Banfi: Brunello and beyond

There’s more to Banfi’s range of wines than simply its flagship Brunello, writes Peter Ranscombe. BANFI is one of the biggest names in Italian wine. Back in 1978, the Mariani family founded the Castello Banfi winery in Tuscany and began putting the wines of Brunello di Montalcino on the global map. The company has since…

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Try a delicious rhubarb meringue pie this weekend

There’s no denying that the current in-flavour is rhubarb. Forced rhubarb’s uniquely acidic, slightly sweet, slightly sharp flavour brings energy to both savoury and sweet dishes.  It’s not as fibrous or mouth-smackingly sour as the type of rhubarb we all remember from childhood – the kind you’d steal from your grandmother’s garden and have to…

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Zonin indulges in some California dreamin’

Peter Ranscombe explores Zonin’s plans for expansion in California, Russia and Italy with prosecco prince Michele Zonin. PROSECCO producer Zonin may have deep roots in Italy stretching back nearly 200 years, but Michele Zonin had a distinctly international focus when I caught up with the company’s vice-president on Friday. Part of the seventh generation of…

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WINE TO DINE – MARCH 2019 – PHEASANT

Drinks writer Peter Ranscombe selects five wines to go with pheasant, this month’s star ingredient. WITH its bright red wattle and distinctive cockerel-like call, the pheasant is a familiar sight throughout Scotland, waddling across farmers’ fields, woodland edges and roadside verges. Believed to have been introduced to Britain by the Romans – and certainly common…

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Putting a Scottish twist on a sweet American favourite

Scottish Field’s taste of America week of recipes concludes today with an American favourite, given a tartan twist by  Christina Conte. Originally from Garrowhill in Glasgow, Christina emigrated to the States when she was 9, and now lives in Los Angeles where she publishes food and travel posts on her site, ChristinasCucina.com. Over the course of…

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Drink in all Six Nations at the Ivy

Have you ever wondered what Scotland, France and England taste like? Well last night, my colleague Rosie and I trotted along to a launch event to celebrate a special collaboration between The Ivy on The Square and The Garden Shed Drinks Company  where we got to find out. As the first matches of the six…

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Prosecco & pals: which bubbles popped Scottish Field’s cork?

In between curling his hair and rouging his cheeks, Peter Ranscombe leads his Scottish Field colleagues in a pre-night out prosecco tasting. FEW sparkling wines have captured the imagination of the public like prosecco. Whether it’s drinks in a wine bar after work or getting ready at a friend’s house for a big night out,…

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Art treasures were sold as palace vanished from sight

The demolition of Hamilton Palace at Hamilton in South Lanarkshire in the 1920s and the dispersal of its treasures in two sales in 1882 and 1919 was a national tragedy. It was the grandest country house in Scotland and was filled with outstanding furniture and art, thanks to Alexander, 10th Duke of Hamilton (1767-1852). The…

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8 beach holidays that won’t ruin New Year’s resolutions

Travel agents all over the Scotland will be busy preparing for Sunshine Saturday tomorrow, 5 January. Holidaymakers are set to click ‘book now’ on their beach holiday destination of choice, but how does this fit in with the one in five of us setting our 2019 resolutions this week? In a recent survey, ‘to get…

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Water feature is back working at Scots castle

A water feature first built in the late 19th century has been revived a Scottish castle, after a programme of conservation and repair work by the National Trust for Scotland. Designed in the shape of a compass, the fountain and pond are a key feature in Crathes Castle’s Fountain Gardens. Originally installed in the 1880s,…

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