Franciacorta: The hidden gem of Italian sparkling wine July 28, 2021 When you think of Italian sparkling wine what springs to mind? Prosecco? Maybe an Asti? Probably not your new Italian favourite, Franciacorta. Franciacorta is named for the region it comes from, nestled in the heart of Lombardy, in a beautiful natural amphitheatre of green rolling hills bordering Lago d’Iseo and just an hour from fashionable [...]
Wine and cheese pairing is an art: Here’s what the experts say July 27, 2021 There are so many National Something-Or-Other days that you could be forgiven for having overlooked Sunday’s celebration of Wine and Cheese Day. Walthamstow’s new online drinks marketplace Hometipple marked the occasion by coming up with a series of exciting cheese and wine pairings, including Hungarian Etyeki Kuria Pinot Noir with aged Berkswell from Warwickshire. “Hometipple [...]
Weekend Escape: Broadstairs’ Belvidere Place a perfect home from home on the Kentish Riviera July 23, 2021 It is fair to say that Kent has experienced something of a rebrand over the past decade or so. Londoners discovered Whitstable – no, you probably can’t get a table at The Sportsman for lunch – and just about colonised poor Margate. Round the coast, Deal and Folkestone are increasingly being eyed by Zone 2ers [...]
How To Mix: John Glaser’s Whisky Highball July 23, 2021 Whisky cocktails are not something you imagine preparing weeks in advance but if you want to save yourself a little trouble and look like a total pro at your next barbecue, that’s what cocktail aficionado and spirits company founder John Glaser recommends. Glaser, founder of Compass Box Whisky, is a particular fan of the Highball, [...]
I’ll be toasting International Tequila Day with a Maestro DOBEL July 23, 2021 National and international awareness days for foods and drinks might have begun as cynical marketing ploys, but some have evolved into annual events that the public have embraced with genuine enthusiasm. One of the most successful of these pseudo-holidays is International Margarita Day, which takes place on 22 February, and in pre-Covid times was widely [...]
The world’s most refreshing summer drinks, from Ribena to Rooh Afza July 22, 2021 What do you drink in heatwaves? A lightly chilled Bardolino or an easy-drinking Beaujolais? Cider? Coconut water? Homemade elderflower cordial? Iced mint tea? Robinson’s Barley Water? Sachets of healthy, re-hydrating Dioralyte? For me it has to be Ribena. Dr Vernon Charley, a scientist at Long Ashton Agriculture and Horticulture Research Station near Bristol, invented “Ribena” [...]
Three new gins that prove small-batch distilling is alive and well July 22, 2021 You may have thought that the hand-crafted gin market had run out of USPs but three new small-batch gins show there is no drought of new ideas. New Zealand’s Scapegrace Gin, just launched in the UK, is the first black-ish gin. Because of botanicals including aronia berry, butterfly pea, saffron, pineapple and sweet potato, it [...]
Meet the modern drinks-makers taking low-alc to the next level July 21, 2021 If you fancy a gin and tonic but don’t want the baggage of calories or a hangover, we may have the drink for you. Low-alc spirit-alternative Mooze is described by its makers as an “almost gin” – at just 12% ABV it’s not allowed to be sold as a gin but, according to Mel Sims, [...]
‘I told staff to delete the app’: Hospitality reacts to pingdemic crisis July 20, 2021 While the government was hailing the arrival of so-called “freedom day” yesterday, the threat of rising Covid cases and the “pingdemic” forcing staff to self isolate has left the beleaguered hospitality industry with little to celebrate. One restaurateur told City A.M: “Our ability to operate hangs in the balance by some fairly crude geolocation tech”, [...]
Discover the wonders of the Wiltshire Wine Trail July 20, 2021 Stonehenge has a rival tourist attraction. The newly-opened Wiltshire Wine Trail takes you to three vineyards in the ancient county – Bluestone, a’Beckett’s and Whitehall. All offer tastings, tours and some wonderful names for wines. Paul Langham headed the national English and Welsh wine trade body for many years and now his a’Beckett’s vineyard in [...]