Libby’s Naked Diary January 8, 2025 NEW YEARS Eve can be a strange affair. One year becomes another and we feel duty bound to have Fun (with the capital F). I have celebrated in a multitude of ways, from throwing far too much money at a star-spangled event in Miami to wallowing in the dead space of an oversized Wetherspoons after [...]
Wine without the Snobbery January 7, 2025 JANUARY always feels a rather grim time to decide to go “dry”. I feel no reason to punish myself for enjoying the indulgences of festive season and besides, being a wine writer and consultant, I would be out of a job. I do however like to embrace the “damp lifestyle” and over the years have [...]
Inside London’s secret journalistic dining club December 17, 2024 Libby Brodie joins journalist Adam Hay-Nicholls at his London dining club – and had some very good wine This is the column that nearly didn’t happen. I often take wines with me when I travel and had packed a bottle of Mauricio Lorca Gran Reserva Malbec 2022 in my suitcase for a trip to the [...]
Wine Without The Snobbery December 17, 2024 THE festive season is expensive, but your wine can still deliver deliciousness without curtailing your Christmas spirit – it is simply a case of knowing where to look to find those affordable gems. Celebration means sparkling, but buying Champagne can be a little like paying for a Tiffany’s diamond, there is a cost tied up [...]
The Naked Truth December 11, 2024 Stefano di Blasi created some of Italy’s most iconic wines, such as Solaia and Megan Markle’s favourite, Tignanello. Now he makes his own wines for Naked in Italy’s beautiful Tuscany WHAT HAS TEAMING UP WITH NAKED WINES MEANT FOR YOU? I joined Naked Wines in 2013, and it completely changed my perspective on winemaking. Firstly, I was able [...]
Best wine gifts: From top bottles to wine gadgets December 10, 2024 It is a mere two weeks until Christmas and you have no idea what to get for a certain person in your life. Have no fear, I am here to suggest the best wine gifts for booze lovers. EXTON PARK CUVÉE M. ISAAC Presented in a stunning teal and gold box, this excellent English Blanc [...]
Libby’s Naked Diary December 4, 2024 Scrooges stay away, Grinches get ye gone! I had heard that nowhere does Christmas time like Buckinghamshire’s Cliveden House, but this surpassed expectation. As a parent, Christmas can be all about the children, but stepping through the entrance’s stone pillars, wrapped in wreaths and fairy lights, to the hall’s enormous glittering tree, I felt that [...]
My Top Christmas Wines December 3, 2024 As much as I love the tradition of turkey and think pigs-in-blankets are delicious, unsurprisingly the wine is the star attraction at my house, and I put a whole lot of thought and care into what I serve my guests. Nothing kicks off a celebration better than a glass of something sparkling and I will [...]
The Naked Truth November 27, 2024 Marica Bonomo followed in the family footsteps to create sensational wines in the romantic Italian hills surrounding Lake Garda. Naked’s Angels named her Winemaker of the Year 2023 and her wines feature in the Spectators ‘Top 100 Wines in the World’ How did you get Naked? Joining this lovely new family has been a huge [...]
Supporting the Underdog this Christmas November 26, 2024 If anyone orders Merlot, I’m leaving. I am NOT drinking any f****** merlot!”. It was the line, uttered by Paul Giamatti in the film ‘Sideways’, that triggered a two per cent drop in Merlot sales in the USA and relegated the grape to underdog status for years to come. It is still trying to claw [...]