Wine: In Britain, Vinho Verde is almost
invariably seen as a light white wine, often with a hint of
acidity. Because of its crisp freshness, it can make an ideal wine
for summer drinking at an affordable price. But, in Portugal, it is
multi-faceted.
Wine: IT IS difficult to underestimate the
influence that monastic orders have had on our drinking habits: the
Benedictines, with Buckfast Tonic Wine, known as "electric soup" by
its many Glaswegian devotees; the Carthusians, with the Chartreuse
liqueurs; and the Cistercians with those of Chablis.
AS I write this, horsemeat seems to be getting everywhere - even
into the wine trade. The wine writer Tim Atkin suggests that one of
the main causes of this adulteration is that the supermarket buyers
are refusing to pay more at a time of rising costs in raw
materials.
Wine: I ENJOY cricket - although I am one of
the world's worst players. In order to get an occasional game, I
created a team some 50 years ago. I am also passionate about Pinot
Noir wines.
Wine: There are now 685 vineyards in
Britain, and more than 125 wineries where their grapes are turned
into wine. In a recent international competition held in Italy for
sparkling wines, the supreme champion came not from Reims, but from
the Ancre Hill vineyard, Monmouth.
Wine: JUST before Christmas, a friend gave me a
copy of an article that I had written in a magazine in October
1978. January is traditionally a time for looking forward and back,
but this year I am looking much further back than is usual. The
article was an effort on my part to rate the merits of the various
wine houses in Burgundy. I lost, rather than made, friends in the
process.
Wine: I HAVE not yet posted my letter to Father
Christmas, but here are some bottles I might ask for. (I rank wines
I like into two classes: those I might buy myself, and those I
would like someone else to give me. My Christmas wishes include
some of both.)
Wine: ONE of the good things about Christmas is
that it gives you the opportunity to drink sweet wines. For most of
the year, by the end of a meal, I have no need for more wine,
whereas at Christmas there are, potentially, three reasons for a
glass: brandy snaps, Christmas pudding and mince pies, or a plate
of mature cheese.
What do changes at Morrison's and the Cooperative, followed by
the resignation of two of the most experienced buys in the
business, mean for consumers?
Wine: WHAT do you think of when you think of
German wine - or do you ever think of German wine? Having spent a
long weekend at the German Wine Academy recently, I have come away
with two distinct messages: first, they want us to think German
when we think of wine; and, second, they do not want us to think of
what they call the L-word.
Christopher Fielden: The last time I had to
change the wheel on a car was three years ago on a bridge over the
River Miño, between Spain and Portugal. From the Portuguese
side of the river come the best vinhos verdes, and, from the
Spanish side, the wines of the Rías Baixas.