Archive for the ‘Miscellaneous’ Category

Website link problems – Fixed!

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010

Currently experiencing a technical glitch where clicking on any internal link leads to a 404 webpage not found error.

My enormous technical team is working on it.  Thank you for you patience.

WART Campaign goes Facebook

Monday, January 25th, 2010

My Wine At Right Temperature Campaign now has a Facebook Group.  If you are sick of frostbite on your lips from drinking a restaurant Riesling, or you have ever burnt your tongue on a Pinot Noir served at 25 degrees, feel free to come and join the party, erm, I mean petition.

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=180871924981#/group.php?gid=180871924981

If the link fails to get you there, simply search for Wine At Right Temperature in Facebook Groups.

Piazza by Anthony, Leeds Corn Exchange

Tuesday, January 12th, 2010

Anthony Flinn is a bit of a food legend in Leeds.  His impressive CV includes a two year stint under Ferran Adrià at the world’s “best” restaurant, El Bulli.  Flinn’s own flagship restaurant, Anthony’s, is perpetually tipped for a Michelin star.  His latest project, Piazza, opened in late 2008, is situated in one of the most impressive, historically beautiful buildings in the North of England – Leeds Corn Exchange.  Anthony’s footprint includes an impressive 125 seater brasserie, a patisserie, bakery, chocolatier and delicatessen.  Wine, however, is another science.

Piazza pavement

My opening exchange with the waitress:  Gevrey Chambertin Domaine Heresztyn 2005 please – what temperature would you serve that?  “About two above room”. Ouch, no WART awards here.  Please can I have an ice bucket?  “Yes sir, no problem.”  Things are starting to improve already.  After all, the wine list looks well thought out, and superbly priced, and the menu looks bistro chic.

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Day 12 in the Big Detox House

Tuesday, January 12th, 2010

I am bored of talking about water, never mind drinking it.  Still or sparkling?  Bottle or tap?  Caledonian Spring or Corporation Pop?  Yawn.

In any case my detox has been a complete waste of time in many respects.  After 12 days of punishing exercise, no alcohol and, ahem, minimal caffeine (see below) I have finally lost a solitary, lonesome pound from my chunky Christmas frame.

So to celebrate I have now stopped banging on about detox and focussed energies on writing up some old notes.

Day 10 in the Big Detox House

Sunday, January 10th, 2010

It’s a bit like Audrey II, the man-eating plant in Little Shop of Horrors.  My liver is taunting me to feed it some alcohol.  But whilst resisting the siren songs of Bacchus is the easy bit of my new year detox, my lily-livered response to caffeine addiction has been unmitigated capitulation.  Early foreplay with Earl Grey has now escalated to full frontal intercourse with Ceylon Orange Pekoe, through Queen Anne and even onto (gasp) sturdy robust Assam, the foundation of builders’ tea, in which well brewed cups, a teaspoon can stand as erect and proud as a pleasure dome on the road to Xanadu.  Rogering my central nervous system senseless.  Mmmmm feels good.

So whilst I have no contemporary wine experiences to write about, perhaps I ought to catch up with some old notes from 2009.  Yes, I’ll do that right now.  Oh hang on, I have to exercise first.

Cork and cork at Quinta da Lagoalva de Cima

Sunday, November 8th, 2009

There’s always a danger that things can get a tad introspective at conferences like EWBC, so it is great to get the opportunity to broaden ones horizons out in the field, or terroir, if you will.  A trip to see how cork is produced was, inevitably, sponsored by Amorim, who almost silently supply one quarter of the world’s natural wine closures.  A heavyweight, if there were ever such a thing, in the cork world.

It's a rat trap, Billy - oh hang on, no, it's a horse and trap

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EWBC 2009

Saturday, October 31st, 2009

I am in Lisbon for the European Wine Bloggers Conference and there are a few missing faces from last year which is a shame.  The Italians are notable absentees, for example.  However, the event is at least twice the size of last year’s and superbly well organised by Ryan and Gabi Opaz and Robert McIntosh.

Another amazing shirt from Mr McIntosh

If you are sad enough to want live updates you can follow me on Twitter at @tiptoptaps.

If you are even sadder and want to see everyone at the conference tweeting on exactly the same event every other second, follow the hashtag #EWBC.

Wine envy living on…

Sunday, October 18th, 2009

I was pretty chipper about my Combine Harvester, installed in 2008 at Bathgate Towers.  It has kept my finer bottles in tip top condition and is a super talking point when anyone remotely interested in wine visits.

But I am a mere amateur according to a book just published in the US.  Living with Wine, by Samantha Nestor, is actually better read in pictures (impressively furnished by Andrew French).

Lucky bastards - wine cellars of the rich and famous

From swish New York bachelor pads to decadent Napa Valley wine clubs I can only drool at the fantastic cellars containing fantastic wines – many not even American!  The intersection of architecture, interior design and fine wine is surely one of the greatest causes of wine envy in the oenological world?

Just one thing – can we have a repeat of this book but focussed on UK cellars?

Living with Wine is published by Clarkson Potter ($75), a division of Random House and whilst my copy came from the US, I understand it will be available in the UK soon.

Postcards from New York

Friday, September 18th, 2009

Just in case you are casing my joint.  Just in case you are licking your lips, not at the food reviews, but at the prospect of raiding my home refrigerator to feed the dog whilst you pack my telly into my car and drive off into the night.  Just in case you were thinking of reneging on a debt whilst I enjoy a short break in the Big Apple, I must inform you that I have been home for a few days now.  I am just slow at writing up the notes.

Oh bollocks, that reminds me I left the lights on!

A few more postcards to come yet.

Yankee Diddle Dandy

Monday, September 14th, 2009

How can New Yorkers afford to attend Yankees matches?

Yee-hah - GO YANKEES!

In addition to watching the game, in true New York style, every opportunity is offered to lighten your wallet. Here is the full shopping list:

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