Wine
Glasgow has itself a Moët little Christmas
A new Moët & Chandon cocktail tastes just peachy in the Dear Green Place, as Peter Ranscombe discovers. IT MIGHT not be fashionable among wine writers to say it, but I do enjoy a glass of Moët. Don’t get me wrong – I’m a big fan of grower Champagnes, the sparkling wines made by farmers…
Read MoreQuintus emerges from the shadow of Haut-Brion
It may have a more famous sibling on the left bank, but Saint-Emilion’s Chateau Quintus deserves some limelight, writes Peter Ranscombe. “I NEVER worry about showing Quintus after Haut-Brion,” shrugged Guillaume-Alexandre Marx, Domaine Clarence Dillon’s sales manager, over lunch at wine-focused private members’ club 67 Pall Mall in London. There’s a perceptible raising of eyebrows…
Read MoreWhy the weather determines the taste of Sauternes
Sweet wine expert Ana Carvalho explores the effect of hot and cold years on the taste of Chateau Suduiraut with Peter Ranscombe. TUCKED away between the Ciron and Garonne rivers in Bordeaux, the Sauternes region produces arguably the most-famous sweet wines on the planet. When the cold waters of the Ciron meet the warmer Garonne…
Read MoreFizz Feast hits new heights
Missed this month’s Fizz Feast in Edinburgh? Peter Ranscombe selects six sensational sparklers from the festival. ONE of the most exciting aspects of Fizz Feast, the celebration of sparkling wine and artisan food, is the sheer variety of bubbles on show. Organiser Diana Thompson, who has been running the fair for the past four years,…
Read MoreAge-worthy South African wines go under the hammer
Peter Ranscombe gets a sneak peak at a collection of older South African wines going up for auction at Christie’s in London this week. ASK different drinkers about how they perceive wines from South Africa and you’ll get a host of different answers. Some will praise the weird and wacky low-intervention wines produced in the…
Read MorePutting up your dukes for Australian wine
Peter Ranscombe joins wine writer Matthew Jukes for lunch at Edinburgh’s Wedgwood restaurant to puruse his list of the 100 best Australian wines. I WOULDN’T mind cashing in Matthew Jukes’ air miles. The Daily Mail newspaper’s wine columnist has compiled his “100 Best Australian Wines” list for 16 years and not only takes the accompanying…
Read MoreWhy I’m offsetting the carbon from my wine trips
Scottish Field wine columnist and drinks blogger Peter Ranscombe explains why he’s using Trees for Life to offset the carbon dioxide emissions from his wine trips. SOARING above the clouds in an aeroplane is both a wonder and a privilege that I never want to take for granted. Travelling the world to visit winemakers and write…
Read MoreMatching Martin Wishart’s dishes to Lebanon’s wines
Old vines grown at high altitude produce wines with great food pairing potential, writes Peter Ranscombe. ASK most wine fans to think of Lebanon and their minds will race immediately to Chateau Musar, the country’s best-known winery. Yet, as we’ve seen before on The Grape & The Grain drinks blog, Musar isn’t the only game…
Read MoreCalmel & Joseph: Finding the perfect blend
Peter Ranscombe returns to the Languedoc region in the south of France to learn how one négociant is taking the art of blending to the next level. AFTER spreading the gingham cloth over the trestle table, winemaker Laurent Calmel quickly began setting up his array of bottles and measuring cylinders. As the warm autumn sun…
Read MoreWINE TO DINE – NOVEMBER 2019 – DUCK
Scottish Field wine columnist and drinks blogger Peter Ranscombe goes quackers for five bottles to match duck. DUCK was the star ingredient in the food feature in the November issue of the printed Scottish Field magazine – here are five wines that will fly with the recipes. Jean Cornelius Pinot Noir, 2018 Lidl £7.49 Part…
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