James Wine & Spirits
Apprentice star launches Canadian ice wine
Peter Ranscombe tastes Rebel Pi, the dessert wine created by Jackie Fast, star of BBC One television series The Apprentice. ANYONE who’s watched the current series of The Apprentice on the gogglebox will be familiar with Jackie Fast. With her direct business style and oodles of energy, the Canadian entrepreneur has already made her mark…
Read MoreQuinta do Noval: Blending tradition with technology
Peter Ranscombe dons his saltire boxer shorts to join in the crushing of the grapes in the Douro valley and along the way discovers how classic ports also need a modern edge. AS THE sun began to set across the Douro river valley, the sound of an accordion started to waft through the evening air.…
Read MoreWINE TO DINE – NOVEMBER 2018 – PEARS
Drinks writer Peter Ranscombe selects five wines to go with pears. WHETHER they’re sliced in a salad, smothered in chocolate or poached in wine, pears are one of the fruits that always grab my eye on a menu. Check out the pear recipes in the November 2018 issue of Scottish Field magazine and take a look at…
Read MoreSouth Africa’s old vines: in the ground and in the glass
Protecting old vines in South Africa not only reaps benefits during water shortages but also pays dividends for drinkers, as Peter Ranscombe reports. AS SOON as you land at Cape Town airport, it’s impossible not to be struck by how much the recent water shortages have hit the city, with posters inside the terminal warning…
Read MorePairing food and wine at Creation in South Africa
Peter Ranscombe visits one of the regions on his wine bucket list, Hemel-en-Aarde in South Africa, and enjoys dining with JC and Carolyn Martin at Creation Wines. “WE DON’T run a restaurant,” maintains Carolyn Martin as we sit down to dinner at Creation winery on Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge in South Africa. As I glance around the…
Read MoreSix of the best from South Africa’s Hemel-en-Aarde
Peter Ranscombe selects six of the best wines from the Hemel-en-Aarde ridge in South Africa, which is renowned for its chardonnay and pinot noir. SUPERLATIVES don’t do Hemel-en-Aarde justice: beautiful, stunning, picturesque – none seem to capture the greenness of the trees, the blueness of the skies or the majesty of the surrounding hills. It’s…
Read More‘The Italian Job’ becomes the ‘South African Job’
Peter Ranscombe examines how producers in South Africa are using Italian grape varieties to craft wines that have identities all of their own. WITH its stone archways and wooden beams, the building that houses Idiom’s wine tasting rooms and restaurant could pass as a modern Italian villa – if it wasn’t in South Africa. The…
Read MoreWINE TO DINE – OCTOBER 2018 – WILD MUSHROOMS
Drinks writer Peter Ranscombe selects five wines to go with wild mushrooms. FEW ingredients are as versatile as mushrooms, offering plenty of pairing opportunities, from crisp whites that cut through sauces and creamy chardonnay that accentuates buttery accompaniments all the way through to fresh and fruity reds for meatier dishes. Check out the wild mushroom…
Read MoreGlen Scotia brings Campbeltown to the Fringe
If visitors won’t come to the distillery then the distillery will come to them, as Peter Ranscombe discovers. IT’S safe to say that only the most hardcore whisky fans will have visited Campbeltown. While many Scotch nuts will make the pilgrimage to Speyside or catch a plane or a ferry to Islay, the three-hour drive…
Read MoreGlengoyne toasts its history at the Fringe
Peter Ranscombe raises a glass to Glengoyne’s Fringe show and food pairings at Contini’s Cannonball restaurant. “SLOW” isn’t a word you’d normally associate with the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. During August, 56,796 performers will stage 3,548 shows in 317 venues across Scotland’s capital city, from the biggest theatres all the way through to the tiniest church…
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