Talking Organic & Biodynamic
Peter Mitchell MW onUntil 2012, no EU rules or definition existed for Organic Wine, meaning only grapes could be certified organic and wine could only be labelled as ‘made from organic grapes’. Although wine was frequently sold as …
Continue readingDear Matt… Solve My Christmas Drinking Woes!
Ben Pearson onJeroboams’ Commercial Director Matt Tipping delves into the Christmas offer to help with your festive entertaining conundrums. We’re eating turkey but none of us like white wine – what do we do? If you choose …
Continue readingEnglish Sparkling Wine: The World’s Most Exciting Wine Region Right Now?
Ben Pearson onAs a member of L’Academie du Champagne (My sponsor house is Laurent Perrier) I write this article with my eye on the office door fully expecting to be arrested by a burly, french front row …
Continue readingNot Just for Summer: Domaine de Sermezy of Beaujolais
Peter Mitchell MW onIt may seem a little odd to even consider the idea of Beaujolais as we head into winter, but these wines are not just for the summer months. While a light red, nicely chilled, is …
Continue readingRestaurant Wine Pricing
Hugh Sturges onReading the WHICH piece featured in the news recently, it must be tempting for restaurant customers to feel hard done by. The reported mark ups of 150-300% over retail prices are certainly challenging to the …
Continue readingThe Lifestyle of Wine
Matt Tipping onIn an industry with small advertising budgets, where word of mouth and long term relationships are vitally important if you are to be successful, the rise of social media represents the modern face of traditional …
Continue readingThe Lesser-Known Grape Varieties Deserving of Our Attention
Peter Mitchell MW onFor most of us, our first contact with wine is with one from a major region. For those of us in the wine trade, Bordeaux and Burgundy are the first point of call (particularly for …
Continue readingBelle Époque: Visiting Maison Perrier- Jouët
Loick Tyson on‘Will a magnum of Brut be enough?’ At the beginning of a trade trip to Champagne, these are the important decisions to be made. It was reasoned to our host, Jonny from Maison Perrier- Jouët, …
Continue readingFeudo Disisa: Discovering Sicily
Ben Pearson onSicily has a somewhat tense relationship with the rest of Italy. It is the kind of sentiment a lot of islanders have towards the mainland: where the customs and way of life of one are …
Continue readingPint Sized: Visiting Orbit Beers
Loick Tyson onIt used to be that drinking beer involved a relatively simple choice: ale or lager at the pub, with a wider selection available at the local shop. Comparatively, wine presented an unwieldy plethora of possibilities, …
Continue readingHunter’s: A New Zealand Icon
Ben Pearson onIn 1986, an “unknown New Zealander” came to the attention of the world after winning the top prize at the Sunday Time Vintage Festival. At first this was thought to be simply a fluke. But …
Continue readingCapovilla: Grappa Like No Other
James Phillips onThe general preconception of grappa is one of near disgust. Most have experienced grappa as a digestif consumed at the tail end of a meal of traditional Italian cuisine, either out of politeness or respect …
Continue reading