I love this time of year. Christmas is just around the corner and shining like a beacon of warmth and cheer in the deepening darkness of winter. The food, the wine, the company and the fun – what better reward at the end of a long, hard year? Throughout St James’s the window displays offer […]

Against the backdrop of Berlusconi’s Houdini escape and subsequent civilian unrest along Rome’s ancient streets, there’s marked discontent in the Langhe hills at the way another such imprenditore (businessman), Oscar Farinetti, is conducting his affairs. As managing director and transitory custodian of Fontanafredda, the historic cantina/institution once belonging to Italy’s royal Savoia family he has […]

Do you know which wines you’ll be drinking this Christmas? We caught up with a few of our experts to see which fine drops will be accompanying their festivities this year: “Lunch is always scrambled eggs and smoked salmon, accompanied by Berrys’ UKC Blanc de Blancs Champagne. I keep my appetite primed for the evening […]

I have been too busy to blog of late: not just launching Inside Burgundy, but also preparing January’s Grand Burgundy Offer which is heading off to the printers even as I type. Several weeks of intense tasting, hard work but enjoyable, then the writing up of the tasting notes which soon drives home the paucity […]