Grape&Grain
A sneak peak at Simpsons’ first English sparkling wine
Peter Ranscombe visits Simpsons Wine Estate in Kent to see its new visitor facilities and learn more about its first English sparkling wines. IT’S been a real pleasure to follow Ruth and Charles Simpson over the past few years on their journey from the sun-drenched Languedoc region in the South of France to the slightly-soggy…
Read MoreStepping off the beaten track with Australian wine – the reds
Peter Ranscombe goes in search of unusual Australian red wines. WHEN it comes to wine, Australia has a hard-won reputation for producing high-quality shiraz, with some top-end cabernet sauvignon and pinot noir thrown into the mix too. Yet the Aussies’ repertoire doesn’t begin and end with the big-name international varietals. Last week’s Australia Day tasting…
Read MoreStepping off the beaten track with Australian wine – the whites
In part two of his report from the Australia Day tasting in Edinburgh, Peter Ranscombe examines some unusual white wines. THINK Australian whites, think chardonnay; it’s a perfectly natural connection to make after the grape was in the vanguard of varieties that helped the Aussies conquer the British market in the 1980s and 1990s. While…
Read MoreHalewood revives Crabbie whisky and aims to build a distillery in Leith
Peter Ranscombe tries the first two Crabbie whiskies from the label’s new owner and hears about its plans to build a malt distillery in Edinburgh. SOMETIMES it feels like distilleries are like buses – you wait 90 years for a malt whisky producer to come along and then three turn up at once. Planning permission…
Read MoreLebanon: a taste of the exotic
Gutsy reds and a baklava-friendly sweet wine were the highlights from a Lebanese tasting for Peter Ranscombe “WHEN you think about the sacrifices that winemakers in Lebanon made during the civil war then it’s a real privilege to present these wines to you,” said guest host Peter Khawli at the start of last night’s Lebanese…
Read MoreVega Sicilia: when the taste lives up to the hype
Peter Ranscombe is careful not to get carried away with the excitement of trying Spain’s undisputed top wine and is relieved when the liquid matches its reputation. YOU know a wine is special when it gets its own mention in your old course textbook. The entry for Vega Sicilia in the Oxford Companion to Wine…
Read MoreExploring vintage variation with Gallica
Peter Ranscombe explores how weather conditions can affect wines from vintage to vintage with Gallica winemaker Rosemary Cakebread. PICTURE California and it’s hard to escape images of the pier at Santa Monica or the sun-drenched beaches of Malibu, Newport and Venice. Yet head north from Los Angeles and it’s possible to explore how variations in…
Read MoreNot so ordinary claret
There’s nothing ‘ordinary’ about Berry Bros’ claret or many of the other affordable bottles of Bordeaux on the market, as Peter Ranscombe discovers. FEW drinks have such a strong association with Britain as claret, the nickname for red wines produced in Bordeaux. Once used to describe thin and light wines, the term now denotes any…
Read MoreWines for Christmas 2017
Peter Ranscombe goes on a shopping spree to suggest some stonking wines for the Christmas dinner table. INSTEAD of The Grape & The Grain’s usual “100 wines for Christmas”, I thought I’d try something a wee bit different this year. I’ve grouped together these recommendations according to the shops that sell each wine, as opposed…
Read MoreCalifornia: Variety is the spice of life
A series of recent tastings have reminded Peter Ranscombe about the diversity of wines available from California. ONE of the most-exciting aspects of visiting California back in March was learning about the wide variety of grapes being grown in the golden state. As I wrote at the time, there’s far more to Cali than over-oaked…
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