Month: July, 2011

(Tasting) notes from a small isle, Sardegna…

I’m back from a long weekend’s break staying on the south eastern corner of Sardegna, close to Cagliari. And of course I couldn’t resist following up a couple of (wine) leads: one a large producer, the other not so large… Sealed with the Treaty of London, Sardegna’s annexation to the Duchy of Savoia back in […]

Crafting the perfect summer G&T

With the weather alternating between miserable and outright apocalyptic, cask strength single malt has been, rather unusually, at the top of my gustatory thoughts of late. I say unusually as normally in the middle of July I find myself turning much more often to cognacs or rums, at least as far as aged spirits are […]

Elegance personified

This year, we had the great pleasure to be invited to the house of Billecart-Salmon near Epernay. No small gesture as the trip was to include staying at the Maison du Billecart, dining with Monsieur François Billecart himself and after a tour the next day, dining at a 3 Michelin starred restaurant in Paris no […]

Growing into the Rôle

It is now a full two years since your correspondent selflessly embarked on a fortnight’s voyage of discovery of the vineyards of Champagne. Accompanied by the equally selfless Alun Griffiths MW, I set off on the long and frankly sometimes rather uneventful drive through the badlands of the Pas de Calais, taking advantage of the […]