Restaurants get 100,000 free glasses of wine to tempt customers back

As the UK Government’s “Eat Out to Help Out” scheme ends, wine importer Hallgarten is giving restaurants and bars a helping hand – and Peter Ranscombe picks some exciting bottles from its warehouse. MANY restaurant owners have hailed the “Eat Out to Help Out” scheme as a massive success, bringing customers out for early week…

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de Burgh Wine Merchants delivers restaurant quality at home

WHEN the hospitality industry was shut down in March due to the coronavirus pandemic, de Burgh Wine Merchants was faced with losing 95% of its business overnight. Such a seismic shock provided the catalyst to accelerate the company’s plans to expand its web shop and home delivery service. “People have been drinking our wines for…

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V&A names new Dundee director

V&A Dundee has unveiled Leonie Bell as its new director. Bell joins Scotland’s first design museum from Renfrewshire Council, where she was the strategic lead for its Future Paisley Partnership. She replaces Philip Long, who has taken over as chief executive at the National Trust for Scotland. Bell began her career at Glasgow 1999: UK…

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Belhaven Hill School unveils new leadership team

BELHAVEN Hill School in Dunbar has made four senior appointments as it prepares for the arrival of new headteacher Olly Langton. John Marriott, currently the school’s director of studies, becomes deputy head (academic), while head of maths Katie Gale becomes deputy head (pastoral). Anna McGrath, previously resident house tutor and director of drama at Fettes…

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Pinot punch-up: New Zealand v Oregon

Who will come out on top in a comparative tasting between Oregon and New Zealand? Peter Ranscombe grabs his whistle to act as referee. ONE grape unites most if not all wine lovers – pinot noir. Its spiritual homeland is Burgundy in France, yet winemakers around the world use the variety to test their mettle, from…

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Paul and Jacine Rutasikwa breathe fresh ‘Liv’ into rum

A new range of Scottish spirits offers no rum deal as far as Peter Ranscombe is concerned. PAUL Rutasikwa may have just restored my faith in liqueurs. While most of our so-called “gin liqueurs” in Scotland fall flat on their faces because the other flavours mask the juniper – the taste of which is the…

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Think you’ve got the skills to win a home cocktail contest?

EIGHT LANDS, the gin and vodka brand made at Glenrinnes Distillery in Speyside, will launch a home cocktail competition tomorrow to mark its first birthday – and the winner will receive a “mixology” masterclass and a two Michelin-starred meal at the Four Seasons Hotel. Amateur cocktail makers must demonstrate their creativity using no more than…

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Jazz star Fergus McCreadie kicks off Conservatoire lunchtime concerts

RISING jazz star Fergus McCreadie will perform at today’s maiden lunchtime online concert organised by the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS) and Scotland House, the Scottish Government’s centre in London. McCreadie will begin his concert at 1pm on the YouTube channel run by the Glasgow-based RCS, formerly the Royal Scottish Academy of Music & Drama…

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One Year No Beer: a lockdown lifeline

Looking to change your relationship with alcohol? Peter Ranscombe reports on a Scottish firm’s online programme. FOR so many of us who have been staying safe at home with no exposure to the coronavirus, it’s been a lockdown of memes. Memes about face coverings, memes about zoom quizzes, memes about TikTok challenges. One set of…

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