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Rethinking Riesling - the grape I was wrong about.
About 8 years ago I went to my first formal wine tasting. I was given a voucher for Birmingham Wine School for a birthday present. I did a one day WSET Level 1 wine course. That’s what really sparked my serious interest in wine. Learning a few very basic things around climate, grape variety and styles started to formalise 20 odd years of unofficial learning. I knew what I liked and I thought I knew what I didn’t like. But I didn’t really know why. I liked Chianti because it w
Rupert
Nov 21, 20254 min read
Pass the Porto
I’ve had a fondness for Portuguese wines for years. Port at Christmas is one of my earliest wine memories as my dad has always opened a...
Rupert
May 21, 20255 min read
Try January?
Happy New Year. It's been a while since my last post, which I think was just after the summer holidays. A lot has happened since then....
Rupert
Jan 11, 20254 min read
Land of The Leopard
With all this horrible wet weather, I’ve been spending a fair bit of time looking back on holiday snaps from the summer. We spent two...
Rupert
Sep 26, 20244 min read
La bella Italia
You’ll probably know by now that I’ve got a soft spot for Italy and Italian wines. Initially it was the crunchy sour Chiantis that got my...
Rupert
Jun 29, 20243 min read
And now for something...slightly different
It’s been a while since my last post – a four-legged addition to the family has kept us busy. It’s also, in an odd way, changed the way I...
Rupert
May 12, 20243 min read
Bordeaux - drinking it in.
So the trip to Bordeaux was a lot of fun. We packed in a lot and it was a brilliant opportunity to see, smell and taste things I’ve been...
Rupert
Nov 1, 20234 min read
Busy, busy, busy
It's been far too long since I last posted on this site. There's no real excuse other than I've been busy. Busy with the day job. Busy...
Rupert
Sep 21, 20234 min read
Burgundy in Brum
It's been a while since I posted - for a variety of reasons. I've been busy studying (see last post), reading, tasting and hosting events...
Rupert
Jun 12, 20233 min read
Back To The Books
This week I started my first academic studying for several years. Although I've been reading a lot, visiting vineyards and speaking to...
Rupert
Oct 15, 20223 min read
Catching Your Attention
Supermarkets look for any excuse to get us to stock up on wine; Easter, Christmas and pretty much every bank holiday prompt the 'big...
Rupert
Jun 1, 20223 min read
Wine list road trip
For the last few years my dad, brother, brother-in-law and I have been talking about doing a wine trip together. But life has got in the...
Rupert
Mar 14, 20224 min read
This Green and Pleasant Land
I often get asked about English wine. ‘Is it any good?’ and ‘Why is it so expensive?’ are two of the questions I tend to hear a lot. But...
Rupert
Nov 16, 20213 min read
Stepping out of the Supermarket
I read an article this week about how the price of a wine can influence your enjoyment of it. The study showed that people enjoyed a wine...
Rupert
Mar 22, 20213 min read
Supermarket Sauvignons
In my first official wine lesson I learned that there are somewhere 8 and 10 thousand different varieties of grape used to make wine...
Rupert
Mar 7, 20213 min read
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