10 Cases – a delight in London’s Covent Garden

10 Cases 10 Cases is an excellent bistro and wine bar in Endell Street in London's Covent Garden and just a short walk from the Royal Opera House. It is called 10 Cases as they never order more than ten cases of any one wine before moving onto something else. Meaning that the list continues …

On taste and judgement, with reference to Fabrizio Bucella’s latest book on wine

I recently bought a book written (in French, cover and author shown above) by someone whose credibility and opinions, through what I have read so far, I find eminently valid and interesting. The book is called "Pourquoi boit-on du vin ?" (Why do we drink wine?). The author is Fabrizio Bucella and he works in …

Friuli: the north eastern limits of Italy

I was recently in Udine, which is the wine capital of this region at the north-eastern tip of Italy whose full name is Friuli-Venezia-Giulia. As this is a bit of a mouthful, I will shorten it to Friuli. On the eastern extremity of the region, one is in an attractively hilly region that borders on …

Un hôtel qui aime le vin

A Chavannes-de-Bogis, entre Genève et Nyon, mais à un jet de pierre de la frontière française (littéralement), l’Hôtel Best Western draine une clientèle d’hommes et de femmes d’affaires venus du monde entier, en plus d’habitués suisses ou français. Ce grand complexe peut accueillir des séminaires et ses vastes salles et terrasses (avec vue sur le …

Naturally RAW + a few Lisbon recommendations

RAW Wine London: March 10th -11th   From the website: 'Meet the growers & makers. Join us for a two-day celebration of some of the best wine talent in the world. Featuring over 150 growers, RAW WINE is one of the most exciting collections of fine, natural, organic and biodynamic wine artisans to come together …

Good cooperative wineries (2): Les Vignerons du Brulhois, South-West France

General map of France's southwestern appellations to show the position of the small Brulhois appellation concerned by this article. Following my first article 2 weeks ago, this second article in what will be an intermittant series dedicated to good cooperatives in France concerns a small cooperative winery near the Garonne river in south-west France. Brulhois …

Loire vignerons bottling it…

Fred Niger with two of his colourfully labelled bottles He has the largest park of amphores in the Loire and an extensive and at times a bewildering range of wines. Fred can be found in Le Landreau, Pays Nantes   On the second day of this year's Salon des Vins de Loire in Angers I started …