Wine
A sparkling education at the Fizz Feast
Today’s Fizz Feast in Edinburgh not only has delicious Champagnes on show but also sparkling wines from around the world, writes Peter Ranscombe. EDINBURGH Academy may be renowned for the sparkling success of its former pupils – with notable alumni ranging from writer Robert Louis Stevenson to physicist James Clerk Maxwell – but it was sparklers…
Read MoreWINE TO DINE – DECEMBER 2018 – CHRISTMAS BANQUET
Drinks writer Peter Ranscombe picks five wines to pair with the Christmas banquet. CHRISTMAS is a time for feasting – celebrating family and friendship over good food and good wine. Taking that feast outside into a location like The Secret Herb Garden in Edinburgh – as Scottish Field did for its December 2018 issue – makes…
Read MoreCalifornia collectin’
The futuristic-looking United States embassy in London played host to the first ‘Collectible California’ dinner, demonstrating how the state’s wines can age, as Peter Ranscombe reports. WHEN wine enthusiasts begin building their collection of bottles, they usually turn to the Old World classics from Bordeaux and Burgundy. But what about California? Can wines from the…
Read MoreApprentice 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…
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