On the outskirts of the beautiful Georgian town of Marlow, one finds the gastropub that “would be king!” – The Hand & Flowers.  A brilliant white washed exterior expresses an almost humble non presumption of the culinary expertise and delights that await you inside. The Hand and Flowers is owned and run by Head Chef, Tom […]

A week spent tasting the 2010 vintage proved to be a joy, despite an inauspicious beginning on Monday morning under leaden skies with the lunar calendar telling us it was a Root Day, not deemed propitious for tasting. After the opulence of the easy-to-read 2009s the growing season in 2010 was more challenging, with less […]

In the course of a career in the wine trade one can expect to attend a few tastings which might fall into the category of “special” but in July I was privileged to attend a presentation which will live long in the memory, and must rank as one of the most extraordinary in my 35-year […]

Today it was the annual en primeur get-together, where our very own Simon Staples (aka @BigSiTheWineGuy) meets with  Master of Wine Jancis Robinson to discuss the current Bordeaux campaign. So, what did they really think of 2010?  Can it be compared to any other vintages? What are the bargains, and how did the First Growths fare? And most importantly, […]