Here’s some good news: it has recently been announced that two of the largest producers of corks have discovered how to guarantee ‘no taint’ corks for customers… and at no extra cost. The issue with corking wine The problem had been that micro-organisms in the veins in the cork could give an unpleasant taste to …

How can you tell if a wine is corked? Read More »

Gone are the days when a slippery slope of rules and regulations about wine and food matching appeared hopelessly impossible to navigate. We’ve come to realise that experimentation is far more progressive with so many possible pairings to explore. And when it comes to wine & food pairing, personal preferences are what really matters. There …

4 wine and food pairings you have to try! Read More »

Over the years wine has come to the consumer in all sorts of containers: amphoras, casks, bottles, bags-in-boxes and now cans, but since the second half of the seventeenth century, when the production of glass bottles was greatly improved, they have been the vessel of preference. Originally, these bottles were hand-blown and there were often …

Everything you need to know about wine bottle sizes Read More »

Over the past few years there have been many changes in the world of wine; not just in the wines that we drink, but also in the glasses we drink them from. The Paris goblet, which, for long, was ubiquitous in bars and restaurants, has now largely disappeared. Each wine region had, at one time, …

Everything you need to know about wine glasses and decanters Read More »

During my weekly shop in the local Sainsbury’s supermarket, I noticed that their Taste the Difference steak pie claimed to be fortified with Beaujolais. A detailed study of the contents revealed that the fortification was not excessive – there were approximately 15mls. of wine in each pie.  personally, I would have thought that a fuller-bodied …

Beaujolais Nouveau Read More »

The Taillet family have owned vineyards in the village of Merfy on the Coteau de Saint-Thierry, north-west of Reims since the 17th century, whilst the Chartognes were comparative newcomers in 1870… In 1920 Etienne Taillet married Marie Chartogne and so the company was formed. It is now run by Alexandre Chartogne, who is a great …

Chartogne-Taillet Read More »

“After a number of years absence from the British market, Argentina’s Bodegas Escorihuela Gascon is very pleased to announce that it has appointed a new importer for the UK. Brand Ambassador Richard James has confirmed that FINE WINES DIRECT UK now has exclusive import rights for the complete Escorihuela range and that a new shipment …

Press Release: Bodegas Escorihuela Gascon Read More »

Ever since Pinotage first came into being in 1925, the indigenous variety has had a compelling and colourful story to tell. With Pinotage Day coming up on the 10th October, Pinotage devotees around the world are preparing to proudly celebrate 95 exciting years of savouring South Africa’s signature grape.   For those new to this …

The Journey of Pinotage Read More »

What is it about us and Rioja? When did we fall in love with this Spanish wine and why? I can only surmise that back in the 1970’s when we, as a nation, embarked on the baby steps of foreign travel and Spain was the obvious target – lots of sand, sea, sun and that …

What is it about us and Rioja? Read More »