yellow ribbon


Tonight I’m on blind tasting at its most extreme. Found a bottle lurking in a corner that has no label, capsule or name on the cork. I’m pretty sure it’s from the Languedoc, as it’s awash with fragrant, gentle, herb-strewn fruit, with a hint of old leather. I’d hazard a […]

The Blind leading the Blind



Just been reading this post on Heather Dougherty’s wine blog about the much-abused name of Chablis. My second job in the wine trade** was working in a bottle shop in Albert Park, a seaside suburb of Melbourne close to the vibrant St Kilda. Tuesday evening was washing night, and my […]

Chablis


I’ve tended not to like cheap New Zealand Bordeaux-inspired reds – scrawny and charmless and with overenthusiastic oak-ageing. A bit like cheap Bordeaux, really, although perhaps not the oak thing. The good news is that the Kiwis seem to have realised that such wines aren’t their forte, and have virtually […]

Villa Maria Private Bin Merlot 2006