Wine’s not just for tasting: Meet the wine photographer of the year April 28, 2021 Wine is not just about the nose, the finish and mouth feel. It’s about inspiration, lighting, styling, composition and framing, and being in the right place at the right time. Spain’s Oscar Olivares, an award-winning vinographer, has just become the 2021 Errazuriz Wine Photographer of the Year, receiving a prize of £1,000 and the prestigious [...]
How mead emerged as the drink of summer 2021 April 26, 2021 These are heady times for British mead. The honey-based drink is thought to be the world’s oldest alcoholic beverage. It was probably being made in China in 7000 BC and King Arthur counted it amongst his favourite tipples. Chaucer mentions “braggot”, a form of mead made with honey and barley malt, and the Ancient Hindus [...]
Busy terraces mask dire straights at restaurants, says new data April 26, 2021 You may be struggling to get a reservation at your favourite restaurant, but that doesn’t mean the sector has recovered from the pandemic, according to new data. Booked out terraces are putting a positive facade on an industry still in crisis, with orders estimated to be at just 60 per cent of pre-lockdown levels. Data [...]
Where to eat… In the City April 23, 2021 In a new bite-sized column, we’ll be focusing on an area of London and selecting three of our favourite restaurants, one for breakfast, one for lunch and one for dinner. For the first instalment we have, of course, chosen the City, the regular haunt of our Life & Style editor Steve Dinneen for well over [...]
How to pick the perfect wine to suit your tastes April 23, 2021 We have all been there. Staring down the barrel of the supermarket aisle trying to work out which wine to choose for dinner. Do you reach for the “reassuringly expensive” top shelf or look for what is currently on offer to grab yourself a bargain? You may have a better-made wine or a steal of [...]
Captain Tom 100 to raise money on hero’s birthday – how to join April 23, 2021 City A.M. is proud to support the Captain Tom 100, a challenge to raise funds for charities over Captain Sir Tom Moore’s birthday weekend starting next Friday. The event, which will run until Bank Holiday Monday 3 May, will celebrate the remarkable achievements of Captain Tom, who walked 100 laps of his garden raising £38.9m [...]
Drinking around the world: The Scots-Armenian wine alliance April 22, 2021 The Scottish Borders are famous for Sir Walter Scott’s old home Abbotsford House, Jedburgh snails and Hawick Balls boiled sweets, as well as being the birthplace of the “voice of rugby” Bill Maclaren. Somehow, it has also become the hub of Armenian wine appreciation and the UK’s centre of south Caucasus viniculture. “I knew Armenia made [...]
TOAD whisky is a disruptive, Oxford-made spirit April 21, 2021 Can you have a disruptive whisky? Is there such a thing as a daredevil distiller? One that breaks boundaries despite taking years to mature, somehow predicting the status quo and refusing to follow it? I present to you TOAD whisky and its Portuguese Master Distiller, Oxford-based Chico Rosa. “Our whisky perfectly showcases our terroir,” he boasts. [...]
Wine list advice: You’re the boss and the sommelier is your friend April 21, 2021 Restaurants are finally opening up again – you’re going to eat a meal that you didn’t cook! Time to dust off and squeeze into your old favourite threads. After working in some of London’s best restaurants for the last 15 years I’ve got some top tips on how to get the most out of your [...]
Vast Italian market Eataly set to open in the heart of the City April 20, 2021 The Square Mile will soon be home to vast Italian market Eataly, which has already seen success in cities including New York, Boston, Los Angeles and Chicago. Broadgate Market, London’s largest pedestrianised neighbourhood, will host the 42,000 sq ft venture, which will include take-away, retail, and terrace dining. Eataly is slated to open on 29 [...]