Wine for
@thesundaytimes
| Writer | VP The Sunday Times Wine Club | prevs
@WSJ
| Award Winning Podcast: Wine Times | All views mine & mine alone. Que sais-je?
Can I put ice in my wine? Why is rosé pink? Is decanting pretentious nonsense? I’ve answered all those wine questions you dare not to ask in today’s Sunday Times.
Everything you ever wanted to know about wine…
Sandbrook’s takedown of the conspiracy theories surrounding the assassination of JFK is masterful. The 7 part Kennedy series is quite simply superb - on a par with their episodes on Watergate, Reagan and Trafalgar. Raising a glass to
@dcsandbrook
and
@holland_tom
- the Grand Cru
Today, Dominic and Tom begin their EPIC 7 part investigation into the life and death of JFK💥 starting with the Kennedy clan and the victim himself - JFK's upbringing, his crippling illnesses, his sexual escapades and his romance with the woman who became his wife, Jackie.
Hats off to
@holland_tom
and
@dcsandbrook
. Their
@TheRestHistory
trilogy on The Battle of Trafalgar equals (if not surpasses!) their Watergate double header for its informed, lively and informative historical analysis. Well worth a listen.
It’s been such a comfort during these cold, dark mornings to watch (and listen via
@bbctms
) to a game of cricket in Galle, where Sri Lanka are playing England in the first Test.
Still one of my favourite moments from 2022. A cheerful check in desk at JFK airport in May.
“I can see you are a Manchester City fan Sir.”
“Really! What makes you say that?”
“The face mask. MCC - Manchester City…”
Long pause…
Me: “…ever played cricket?”
"Rick Stein is one of a handful of celebrity chefs who really gets wine. I don’t know about you, but my autumn was cheered up immensely watching him on TV in his Secret France series." He reminded us all of the glories of food and wine:
@Rick_Stein
An incredible taste of history! The best wines of South Africa can compete with the very best in the world and yet they cost just a fraction of the price.
#SpectacularSouthAfrica
IF you spend £5 on a bottle of wine in the U.K. 61% of that spend is tax. Excise duty is set at £2.23 on a 75cl bottle of wine and VAT at 20 per cent is added for good measure giving you a total tax take of £3.06. Figures from
@wstauk
Wow! Have finallyexperienced the effect
@jk_rowling
writing has on children. My 6-year-old is properly gripped. He held down the page of book 2 of Harry Potter under his left foot so he could continue reading it while putting his sock on the other foot before school this morning
Wine is fun, it’s hedonistic, it’s a gustatory pleasure. But it’s also endlessly fascinating and complex, incorporating history, geography, science and economics. Its variety is kaleidoscopic. A lifetime of learning? Maybe.
More than 3 million vines have been planted in the England & Wales since
@Wine_GB
last hosted their annual tasting two years ago in London. Great to be back, tasting wines from our own country!
Rosé wine. Can you drink it in the winter? Have enjoyed weeks discussing this with some old friends (who are not particularly into wine). I say - yes! They say - are you serious?
Me and my brother Tom at the Headland Hotel in Cornwall circa 1981. It’s one of my earliest memories, I can vividly remember the sound of the sea from that room and my mother coming in and kissing me goodnight. When all this is over I’m going to take my son there.
David Gilmour is such a legend! Sells his guitars and gives the £17 million to a climate change charity. I remember when he sold his house in London and gave the proceeds to Crisis. Love this man.
Such a good Summer wine! Dry, yeasty, tangy and salty. Can be drunk on its own, (straight from the fridge), heavenly with olives, I enjoyed it with fish & chips! And it’s not outrageously expensive. I picked this up for £11.19 a bottle. Just don’t drink too much!
'Tasmania has long been famous for its sparkling wine. You may have sipped a few glasses of Jansz or, if you’re lucky, enjoyed the world-class Arras fizz.'
It’s
#SherryWeek
- time to celebrate this glorious fortified wine.
‘Sherry is a fortified wine celebrated by critics, sommeliers and wine enthusiasts, but these days ignored by almost everyone else.’
Speaking to the All-Party Parliamentary Wine and Spirit Group in the House of Commons on the complexities of wine production, the history of the British wine trade and the challenges faced by the alcohol duty review plans.
‘There is a wine bar in Milan where they open everything. I asked them to choose for me, and took my glass outside onto the street, where they have a few chairs and turned up wooden wine boxes which act as tables. I couldn’t be happier…’
Hard to comprehend what I did on this day last year. Woke up in Wiltshire, where I was staying with friends. Breakfast and goodbyes. Drove to a pub in Cookham, where I had lunch with my parents and aunt before returning to London to attend a wine tasting in London Bridge.