James Wine & Spirits
Having a ceilidh with Yalumba’s ‘Caley’
Peter Ranscombe rediscovers ‘the Great Australian Red’ – and suggests some affordable stepping stones along the way. THE world of wine is full of odd phrases: multiple glasses are served in “wine flights”, a liquid that hangs to the side of the glass is said to have “long legs”, and smells can sometimes – kindly…
Read MoreDid my feet make this port taste weird?
His patriotic shorts may have gone viral, but how did the port turn out when Peter Ranscombe helped tread the grapes? TWO years ago this month, me and my saltire shorts stepped into a vat at Quinta do Noval in Portugal to “help” tread the grapes. It’s a tradition that stretches back hundreds of years,…
Read MoreL’Art du Vin launches its wine club
Peter Ranscombe gets a sneak peak at the new wine club from Fife-based merchant L’Art du Vin. A LITTLE dickie bird tells me that Scottish Field readers are fans of wine clubs – and so I have an insider tip for you. L’Art du Vin, a wine merchant based in Fife, has just launched its…
Read MoreLidl hits the spot with French ‘Wine Tour’
Peter Ranscombe bags a bargain with some supermarket stalwarts from France. LIDL’S “wine tours” – six special promotions on limited edition bottles spread throughout the year – can sometimes be a bit hit and miss. I struggled with some of its Spanish wines earlier this year, focusing on its Italian bottles instead. And its new…
Read MoreBill Lumsden catches ‘the one that got away’
Peter Ranscombe sips a slice of Glenmorangie’s new ‘A Tale of Cake’ whisky. EVERY fisherman has a story about “the one that got away” – that salmon or trout or other slippery customer that they just weren’t able to land on the river bank. For Bill Lumsden, director of distilling at Glenmorangie, his equivalent is…
Read MoreNotebook – September 2020
Scottish Field drinks blogger Peter Ranscombe delves into his notebook to share more exciting bottles. Puffing Billy Vodka (£32.99, thebordersdistillery.com) While most vodkas can be dull and boring on their own, those clever people at The Borders Distillery have come up with a clever way of giving their vodka texture. They use malted barley as…
Read MoreM&S Classics range shifts to new world
Peter Ranscombe reviews five wines from Marks & Sparks’ latest additions. MARKS & Spencer continued the roll out of its “Classics” range this week. The first wave of bottles over the summer concentrated on old world examples, while this week’s wines focus on the new world, with a few other European players thrown into the…
Read MoreWhy grenache is so much more than ‘poor man’s pinot’
Ahead of tomorrow’s World Grenache Day, Peter Ranscombe praises the grape’s revival in Australia’s McLaren Vale – and beyond. SOMETIMES wine feels like a popularity contest, with bottles like prosecco, pinot grigio and sauvignon blanc elbowing each other out the way to catch the drinker’s eye. For ugly duckings, it’s harder to be seen –…
Read MoreWhy organic wine needn’t cost the earth
As Organic September continues, Peter Ranscombe picks five bottles to try for under a tenner. REWIND to the 80s and 90s and “organic” produce used to raise an eyebrow. It was the slightly smaller, slightly manky looking apple in the corner of the display or that slightly odd-smelling wine that the shop keeper desperately wanted…
Read MoreWhy The Wine Society is ‘backing its best’
Peter Ranscombe finds out how The Wine Society, a long-running club owned by its members, is supporting small producers hit by the pandemic lockdowns. FEW businesses have been left untouched by the coronavirus pandemic – and winemakers are no exception. On top of the disruption caused to the harvest in the southern hemisphere, the closure…
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