James Wine & Spirits
A rosé isn’t just for summer, it’s for life
Storm Ciara may have receded, and Storm Dennis may be looming, but don’t let the wintry weather put you off pouring a food-friendly rosé, writes Peter Ranscombe. PICTURE the scene: it’s a cold winter’s day, the snow is gently falling outside, and the log fire is roaring in the hearth. Ideal time for a rosé,…
Read MoreWINE TO DINE – MARCH 2020 – PORK
Scottish Field wine columnist and drinks blogger Peter Ranscombe pigs out on five pairings in praise of pork. FEW beasts are as versatile as the pig. From pork and ham through to bacon and sausages, I’d find it almost as hard to give up the truly scrumptious creature as I would steak. Pork’s versatility is…
Read MoreMargaret River: where tradition meets experimentation
Arguably Australia’s most-famous winemaking region, there’s far more to Margaret River than Bordeaux and Burgundy lookalikes, as Peter Ranscombe discovers. TEXTBOOKS will tell you that Western Australia’s Margaret River is an interesting blend of Bordeaux and Burgundy, producing red wines from cabernet sauvignon and white wines from chardonnay. While it’s only natural for wine drinkers…
Read MoreTakeaway messages for matching wine to Chinese dishes
If you’re celebrating Chinese new year with a takeaway then Peter Ranscombe has some carry-out suggestions. ASKING “Which wine goes with Chinese food?” is like asking “Which wine goes with European food?” We sometimes forget that China is a vast country – 1.4 billion people are spread across 3.7 million square miles, meaning the UK’s landmass…
Read MoreMy magnificent seven McLaren Vale grenaches
When grenache is treated like pinot noir, vinous magic can happen in the glass, writes Peter Ranscombe. ASK most wine geeks to pick their favourite grape varieties and the answers are often the same – riesling among the whites and pinot noir for the reds. Yet my own answer to that question has been slowly…
Read MoreThese New World wines will rock with your new wave haggis dishes
Whether you’re serving your haggis with neeps and tatties or nachos and pizza, Peter Ranscombe has some ideas for vinous accompaniments. ARTICLE one of Scotland’s constitution clearly states that all haggis must be consumed alongside neeps and tatties, while sipping on a dram of Scotch and wearing a kilt or tartan skirt – right? Wrong!…
Read MoreWhy Adelaide Hills will rise from the bushfire ashes
Continuing to buy wine and visit wineries will help the Adelaide Hills and other Australian regions to recover from this summer’s devastating bushfires, writes Peter Ranscombe. WATCHING the bushfires rip through parts of Australia has been heart breaking. One of the worst-hit regions has been the Adelaide Hills, which I visited in early November as…
Read MoreWhy I still can’t quite put my finger on ‘minerality’…
Peter Ranscombe goes into full ‘wine geek’ mode with an exploration of what ‘minerality’ might mean when it comes to wine. FLICK through the tasting notes for bottles of wine and it’s not long before you start to spot patterns emerging. Pinot noir tends to taste of red fruits like strawberry, raspberry and red cherry,…
Read MoreWelcome to the weirdest winery in the world…
Peter Ranscombe steps inside the d’Arenberg Cube and finds that, while the architecture may be quirky, the wine is sublime. THERE aren’t many wineries that can boast of having their own “alternative realities” museum, Rubik’s cube-like visitors’ centre or Salvador Dali exhibition. But, then again, there aren’t many wineries like d’Arenberg. The “d’Arenberg Cube” rises…
Read More#DryJanuary or #TryJanuary? You decide!
Whether you’re doing “Dry January” or “Try January”, drinks blogger Peter Ranscombe has some suggestions to hand. THE first footers have left, the steak pies have been reduced to crumbs, and the Christmas decorations are looking a little sorry for themselves; it can all mean only one thing – it’s 1 January once again. New…
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