Month: March, 2015

Jury service

Having enjoyed the privilege of adjudicating the recent Thessaloniki International Wine & Spirits Competition, Demetri Walters MW shares his impressions of three days spent blind tasting. For those of you who have not yet made it to Macedonia, Greece’s second city benefits from its situation as an attractive seaside port, as well as offering impressive […]

The Pickering Cellar: a brick-by-brick account

Barbara Drew, our Wine School Tutor, descends beneath No.3 St James’s to reveal the remarkable history of our Pickering Cellar. One floor below street-level, beneath our London shop and Pickering Place, lies the Pickering Cellar. Named after William Pickering, the erstwhile barrel cellar formally dates from the 17th century. However, it is likely to incorporate […]

Tea-total

When our Burgundy Buyer and confirmed Pinot-phile Jasper Morris MW isn’t tasting the wines of his specialist region, he can be found exploring the world of another age-old drink – tea. There’s always a risk that one day your doctor will tell you to cut out alcohol. That’s not too bad in France, because he […]

Spanish knights

Late last month our Spain Buyer, Simon Field MW, was awarded the privilege of joining the ‘Gran Orden de Caballeros del Vino’, roughly translated as the Grand Order of the Knights of Wine. Here he writes about the honour bestowed, and the operatic parallels of the week in question. It was to be a busy week. Our […]