Grape&Grain
Watch out Talisker – there’s a new kid in town on Skye
Peter Ranscombe takes a sneak peak at Torabhaig distillery’s maiden whisky ahead of its release tomorrow. WHEN it comes to whisky, some locations and some distilleries go together like a horse and carriage – or maybe like a cask and bung. Think Orkney, think Highland Park (sorry Scapa!). Think Campbeltown, think Springbank (sorry again Glen…
Read MoreWhy Yalumba’s cabernet will make you sit up and take notice
When cabernet sauvignon reaches full ripeness, there’s the chance to bottle the variety on its own, writes Peter Ranscombe. “CABERNET is a serious variety – whenver I think about it, I always hear my mother telling me to ‘Sit up straight and don’t slouch’,” laughed Louisa Rose, the chief winemaker at Australian producer Yalumba during…
Read MoreNew Zealand syrah: Gimblett Gravels and beyond
After exploring syrah from Gimblett Gravels, Peter Ranscombe casts his net wider to look at other parts of New Zealand. WINES fall into two categories. There are the crowd-pleasing styles that most fans will recognise – Prosecco from Italy, shiraz from Australia, sauvignon blanc from Marlborough. Then there are the niches, the bottles about which…
Read MoreFind fantastic fizz for your Valentine’s Day at home
Whether you want splash-out sparklers or bubbles on a budget, Peter Ranscombe has you covered. FEW dates strike fear into the hearts of wine fans like the fourteenth of February. Should I buy bubbles? Should the wine match the food? Should I shake the bottle and spray the room like I’ve just won an F1…
Read MoreOnline wine tasting just went hi-tech
Peter Ranscombe logs on to tech entrepreneur Michael Baum’s Vivant virtual wine tasting platform – and he’s impressed by what he sees. I GUESS is was just a matter of time before online wine tastings got the gamification treatment. When every other aspect of our lives – from logging the miles we slog on running…
Read MoreSeven South African wines you need to try
Peter Ranscombe revisits some of his recent favourites from South Africa as the country’s alcohol ban shifts direction once more. YESTERDAY’S news that the South African government has lifted parts of its alcohol sales ban will provide some relief for wine producers. Yet – as winemaker Bruce Jack warned in a recent article for The…
Read MoreWhy your new favourite Italian wine will be from Puglia
Peter Ranscombe samples a new range of organic wines with Bellissimo Vino in Edinburgh. IF ITALY is shaped like a boot then Puglia is its very stylish heel. Bordered by the Adriatic and Ionian seas, the area is sometimes overshadowed by more famous wine regions in Campania and on Sicily. One of the reasons that…
Read MoreAugmented reality: ‘It’s gin, Jim, but not as we know it…’
A Scottish gin maker has gone all hi-tech with its labels; Peter Ranscombe finds out more. IT SOUNDS like something straight from an episode of Star Trek. Wave your mobile phone at the label on a bottle of gin and you’re transported into another world. But, today, science fiction is meeting distilling fact with the…
Read MoreWhy you should venture across the Andes
Two online tastings spread over two weeks have convinced Peter Ranscombe to explore more bottles from both sides of South America’s mountains. CONSIDERING that they’re separated by one of the tallest mountain ranges on the planet, Chile and Argentina have a lot in common. During tonight’s online tasting run by Diana Thompson at Wine Events…
Read MoreWine to Dine – March 2021 – Flora Shedden
Scottish Field wine columnist Peter Ranscombe finds five bottles that will flourish with Flora’s recipes. WATCHING The Great British Bake Off back in the days when it was on the BBC was a midweek guilty pleasure. I’ll admit, I’ve not made the switch to Channel 4 – the loss of Mel, Sue, and Mary still…
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