The Tasting Note

Oh man, I am excited to try that. I was there whe...

2008-11-15T22:10:00.000Z

Oh man, I am excited to try that. I was there when (Kevin?) bought the Stoli for it. Keep it around, for sure.

That 05 Aristea is a classic.

2008-10-30T01:06:00.000Z

That 05 Aristea is a classic.

Well said.

2008-10-29T05:58:00.000Z

Well said.

Glenguin are distributed in the UK by Bibendum, bu...

2008-09-30T09:50:00.000+01:00

Glenguin are distributed in the UK by Bibendum, but due to their small production, they are mainly distributed through independent retailers.

As for the Air Chief Marshall, Robin Tedder's grandfather, Arthur, led the Allied delegation to Berlin that accepted the German surrender at the end of the Second World War.

What an excellent sounding tasting - any idea who ...

2008-09-29T09:16:00.000+01:00

What an excellent sounding tasting - any idea who stocks these wines in the UK? I've run into them before and also have no idea who the Air Chief Marshall is!

The 2008 aromatic white Weemala wines are arriving...

2008-09-17T17:29:00.000+01:00

The 2008 aromatic white Weemala wines are arriving very soon(2 weeks) from Logan Wines, so it would be interesting to see your views on those wines.
Appreciate your honest comments...and I am sure that Peter Logan will also be very interested in Australia. Not too sure whether I agree with you on the Apple Tree Flat wines, as they seem to stand up very well against similar wines in that price category from Australia. Logan Wines always seem to have a subtle cooler style so I was surprised to hear your comments on high alcohol and heat. Will you be buying the Weemala Shiraz Viognier and the Logan Cabernet Merlot??? I am sure that the Logan family have a few relatives in Scotland who want to support a family run winery from Australia!

ardbeg 1965 great advert. great malt.

2008-09-05T16:36:00.000+01:00

ardbeg 1965 great advert. great malt.

if you are going to go through the effort, have yo...

2008-08-11T12:06:00.000+01:00

if you are going to go through the effort, have you considered adding them to a site such as Snooth or Adegga so as to share them with others? They still link to you and I believe you can republish them to your site having added them

or maybe using an hreview format on your own pages?

Just a thought.

good questionI think the answer to the question as...

2008-08-07T16:17:00.000+01:00

good question

I think the answer to the question as you pose it is; no! You don't NEED it in the trade, despite what the recruitment ads say.

Experience and knowledge is more important than qualification.

BUT ...

that isn't to say it isn't useful or valuable.

I put it off for ages, then started year 1 last year and did well. Unfortunately, year 2 coincided with child 2 and I've decided not to lose time with him this year. I will definitely finish it at some stage, not because I need it, but because, exam stress aside, it is good to learn about wine in a broader way than our daily routine allows.

Well it sounds amazing and like yourself, as a for...

2008-08-04T20:40:00.000+01:00

Well it sounds amazing and like yourself, as a former Oddbin-ite, I'd be delighted to see Oddbins return to it's glory days. They might even get a store back in St Andrews!!! :-)

You either have to brave the heat/rain (depending ...

2008-07-31T18:25:00.000+01:00

You either have to brave the heat/rain (depending where you are) and buy some canned wine... it is the only way to improve the pizza.

Alternatively you could get a take away.

just realised I've ordered two pizzas (from Sainsb...

2008-07-31T18:20:00.000+01:00

just realised I've ordered two pizzas (from Sainsburys) because they are on offer, totally forgetting that they are generally inedible! No canned wine though...

Moet vintage is one of our favourite Champagnes. ...

2008-07-24T08:59:00.000+01:00

Moet vintage is one of our favourite Champagnes. And you're so right - if you keep your eyes & ears open you can pick up some amazing bargains.

I've even found Dom for £60 ... not bad!

Go for it Rich. Put a link to it here if you wish...

2008-07-23T09:49:00.000+01:00

Go for it Rich. Put a link to it here if you wish

Of course it changes the way the whisky ages. It's...

2008-07-22T23:20:00.000+01:00

Of course it changes the way the whisky ages. It's a disaster. As well thought out as the Cardhu extravaganza. I'm going to write something about it. Unless you would like to first. Wine Rant needs an updates though, so if you would be so kind...

ouch!

2008-07-22T18:27:00.000+01:00

ouch!

is it grape extract or just 'fruit'. As you say tw...

2008-07-19T17:02:00.000+01:00

is it grape extract or just 'fruit'. As you say twenty quid could buy some damn fine wine. What sort of quantity does this make? I don't know why I ask as I don't intend to ever buy the kit!

I agree. Diageo are saying that they are still ex...

2008-07-15T01:27:00.000+01:00

I agree. Diageo are saying that they are still experimenting, but as it will be starving the whisky of oxygen, it has to change the way the whisky ages.

What a riduculous idea - if the angels don't get t...

2008-07-15T01:22:00.000+01:00

What a riduculous idea - if the angels don't get their share then it will not develop properly in the barrel.

The point is that the law about drinking at 18 has...

2008-06-16T15:29:00.000+01:00

The point is that the law about drinking at 18 has materially failed to stop under 18s from drinking if they want to, so how will it suddenly work for over 18s (who CAN drink in pubs)?

I despair!

The raising of the drinking age to 21 in off sales...

2008-06-16T15:24:00.000+01:00

The raising of the drinking age to 21 in off sales will stop young drinkers 'pre-loading' (getting drunk before they go out) according to Alcohol Focus chief executive Jack Law. He says that "this (raising the off sales age) is one way of tackling that (pre-loading)." It might but it still won't stop them binge drinking.

Also, this is a sweeping law that is squarely targeted at Supermarkets and corner shops without thinking about the implications for small independent retailers, who are, on the whole, promoting safe drinking.

If 'pre-loading' is a problem, implement limits and pricing minimums, but ultimately, if someone is considered mature enough to vote in Alex Salmond and his MSP's, they should be considered old enough to be able to make the decision what they can do with their own liver.

Oh, you've got me going now.I was typing a reply, ...

2008-06-16T10:50:00.000+01:00

Oh, you've got me going now.

I was typing a reply, along the lines of:

ABSOLUTELY AGREE!

and then realised my comment was a whole blog post in its own right, so I will post it on my site and link back to here.

Please let's get together and stop this madness and do something constructive for a change, not these silly tinkerings that do nothing to solve the issue.

Thanks for raising issue

I am too much of a young thing which is great as I...

2008-06-03T09:26:00.000+01:00

I am too much of a young thing which is great as I am thirty in a week and it is nice to be too young for something! Having said that though, does a whisky company really need an ad to sell a two grand bottle of whisky? I know it is about promoting the brand, but, in my humble view, the folk who are going to buy these whiskies at this price aren't going to give a tuppence ha'penny about a Chanel spoof!

You are kidding me right??? I think that is one of...

2008-06-02T21:11:00.000+01:00

You are kidding me right??? I think that is one of the funniest spoof's on a classic advert that I've seen in a long time!!! Or are you too much of a young thing to remember the original Chanel ad? xx

First, thanks for the support from Robert and Ryan...

2008-04-11T12:08:00.000+01:00

First, thanks for the support from Robert and Ryan.

Just to clarify a few things, and update you on the situation, I have asked several of my other suppliers about their opinion on me writing about samples, and they are all happy with me to be critical of their wines as long as I am not unfair, which I can assure everyone I was not with the OW Loeb article.

It would appear that I have the support of my boss, my readers, and the trade, so I hope that this might be an isolated incident that I can move on from. It looks like one company didn't like what I wrote and decided to complain. The fact that I have praised many other of their wines in the past seems to have escaped them.