Grape&Grain
New kids on the blanc: New Zealand goes beyond sauvignon
Inspired by this week’s masterclass led by Archie McDiarmid from wine merchant Luvians, Peter Ranscombe picks six lesser-known wines from New Zealand. FEW countries have such a strong affinity with a single grape variety as New Zealand and sauvignon blanc. Chalking up 72% of the country’s wine production and 86% of its exports, the white…
Read MoreMar de Frades: Doing albarino differently
Innovation is the name of the game for Spanish winemaker Paula Fandino at Mar de Frades, as Peter Ranscombe finds out. FOR a lump of old rock, granite is an incredibly versatile material. It’s been used to make everything from posh kitchen worktops to the carved faces of the American presidents on Mount Rushmore –…
Read MoreWINE TO DINE – JULY 2019 – CRAB
Scottish Field wine columnist and drinks blogger Peter Ranscombe scavenges the shore for five bottles to pair with crab dishes. NOTHING screams “seaside” like crab, an ingredient that will bring back childhood memories of dressed crustaceans served in their shells or more recent reminiscences about elegant dishes in fine-dining seafood restaurants. Crab is often selected for…
Read MoreSeven of the best from Brunello’s 2014 vintage
Wet weather and cool temperatures didn’t stop some Brunello wineries from producing excellent bottles, writes Peter Ranscombe. THINK Tuscany, think sunshine: whether it’s Tony Blair wandering around in shorts and a t-shirt on his summer holidays or field after field of fragrant purple lavender swaying in the breeze, it’s hard to picture Italy’s most-famous wine…
Read MoreBlackbook is in the pink with three top new wines
Peter Ranscombe catches up with Sergio and Lynsey Verrillo from Blackbook winery in London to celebrate the start of English Wine Week. LET me begin with a confession – I’m not a huge fan of bacchus. At its worst, the German grape variety offers high acidity and under-ripe green aromas of nettles, damp hedgerows and…
Read MoreAdding a splash of amber to the Granite City
Peter Ranscombe toasts a new high-end whisky bar in Aberdeen and is impressed with its hotel setting too. WHEN it comes to whisky, I sometimes feel sorry for Aberdeen; with names like “Speyside”, “Islay” and “Campbeltown” crowding into the Pantheon of Scotch, it seems that the Granite City often gets left out. Which is a…
Read MoreFive of the best from Inverarity Morton
As spring gives way to summer, Peter Ranscombe looks back at Scotland’s biggest wine tasting. IT’S known in the trade as “the big one” – Inverarity Morton’s annual tasting at the Assembly Rooms in Edinburgh has hundreds of wines from the importer’s list on show and attracts hundreds more shopkeepers and restaurateurs seeking “the next…
Read MoreStrength in depth at Austria’s Pichler-Krutzler
Gruner veltliner and riesling were the stars of the show when winemakers Erich and Elisabeth Pichler-Krutzler visited Edinburgh, writes Peter Ranscombe. THERE’S never been a more exciting time to be drinking wine in Scotland – the breadth of bottles available from independent wine merchants, supermarkets and restaurants is simply astounding. Yet sometimes it’s refreshing to…
Read MoreWhy I’m so pleased the Simpsons broke their promise
Peter Ranscombe toasts a Scottish and Northern Irish couple triumphing with their English wines. “WE PROMISED we would never make an English still wine,” laughed Charles Simpson as he addressed his guests in the basement at Trade Soho, the private members’ club in London where he and his wife, Ruth, launched their range of four……
Read MoreThere’s more to Scottish lager than the Big Red T…
In the first of his new beer columns for Cask & Still magazine, Peter Ranscombe explores the development of Scottish craft lagers. HOP on over to Cask & Still magazine – Scottish Field‘s whisky spin-off – to read my new beer column. In this issue, you can shares in my musings about Scottish craft lager.…
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