by Gal Zohar, http://myhaidu.wordpress.com
Last night I cracked. After 6 long years of resistance it all fell apart. Or, like the King would put it, “6 years down the drain”. I watched Sideways last night.
These were six difficult years. As a sommelier, pretty much every conversation started or ended with questions about fucking Merlot. At first I didn’t get it, then I learned to nod …
by Gareth Groves
Everyone knows blind tasting is tough. It is a vinous minefield that can damage reputations and ego in equal measure. One is reminded of the old Harry Waugh story, when the legendary stalwart of the British wine trade was asked when he had last confused Burgundy with Bordeaux: “Not since lunch” came the reply.
Down at Imbibe 2010 last week, two …
by Gareth Groves
It is a bitter rivalry: the serious sommeliers versus the flair-happy bartenders. The latter like to think they are the coolest kids in town – after all, Tom Cruise never played a wine waiter in a hit Hollywood film. But those of us who prefer the grape to the grain know that sommeliers are the consummate professionals when it comes to serving …
By Heather Rankin, http://vaguelyvinous.wordpress.com/
There is no real way around it – becoming a Sommelier and learning about wine requires tasting a lot of wine… which, as it turns out, is actually not as glamourous as it sounds. Per class, it’s not uncommon to taste upwards of 10 wines, with each pour being roughly 3 oz. This may not sound like much, but having swallowed the full …
By Olivier Gasselin,
View of Robertson with Johann de Wet from De Wetshof
We’re excited to publish a series of extracts from Olivier’s wine rambling in South Africa. This time he visits Hermanus. Olivier is the Head Sommelier at the Bluebird in Chelsea.
On the third day we planned to leave early, as we were meant …
By Olivier Gasselin
Barto's vineyards
We’re excited to publish a series of extracts from Olivier’s wine rambling in South Africa. This time he visits Franschhoek & Hermanus. Olivier is the Head Sommelier at the Bluebird in Chelsea.
Next destination: Franschhoek (the French Quarter in Afrikaan). This is where French protestant immigrants arrived after leaving their country during the religious war.
Our first stop was …
By Olivier Gasselin
View from Graceland
We are happy to publish a series of extracts from Olivier’s wine rambling in South Africa. This time he visits Stellenbosch. …
By Gal Zohar
Haut Brion Horizontal
Some lunch breaks are better than others and some are really special. Last Wednesday I was amongst the lucky few who found themselves seated in our boardroom turned serious wine tasting space. The special occasion was an horizontal wine tasting of the 2004 vintage from Chateau Haut-Brion and La Mission Haut-Brion. A …
By Olivier Gasselin
Klein Constantia Estate
We are happy to publish a series of extracts from Olivier Gasselin’s wine travels across south Africa. Olivier is currently the Head Sommelier at the Blue Bird in Chelsea.
After almost 3 years of service at Le Pont de la Tour restaurant in central London, I thought the moment was right for me to leave. I was …
By Bibendumtimes
Rudolf Steiner
Biodynamic agriculture was developed in the early 1920s by Rudolf Steiner. Seen by many as the first modern ecological farming system it is an holistic approach that tries to bring the soil, plants and animals to its original natural balance and harmony. Unlike the more general term natural wine (see earlier …
