Grape&Grain
Toasting English wine at Hotel du Vin
As English Wine Week draws to a close, Peter Ranscombe visits Hotel du Vin in Edinburgh to sample some of the wines produced south of the Border. WHETHER it’s the bubbles of Jenkyn Place and Exton Park or the still offerings from Gusbourne and Simpsons, there’s no question over the rising quality of English wine.…
Read MoreWine to Dine – July 2018 – Berries
Drinks writer Peter Ranscombe picks five wines to go with berries. The star ingredient in the food feature inside the July 2018 issue of Scottish Field magazine was the great Scottish berry. Here, we need a range of wines with varying sweetness and dryness to match the different dishes that can be created from soft…
Read MoreNotebook – May 2018
Wine columnist Peter Ranscombe continues his occasional series of articles that delve into his notebook to report on some of the exciting wines he’s tried over the past month. OFTEN there are wines that don’t pair with the dishes that chefs have selected for the Wine to Dine column in the main Scottish Field printed…
Read MoreHat’s off to Larry
Peter Ranscombe meets the man hailed as the godfather of New Zealand pinot noir, Larry McKenna. IT’S all change at Escarpment Wines in New Zealand – the company has been sold to Australian peer Torbreck, winemaker Huw Kinch is leaving to go and work at the Pyramid Valley winery and a district marketing body has…
Read MoreThere are wines from California to suit all budgets
As the Golden State trade tasting rolls into Edinburgh, Peter Ranscombe takes a sneak peak at some of California’s premium wines. CALIFORNIA has a reputation for making expensive wines – but scratch beneath the surface and you can find a range of bottles to suit most budgets. As I’ve pointed out before, wines from California…
Read MoreFinding delights among Kayra’s Turkish wines
Peter Ranscombe travels to Turkey to explore modern examples from an ancient wine-producing country. WALKING the streets of Istanbul, the shadow that Atatürk still casts over Turkey is inescapable. Portraits of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk – who led the struggle for independence and became the “father of the republic” – hang from the walls of hotels,…
Read MoreNew Zealand leads with lower-alcohol wines
Peter Ranscombe meets John Forrest, a pioneer of lower-alcohol wines, to taste his new bottles for Marks & Spencer. IT MIGHT be 30 years since John Forrest left his career as a medical researcher to become a winemaker, but his enthusiasm for science clearly hasn’t faded. Standing in front of a whiteboard inside New Zealand…
Read MoreThis summery selection of Bordeaux will sparkle at BBQs
Think all Bordeaux is red? Think again. Peter Ranscombe picks whites, rosé and fizz for spring and summer days. BORDEAUX has something of a dual identity. At the top end, it crafts some of the most-expensive wines on the planet, which sell for hundreds of pounds per bottle. Yet France’s best-known wine region is also…
Read MoreSix of the best from Corney and Barrow’s new wines
Greek and Chilean offerings are among the wines that grab Peter Ranscombe‘s attention in Corney & Barrow’s new range. THERE’S something particularly exciting about spring wine tastings – with blossom on the trees and a freshness in the air, there’s the promise of new things to come with the turning of the seasons. And wine merchant…
Read MoreWine to Dine – June 2018 – Wild Garlic
Drinks writer Peter Ranscombe picks five wines to go with wild garlic, which was the star of June’s food feature in the printed Scottish Field magazine. WILD garlic is a much more delicate flavour than its onion-like namesake, with chive notes and a delicious sweetness, and so I’ve opted for a range of lighter styles…
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