Rich Pickings – the story of Pingus Christine Austin April 6, 2019 Drink, Wine It was an obvious question. ‘Why is the wine called Pingus?’ I asked Peter Sisseck, owner and winemaker of the top-class wine of that name. ‘It was what my family called me’, he said with a...
Off the Shelf – Best Wine Buys this Weekend Christine Austin April 6, 2019 Drink, Wine Tenuta Rapitalà Grillo 2017, Sicily, 13%, Waitrose down from £9.99 to £7.49 until 9 April Grillo is the local grape on Sicily known for its flavours of floral, lemony fruit with herbs and a rounded...
Smarter Drinking from Aldi and Lidl Christine Austin March 30, 2019 Drink, Wine They started just a few years go with small stores in the less favoured parts of town, but now Aldi and Lidl, collectively known as ‘discounters’ have carved out a large chunk of the grocery market. Now...
Off the Shelf – Best Wine Buys this Weekend Christine Austin March 30, 2019 Drink, Wine Cono Sur Bicicleta Sauvignon Blanc 2018, Chile, 12%, Morrisons, down from £7.50 down to two bottles for £10 until 2 April Fresh, juicy, lime-zesty, crunchy green apple flavours that will brighten up a...
For Goodness Sake – Making sense of Sake Christine Austin March 23, 2019 Drink, Wine St Emilion, Chablis, Barossa and Rioja – these are all familiar wine place names and while we might not instantly remember exactly where they are and what the wines taste like, we can easily look them up, or...
Off the shelf – Best Wine Buys this Weekend Christine Austin March 23, 2019 Drink, Wine Thymiopoulos Malagouzia 2017, Greece, 12%, Marks and Spencer down from £10 to £6.66 until 1 April If Greek wines are a new experience, try this rounded, tropical fruit and herby blend of Malagousia and...
Moulded over Centuries – The Story of Sake Christine Austin March 16, 2019 Drink, Wine What would you serve with a plate of sushi? Sauvignon Blanc or maybe an unoaked Chardonnay? But what about a sake? Sake is growing in popularity as the light, fresh flavours of Japanese food become more...
Off the shelf – Best Wine Buys this Weekend Christine Austin March 16, 2019 Drink, Wine Madonnina Gavi 2017, Italy, 13%, Morrisons down from £9.50 to £8.50 until 2 April These longer days deserve some lighter flavours. Fresh lime and ripe pear notes make this a match with creamy chicken and...
Whites to Delight – all under a Tenner Christine Austin March 9, 2019 Drink, Wine When you subtract the cost of excise duty (£2.23), VAT, transport, packaging and margins from people along the production process, it might come as a surprise that a £10 bottle of wine contains only £3.46...
Off the Shelf – Best Wine Buys this Weekend Christine Austin March 9, 2019 Drink, Wine Tilimuqui Organic Fairtrade Torrontés 2018, Argentina, 13%, Waitrose, down from £9.49 to £7.59 until 19 March A light, spice-edged wine from high altitude vineyards in Argentina. Team this with any...