Grape&Grain
Sparkling wine special part three: Bobby’s bubbles
In the final article in his special sparkling wine trio, Peter Ranscombe follows in the footsteps of Robert Louis Stevenson by tasting wines from Schramsberg in California. AUTHOR Robert Louis Stevenson is famous throughout the world for his novels, including classics such as Kidnapped and Treasure Island. Yet few of his readers know about the…
Read MoreSparkling wine special part two: Pretty in pink
In the second of three articles focusing on fizzy wine, Peter Ranscombe discovers that beauty is in the eye of the beholder – or, when it comes to Ruinart, in the eye of the partridge. CHAMPAGNE is full of weird and wonderful stories – from Benedictine monk Dom Pérignon using thicker glass to stop bottles…
Read MoreSparkling wine special part one: ‘It’s not Champagne’
In the first of three articles focusing on fizzy wine, Peter Ranscombe meets a French winemaker who’s creating sensational sparklers in England. “I AM French, but I’m here to express the terroir of England,” declared Exton Park winemaker Corinne Seely as she introduced her latest wine to the press in London this morning. “It’s not…
Read MoreRamon Bilbao goes back to the future in Rioja
Peter Ranscombe straps himself into his DeLorean to watch Spain’s flagship wine region take a step back in time. WITH its massive turbine hall and colossal central chimney, there’s no forgetting that the Tate Modern art gallery was once the Bankside power station, burning through piles of coal to provide electricity for London’s homes and…
Read MoreWine to Dine – August 2018 – Venison
Drinks writer Peter Ranscombe picks five wines to pair with venison. FEW meats scream “Scotland” in the same way as venison; whether it’s the wild red deer roaming the mountainsides on either side of the A9 while driving home to the Highlands, or the farmed animals in Fife and beyond, our nation is blessed with…
Read MoreWhat have the Romans ever done for us?
Peter Ranscombe learns more about Croatian wines from Igor Kroljic of Pine Nut Path and Diana Thompson of Wine Events Scotland. “WHAT have the Romans ever done for us?” comes the cry from Monty Python’s Life of Brian. Ask that question in Croatia and the answer may include winemaking. Although Croatia in its current form…
Read MoreWine pairings spice up Tony Singh’s supper club
Peter Ranscombe joins celebrity chef Tony Singh at home for a glass or two during a recent supper club. FOR someone who has made his name in food, it’s clear that Tony Singh also knows his wines. During one of the recent supper clubs at his home in Edinburgh, it struck me that the chef…
Read MoreUnder the bridge: inside London’s newest winery
Peter Ranscombe visits Blackbook winery in Battersea to find out how English grapes are being turned into high-quality wines in the most urban of settings. DURING my travels for Scottish Field, I’ve tasted wines on the hillsides of California and France, Romania and Turkey, but never under a railway arch in Battersea – until now.…
Read MoreDekantā reinforces Scotland and Japan’s strong whisky links
Peter Ranscombe samples the first single cask bottling from online retailer Dekantā, with Japanese whisky finished in a Port Ellen cask. JAPAN has strong links to Scotch whisky. Masataka Taketsuru, who built the Yamazaki and Yoichi distilleries in Japan and who is credited with being the father of the country’s whisky industry, studied chemistry at…
Read MoreThe taming of the screw: celebrating Jackson Estate’s 30th anniversary
Cork or screwcap? Peter Ranscombe explores how the two closures allow New Zealand sauvignon blanc to age. CORK was once king of the wine bottle closures – plastic, composite and glass seals may have eaten into its dominance, but the noble cork was still the top dog. Then along came the screwcap; simple for consumers…
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