Over the weekend I met one of the most impressive collectors I’ve come across in China thus far – an absolute legend called Mr Zhang (with me in the picture, left). Mr Zhang is a perfect illustration of the levels of sophistication that some Chinese consumers are already reaching and perhaps provides a hint of […]

Continuing on from the string of producers who have made it to Basingstoke to tell us about their wines, last week it was time for our annual visit from the iconic Penfolds in Australia, who came in to talk us through a delicious collection of wines, from the Reserve Bin Chardonnay to the St Henri, which […]

Thanks to mother nature I took a rather scenic route to Bordeaux this year; and after a rather romantic overnight ferry from Portsmouth St Malo and a six-hour drive down to Bordeaux (thanks to THAT volcano) with my colleague from the UK, Philip, it was my turn to taste the much hyped 2009s. Alas, I […]

It may be May but it feels distinctly like April here in Piemonte, as the extended winter looks to have shunted the seasons back; so a chilly and damp reception for all my feathered friends that have now dropped in to say hello (nightingale, hoopoe, bee-eater, turtle dove, white-bellied alpine swift, hobby…)