Off the Shelf – Best Wine Buys this Weekend Christine Austin February 16, 2020 Drink, General, Wine Val de Loire Sauvignon Blanc 2018, France, 11.5%, Marks and Spencer down from £7 to £6 until 2 March Bright, crisp and breezy with a citrus twist and a minerally finish. Team this with fish. Cave...
95% Pub of the Week: The Nottingham House Phil Penfold February 10, 2020 Drink, General, Pub reviews The Nottingham is a noble successor to those famed Victorian pie shops, where the workers would get their daily sustenance with a pint or so of their choosing, and the conviviality seems to have seeped down the generations.
Mix and Match Christine Austin December 22, 2019 Drink, General, Wine What do you serve when your guests arrive? A glass of fizz is a favourite, but a cocktail is fun and will get everyone in the party mood a lot quicker. The main problem with cocktails is that it is...
Four-letter Worth – Great Wines from Aldi and Lidl Christine Austin October 13, 2019 Drink, General, Wine It seems that more of us are heading to the ‘discounters’ as Aldi and Lidl supermarkets are known. Apparently they acquired another 1.6 million shoppers in the last three months, pushing their joint share...
Dig a Little Deeper for Better Value Wine Christine Austin September 22, 2019 Drink, General, Wine At first it was ‘dry January’, which I don’t really mind. After the excesses of the festive season everyone’s liver needs a period of rest and recuperation. And the fact that my family has several...
That which we call a Rosé Christine Austin August 25, 2019 Drink, General, Wine ‘I really only drink rosé wine,’ said the big burly builder who has been working in in my loft for the last two weeks. I was surprised, since he looked more like a Malbec-man, but I was delighted too,...
Off the Shelf – Best Wine Buys this Weekend Christine Austin June 22, 2019 Drink, General, Wine The Best Trentino Pinot Grigio 2018, Italy, 12.5%, Morrisons, down from £6.75 to £6 until 16 July Proper Pinot Grigio, grown in the cool-climate, mountainous Trentino region, this has pears, crisp apples...
Rack up the Reds – the Best Wines under a Tenner Christine Austin March 2, 2019 Drink, General, Wine As the garden starts to spring into action it is tempting to think that winter may be over. Even so, with warming food still on the menu and the occasional need to drown out the politics of the day this...
Fill in the Blancs – The Fiendish Wine Quiz Christine Austin December 29, 2018 Drink, General, Wine Welcome to the Fiendish Wine Quiz, specially designed to keep your brain cells sharp in this season of endless fun and excess food. As always it will be well worth testing your wine knowledge and research...
Off the Shelf – Best Wine Buys this Weekend Christine Austin November 4, 2018 Drink, General, Wine Extra Special Barossa Chardonnay 2017, Australia, Asda £5.98 Not on offer but a great value, easy-drinking Chardonnay with ripe, aromatic melon and pear fruit. Good on its own or with creamy pasta and...