Wine
Carmenere: A site within a site within a site
Ventisquero’s new carmenere comes from a very, very specific location in Chile’s Colchagua valley, as Peter Ranscombe discovers. THERE are so many things I won’t miss about the pandemic. The face coverings, the social distancing, the way reporting deaths has been reduced to bland figures each night on the television news. Yet one of the…
Read MoreWine to Dine – August 2021 – Gary Maclean
Seafood recipes by chef Gary Maclean inspire Scottish Field wine columnist Peter Ranscombe to fish out five bottles. IF YOU start writing a list of Scotland’s top ingredients then it’s not going to be long before you begin naming our seafood. From mussels and oysters to scallops and langoustine, our coasts are blessed with world-beating…
Read MoreChile: Going beyond the sauvignons
Chile is producing a much wider variety of wines than simply sauvignon blanc and cabernet sauvignon, as Peter Ranscombe discovers. WHEN New World wine producers were trying to break into the UK market, it was handy to have a calling card or two. Australia had chardonnay and shiraz, Argentina had torrontes and malbec. For Chile,…
Read MoreDolomites: Where co-ops are thriving
The Dolomites stand guard over a land of small farms that are proving the co-operative model is alive and well, says Peter Ranscombe. “THESE wines are all about mountains,” explained Diana Thompson as she introduced bottles from Mezzacorona during one of her recent Wine Events Scotland online tastings. That mountain influence shone through in the…
Read MoreWine to Dine – July 2021 – Salt Café
Scottish Field wine columnist Peter Ranscombe picks five bottles to rub shoulder to shoulder with the recipes from Salt Café. SUPPORTING local businesses is more important than ever as Scotland emerges from the coronavirus pandemic. That’s why it was heartwarming to see the recipes from Salt Café in Edinburgh’s Morningside starring in the food feature…
Read MoreLe Miccine: Showing Chianti’s cooler side
Le Miccine winemaker Paula Papini Cook is celebrating her Scottish roots in Tuscany, writes Peter Ranscombe. FOR Scots living abroad, there’s always once thing they miss more than anything else. For some, it’s Irn Bru; for others, it’s haggis. For Paula Papini Cook, the winemaker at Le Miccine in Tuscany, it’s tattie scones. While she…
Read MoreTesco: Seven of the best summer wines
The summer Tesco press tasting gave Peter Ranscombe the chance to select his seasonal recommendations. AFTER press tastings with Aldi and Marks & Spencer, Tesco was the next supermarket chain to unveil its spring and summer selection. I came away feeling more positive about Tesco than I have done for a while. The focus on…
Read MoreEast Coast: Where land meets sea and wine
Peter Ranscombe visits East Coast in Musselburgh to put the restaurant’s wine list through its paces. EVERYONE has their favourite chippies. One of mine used to be The Coral Reef in Musselburgh. My guilty pleasure was its southern fried chicken goujons. Carlo Crolla took over the chip shop in 2002 from his parents, who had…
Read MoreAldi: Toasting reliable fizzy favourites
Peter Ranscombe salutes Aldi for the consistency of its sparkling wines. SUPERMARKET shopping is – let’s face it – boring. Don your face covering and trudge down the same aisles, week after week, month after month. Pick up the same milk, the same bread, the same giant bag of crisps that you promise yourself will…
Read MoreLidl Wine Tour: Bubbles and beyond
Tomorrow’s ‘Wine Tour’ promotion from Lidl includes bubbles from around Europe, writes Peter Ranscombe. PERHAPS – just perhaps – there are a few more reasons to be optimistic. Hugs are back on the agenda, much of Scotland has moved from level three to level two restrictions, and staycations are beckoning this summer. If the weather…
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