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The Oval teens
During a visit Liberty Wines’ annual portfolio tasting yesterday at The Oval, I did a quick recce of the pitch for Friday’s England vs. Pakistan One Day International. I wasn’t able to get as close to the pitch as I did at Lord’s recently but typically The Oval pitch is much faster and bouncier than…
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The Third Man: AWC Vienna 2010
In late August I spent a few days in Vienna tasting for the AWC (Austrian Wine Challenge) 2010, my second year as its sole UK representative. As always, Michael Edlmoser and Andreas Peschta were charming and amusing hosts. Among my fellow tasters there was the usual motley crew of beer bellies, socks ‘n’ sandals and…
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The Duke of Hazard
At a friend’s birthday party on Friday evening I took a bottle of Kilikanoon The Duke Grenache 2006, which I’d had for a while, to sample. I have been to the Clare Valley four times since 2003 but have not come across Kilikanoon before. I don’t often drink Clare Valley reds, and certainly not old…
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Tom's Kitchen at Somerset House
Last night (2 September) I was invited to attend the press launch of Tom Aiken’s new restaurant at Somerset House. Replacing the Admiralty Restaurant, Tom’s Kitchen is essentially a West End reproduction of the Chelsea restaurant of the same name, which I visited a couple of years ago. It was alright. While waiting to be…
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Review of Wine Drinking for Inspired Thinking: Uncork Your Creative Juices
A review of Michael J. Gelb’s new book Wine Drinking for Inspired Thinking: Uncork Your Creative Juices can be seen here on my blog.
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Welcome to Le Pleasure Dôme
On 20 July I visited Château Teyssier to taste Jonathan Maltus’s 2009 portfolio. Maltus, who made his money in engineering, purchased Teyssier in 1994. It is now his family home, business HQ and where his ten French wines are made. Teyssier is a small estate of only 5 hectares, a typical size for the fragmented…
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In the Bear Pit: England vs. Pakistan at Edgbaston
I spent Sunday (8 August) at Edgbaston watching England play Pakistan in the second Test. It wasn’t a good day to be a ticket tout. Even with the large Pakistani diaspora in the West Midlands and the fine weather, it was a poor crowd. Green hats tended to be worn by Worcestershire supporters rather than…
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Baba's word
Last Friday (16 July) my friend (of a friend) Jaana invited me and a a few other lucky guests to her cavernous Holland Park flat for a “private preview.” We were treated to a pre-Edinburgh performance by Jaana’s “houseguest” Baba Brinkman, a likeable Canadian scholar and, latterly, rapper. Baba does rap versions of Eng Lit…
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16 Popes: Château Pape Clément 2006–1947
On 6 July, my friend Linden Wilkie very generously invited me to his tasting of 16 vintages of Château Pape Clément, spanning 2006 to 1947. I have been to Pape Clément only once but I have met its owner Bernard Magrez several times. I was seated next to him at a lunch that he hosted…