Last minute Mother’s Day idea: Try the Pan Pacific hotel March 25, 2022 Mother’s Day is on the horizon and with canny timing the Pan Pacific hotel has launched an afternoon tea centred around childhood memories in its elegant Orchard Lounge. Award-winning executive pastry chef Cherish Finden recalls her own Singaporean childhood during either a traditional English tea or a fully Asian affair, the latter of which I opted for. We [...]
The Pumproom at Rivet Distillery is a real treat March 10, 2022 Under an hour from London lies historic Chatham and nestled against the River Medway is the beautiful Rivet Distillery.A destination point in itself, guests can enjoy an hour’s tour of the distillery ahead of a tasting, trying their range of English spirits. Prioritising distillation over casks to create flavour, they make smooth grain whiskies, a [...]
Celebrating International Women’s Day – With Wine March 9, 2022 This week was International Women’s Day and it is fitting for me to celebrate this through wine. When drinking, women choose wine nearly twice as often as men but the industry itself is still largely a man’s game. Speaking to some women who have worked in wine for up to 40 years, it is clear [...]
Let them drink D’Yquem: A new dawn for the best known sweet wine March 8, 2022 When Chateau D’Yquem issues an invitation, it brooks no refusal. A bucket list wine if ever there was one, Chateau D’Yquem is world famous for their exquisite (and expensive) sweet wines. The launch of the 2019 vintage, hosted at the sumptuously trendy NoMad Hotel, heralds the dawn of a new age for the established wine [...]
Dining Diary: Whitcomb’s at The Londoner February 25, 2022 Typically associated with gaudy tourist traps, Leicester Square is now home to the bone-achingly cool The Londoner, a hotel which is saved from being intimidatingly chic by the excellence of its warmly welcoming staff. Attention to detail is the name of the game here from the witty selection of art to the Italian Murano glass [...]
New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc is in short supply – here’s what to do February 25, 2022 The New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc is a stalwart of the London wine list. Even the most wine-wary have probably tried a glass with its distinctive notes of gooseberry and passionfruit. A globally popular choice there is world-wide demand, which is why the current shortage is causing a stir. “The 2021 harvest, while of exceptional quality, [...]
In the mood for love: Valentines’ wines February 11, 2022 Wine and romance have been active bedfellows since ancient times. The Greek and Roman Gods of Wine, Dionysus and Bacchus respectively, also presided over poetry, fertility, parties and other “Bacchanalian” delights. In possibly the first ever version of the ‘get out of jail free’ card, those who got a tad too hedonistic were said to [...]
French Bloom: The women taking on the booze biz with no-alc wine February 10, 2022 Top model Constance Jablonski and foodie entrepreneur Maggie Frerejean-Taittinger have launched French Bloom, a “fully organic, fully alcohol-free, fully French sparkling drink” that they say has the sophistication and complexity to rival wine. Both women were juggling the various aspects of work, family, and social life when they were inspired to create something that could [...]
For casual wine tasting there’s no better place than Humble Grape January 27, 2022 If you are looking for a fun and simple way to get out of your wine comfort zone then let me recommend Humble Grape. With various locations around London, I stopped into my local one in Battersea for a casual dinner and discovered ‘Tasting Tuesdays’ where, for only £15, one can try four wines selected [...]
How Vivino democratised wine January 26, 2022 For wine drinkers Vivino has been a disruptive and democratising force. I have often seen supermarket shoppers whip out their phones to check the rating and flavour profile of a wine before making a purchase. Two heads are better than one so they say, so just think what a community of 54m can do. The [...]