Five of the best from Inverarity Morton

As spring gives way to summer, Peter Ranscombe looks back at Scotland’s biggest wine tasting. IT’S known in the trade as “the big one” – Inverarity Morton’s annual tasting at the Assembly Rooms in Edinburgh has hundreds of wines from the importer’s list on show and attracts hundreds more shopkeepers and restaurateurs seeking “the next…

Read More

10 brave Scots who have won the Victoria Cross

Awarded for valour in the face of the enemy, the Victoria Cross is our highest military decoration. These are the tales of ten of the 164 Scots awarded this highly-prized medal. 1. John MacGregor Born at Cawdor near Nairn in 1889, John MacGregor became Canada’s most-decorated soldier. He emigrated in 1909, working as a carpenter…

Read More

Skullduggery and danger in the Munro saga

Clan feuds, skullduggery and medieval warfare feature in A House Divided, a turbulent tale of 16th century Scotland and France. In this eagerly awaited sequel to Turn of the Tide, Skea continues the story of the Munro family who are forced into hiding by William Cunninghame. Gripping from the get-go, with drama and intrigue woven…

Read More

Why I’m so pleased the Simpsons broke their promise

Peter Ranscombe toasts a Scottish and Northern Irish couple triumphing with their English wines. “WE PROMISED we would never make an English still wine,” laughed Charles Simpson as he addressed his guests in the basement at Trade Soho, the private members’ club in London where he and his wife, Ruth, launched their range of four……

Read More

Skye beats the Eiffel Tower for online photos

It has revealed that the Isle of Skye is the most Instagrammed road trip destination in Europe, with almost 21,000 posts. The picturesque island has triumphed over the likes of the iconic Eiffel Tower, which has 12,463 posts. Scotland’s North Coast 500 also proved popular with social media users as it was ranked eighth in…

Read More

International flair for Glasgow art fair event

The Glasgow Contemporary Art Fair returns to the Marquee at Kelvingrove this month. Now in its fifth year, the fair promises to bring an international flair to Glasgow’s cosmopolitan West End. GCAF provides a superb opportunity to view and buy works of art from art galleries and artists from across Scotland, the UK, Ireland and…

Read More

Three new jet routes from Edinburgh take-off

Three new routes from Edinburgh Airport have officially taken-off this week. Loganair’s direct services to the Norwegian cities of Bergen (May 9) and Stavanger (May 10) have celebrated their inaugural departures. A seasonal link between the capital and Guernsey will also begin on Saturday (11 May), with a Tuesday connection commencing later this summer, and…

Read More

Political intrigue led to Scotland’s most notorious duel

When the euphoria that followed the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo in 1815 had subsided, Britain experienced a period of financial depression and crop failure that led to intense political unrest. The Whig party agitated for parliamentary reform, which was resisted by the Tories, who had held power for many years and were terrified of…

Read More

Asparagus: Alternatives to sauvignon blanc

If sauvignon blanc isn’t your thing then don’t worry, Scottish Field wine columnist Peter Ranscombe has other wines in mind to pair with this month’s star ingredient – asparagus. SAUVIGNON blanc is a real “Marmite” wine – you either love it or you hate it. So going all-out and selecting wines made solely from the…

Read More

WINE TO DINE – JUNE 2019 – ASPARAGUS

In a sauvignon blanc special, Scottish Field wine columnist Peter Ranscombe picks pairings for asparagus. FEW wines have such a strong affinity with a single ingredient as sauvignon blanc and asparagus, which is this month’s star ingredient in Scottish Field magazine. Flick through any book on wine and the tasting notes for the more savoury…

Read More