Wine
Deutz pops the cork on its Scottish push
With its rounded flavours and engaging story, Peter Ranscombe expects Champagne Deutz to be a popular addition with diners and drinkers north of the border. NEVER before has there been so much choice on the Champagne shelf in your local bottle shop or the sparkling wine list in your neighbourhood restaurant. Big-name brands rub shoulder-to-shoulder…
Read MoreWine to Dine – Mad March Hare
Peter Ranscombe picks five wines to accompany the dishes from Mad March Hare in the April issue of Scottish Field magazine. DINING outdoors is always a memorable experience and Amanda’s recipes require a picnic basket full of wines that have the character and the flavour to leave a lasting impact, even when there’s sensory overload…
Read MorePairing Pacari’s chocolates with wine is the perfect match
Two of Peter Ranscombe’s favourite topics are brought together at last as he explores chocolate and wine matching. FEW combinations strike fear into the heart of a drinks writer like wine and chocolate; if the wine isn’t sweeter than the chocolate then the liquid will taste bitter but go too sweet and the result will…
Read MoreA sneak peak at Simpsons’ first English sparkling wine
Peter Ranscombe visits Simpsons Wine Estate in Kent to see its new visitor facilities and learn more about its first English sparkling wines. IT’S been a real pleasure to follow Ruth and Charles Simpson over the past few years on their journey from the sun-drenched Languedoc region in the South of France to the slightly-soggy…
Read MoreStepping off the beaten track with Australian wine – the reds
Peter Ranscombe goes in search of unusual Australian red wines. WHEN it comes to wine, Australia has a hard-won reputation for producing high-quality shiraz, with some top-end cabernet sauvignon and pinot noir thrown into the mix too. Yet the Aussies’ repertoire doesn’t begin and end with the big-name international varietals. Last week’s Australia Day tasting…
Read MoreStepping off the beaten track with Australian wine – the whites
In part two of his report from the Australia Day tasting in Edinburgh, Peter Ranscombe examines some unusual white wines. THINK Australian whites, think chardonnay; it’s a perfectly natural connection to make after the grape was in the vanguard of varieties that helped the Aussies conquer the British market in the 1980s and 1990s. While…
Read MoreHalewood revives Crabbie whisky and aims to build a distillery in Leith
Peter Ranscombe tries the first two Crabbie whiskies from the label’s new owner and hears about its plans to build a malt distillery in Edinburgh. SOMETIMES it feels like distilleries are like buses – you wait 90 years for a malt whisky producer to come along and then three turn up at once. Planning permission…
Read MoreLebanon: a taste of the exotic
Gutsy reds and a baklava-friendly sweet wine were the highlights from a Lebanese tasting for Peter Ranscombe “WHEN you think about the sacrifices that winemakers in Lebanon made during the civil war then it’s a real privilege to present these wines to you,” said guest host Peter Khawli at the start of last night’s Lebanese…
Read MoreVega Sicilia: when the taste lives up to the hype
Peter Ranscombe is careful not to get carried away with the excitement of trying Spain’s undisputed top wine and is relieved when the liquid matches its reputation. YOU know a wine is special when it gets its own mention in your old course textbook. The entry for Vega Sicilia in the Oxford Companion to Wine…
Read MoreExploring vintage variation with Gallica
Peter Ranscombe explores how weather conditions can affect wines from vintage to vintage with Gallica winemaker Rosemary Cakebread. PICTURE California and it’s hard to escape images of the pier at Santa Monica or the sun-drenched beaches of Malibu, Newport and Venice. Yet head north from Los Angeles and it’s possible to explore how variations in…
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