The A-Z of wine: This week, A is for… Assyrtiko January 21, 2022 How do you pronounce it? Ah-seer-tee-co What is it, then? A white grape variety from a land blessed with a beautiful Mediterranean climate, an age-old wine culture, and a wealth of native (and often unpronounceable) grape varieties that make genuinely outstanding wines. Also known as Greece. Best known for wines from the striking volcanic island [...]
Nightmare Alley is another sumptuously dark tale from Guillermo Del Toro January 21, 2022 The 2010s were an interesting time for Guillermo Del Toro. The first half of the decade was spent in blockbuster land, exiting The Hobbit before making divisive sci-fi blockbuster Pacific Rim. The second half was devoted to two eerie period fables in Crimson Peak and The Shape of Water. The latter was a surprise hit, [...]
Fifa rules to be introduced which will curb international loanees January 20, 2022 Fifa have announced new rules that will limit the number of international loans going in and out of clubs which come into effect from July. The new rules will see clubs limited to eight international loan signings in and eight loaned out in an attempt to stop teams from stockpiling talent. The international governing body [...]
Scream review: 2022 reboot-cum-sequel lacks cutting edge January 20, 2022 Tara Carpenter, a young potential murder victim in the new Scream, doesn’t much care for the Stab franchise, the film’s in-universe analogue for itself. She prefers “elevated horror” – The Babadook, The Witch, It Follows, Hereditary. The first Scream notwithstanding – the 1996 “meta slasher-whodunnit” still holds up brilliantly – I tend to agree, and [...]
How Derby County slipped to edge of disappearance January 20, 2022 They are former English champions and in top form under the management of Wayne Rooney, yet day by day Derby County are inching towards liquidation and disappearing from football forever. Their story is one of financial mismanagement in a desperate bid to achieve promotion to the Premier League; administrators scrambling to find a buyer – [...]
Manchester United: Has Rangnick failed to instil his philosophy? January 20, 2022 When Ralf Rangnick arrived at Manchester United last month, the interim manager was expected to reinvent the philosophy from a lethargic and confused style under the previous regime to his trademark gegenpressing. “This is the only way we can compete at this level,” said Rangnick earlier this month. “Whenever you watch games, even if it’s [...]
Domestic cricket: Fixtures unveiled as English game eyes Ashes recovery January 20, 2022 The England and Wales Cricket Board (EBC) today finalised the fixtures for domestic English cricket’s main competitions. The County Championship fixtures will kick off the men’s domestic summer on 7 April and will conclude in the last week of September. During this time, the T20 Blast will run over a seven week period – culminating [...]
Premiership Rugby to return to terrestrial on ITV with live games and highlights January 20, 2022 Premiership Rugby has agreed a deal to show live matches and highlights on ITV in a move that ends the English top division’s exile from free-to-air television. BT Sport will remain the primary broadcast partner but ITV will simulcast a handful of live games each season, including the Premiership final, and air a weekly highlights [...]
How Instagram conquered the antiques world January 20, 2022 It was a classic case of love at first sight. Over breakfast I’d spotted my ‘forever-table’ on Instagram, and by that afternoon my partner and I were en route to a residential street in Brixton to pick it up. The caption gave some dimensions and the price; the seller’s bio read ‘shop via the grid’. [...]
Sports must protect its precious human capital like Djokovic and Hamilton January 20, 2022 Picture Novak Djokovic. Do you see a villain sticking two fingers up at vaccine orthodoxy, or a heroic advocate for personal freedoms you’d risk a pepper-spraying for? What of Lewis Hamilton and his rainbow helmet and sloganed T-shirts? Gesture politician or vital diversity campaigner? And what say you as one football team takes the knee [...]