Grape&Grain
Errazuriz wants to put Chile on the map
There’s no need to be snobbish when it comes to big brands, as Errazuriz shows with its high-scoring Chilean wines, writes Peter Ranscombe. Branded wine is an interesting phenomenon: for some, it’s the reassurance they need to part with their cash, safe in the knowledge that this bottle will taste the same as the previous…
Read MoreCharles Heidsieck: Keeping something in reserve
Peter Ranscombe explores the use of higher proportions of reserve wines in Charles Heidsieck’s range of Champagnes. Walk along the aisle of any bottle shop or take a quick glance at a decent wine list and the choice of Champagne brands appears almost endless. It’s easy to dismiss France’s flagship sparkling wine as simply being…
Read MoreCelebrating the work of ‘Our Fathers’
What finer tribute could there be to your dad than creating a bottle of wine in his honour? Peter Ranscombe finds out what inspired Giles Cooke to produce Our Fathers. It’s not often that I’ll write about a single bottle of wine in isolation. Then again, there aren’t many bottles with the rich backstory that lies behind…
Read MoreRhone Part 1: Syrah’s spiritual home
The Crozes-Hermitage area of the Northern Rhone produces only a single red grape variety, but Peter Ranscombe finds out just how varied its Syrah can be. “Syrah loves a view” – or so French winemaker Jean-Louis Chave once said. In the Crozes-Hermitage region in France’s Rhone valley, those grapes are spoiled for choice when it…
Read MoreRhone Part 2: Finding whites in the land of reds
Syrah may be the king of Crozes-Hermitage, but the Northern Rhone’s largest appellation is also home to some stunning whites, as Peter Ranscombe discovers. Word association can be a dangerous sport in the world of wine. Mention the name “Crozes-Hermitage” and most wine fans will immediately think of deliciously rich and ripe reds made from…
Read MoreExploring age at Jenkyn Place
English sparkling wines have grabbed a lot of headlines for their fresh fruity flavours and bright acidity, but what happens when the fizz starts to age? Peter Ranscombe travels to Jenkyn Place to find out. The south-east of England was once a land of hops, the aromatic flowers that add citrus flavours and a distinctive…
Read MoreJamie McCulloch: Scottish passion with Swiss precision
Peter Ranscombe meets Scottish winemaker Jamie McCulloch, whose handcrafted wines from Switzerland are finding fans on Edinburgh’s food scene. IT’S always fascinating to meet Scottish winemakers. It’s possible to count the number of vineyards in our nation on one hand and so it’s interesting to explore the reasons why fellow Scots turn to making wine.…
Read MoreAlsace: Land of soils
Peter Ranscombe digs into the soils of Alsace, a wine producing region where the interplay between grapes and the land creates a fascinating variety of wines. SCURRYING up the slope behind Eric Kientzler, it’s easy to see why “steep” is a word that crops up so frequently in guidebooks about Alsace. As the winemaker at…
Read MoreNatural Selection prepares to launch 2017 beer
Peter Ranscombe finds out more about Natural Selection, a partnership between Stewart Brewing in Loanhead and Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh to train the next wave of brewers. SCOTLAND’S craft brewing scene is thriving – there are more than 115 breweries dotted throughout the country, the highest number for more than a century. Gordon Brown’s introduction…
Read MoreSearching for regionality in English sparkling wine
To mark the start of English wine week tomorrow, Peter Ranscombe ponders whether it’s possible to spot regional identity in the country’s sparkling wines ASK a connoisseur of Champagne about their favourite bottles and more likely than not they’ll start waxing lyrical about the different areas that make up the famous French sparkling wine region.…
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