James Wine & Spirits
12 Wines of Christmas: Bordeaux
In his penultimate “12 Wines of Christmas” article, Peter Ranscombe picks Bordeaux to suit every pocket. FEW words in the world of wine epitomise poshness like “Bordeaux”. Its five “first growth” chateaux produce some of the most expensive labels on the planet. Yet Bordeaux is also one of the largest production regions in France, which…
Read More12 Wines of Christmas: New York
Peter Ranscombe explains why New York is featuring in his new year’s resolutions in the latest article in his “12 Wines of Christmas” series. I AM notorious for failing to keep new year’s resolutions. But one promise I’ve made to myself for the year ahead with which I’m determined to stick is to learn more…
Read More12 Wines of Christmas: Chile
Day nine of his “12 Wines of Christmas” series sees Peter Ranscombe taking a look at carmenere from Chile. DIVING into a tin of Christmas chocolates can be a bit like a playing lucky dip at the showies – you’re never quite sure what you’re going to get. Back in 1994, Chilean farmers were faced…
Read More12 Wines of Christmas: Spain
Day eight of his “12 Wines of Christmas” series sees Peter Ranscombe exploring Spanish food and wine pairings. THINK Spain, think sunshine. Long lazy days spent soaking up rays on the beach, simmering summer evenings spent devouring plates of tapas, and cringe worthy late nights spent crooning to questionable karioke in “Irish” pubs. Yet master…
Read More12 Wines of Christmas: South Africa
In the latest instalment in his “12 Wines of Christmas” series, Peter Ranscombe looks at KWV’s top wines from South Africa. QUANTITY and quality don’t necessarily have to sit at opposite ends of the spectrum. As we saw with Paul Mas’ operations in the south of France, it’s possible to produce quality wines in large…
Read More12 Wines of Christmas: England
Peter Ranscombe ventures south of the Border for the latest instalment in his “12 Wines of Christmas” series. WHAT is “English sparkling wine”? It’s a question that I get asked more and more often by readers. The answer is a bit complicated. As we discovered back in June during my series of articles covering English…
Read More12 Wines of Christmas: Sicily
Peter Ranscombe‘s 12 Wines of Christmas continue with organic bottles from Sicily. COMING from the north of Italy, brother and sister Stefano and Marina Girelli noticed some immediate differences when they bought the Santa Tresa estate on Sicily in 2001. While their grapes in Trentino need to soak up every hour of sunshine they can…
Read More12 Wines of Christmas: Gimblett Gravels
Peter Ranscombe continues trekking through his 12 wines of Christmas with bottles from the Gimblett Gravels in New Zealand. LORD of the Rings has a lot to answer for. Watching Frodo gurn his way across Middle Earth could lead filmgoers to conclude that New Zealand has a uniform cool climate of snow-capped mountains and turf-roofed…
Read More12 wines of Christmas: Rutherglen
Peter Ranscombe continues his 12 wines of Christmas with “stickies” from Rutherglen in Australia. ONE of the most fun aspects of writing about wine from a Scottish point of view is tracing how our ancestors and our place names pop up around the globe. Arguably the most famous of those connections is Rutherglen, the South…
Read More12 Wines of Christmas: Argentina
Peter Ranscombe continues his journey through the 12 wines of Christmas with top-end bottles from Argentina. TAKE a walk along a supermarket wine aisle and it’s easy to dismiss Argentina as a land full of simple malbec. Row after row of cheap and usually very cheerful red wines demonstrate how the country and the grape…
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