By Will Lowe, http://www.willlowe.com/
Our third and final day in Burgundy began in quite possibly the most picturesque little town known to mankind: Meursault. As the sun rose on the town hall, this sleepy village yawned into action, the light streaming across the vineyards in on the horizon.
A short, brisk walk through the village took us to the door of Domaine Latour-Giraud, where we were …
By Will Lowe, http://www.willlowe.com/
Day two of our vinous adventure began, unsurprisingly, where day one had ended: Chablis. After a quick breakfast, we set about trying to find the inimitable Patrick Piuze (accompanied, incidentally, by a rather lovely sunrise).
I’ve been aware of Patrick Piuze for a few years now, and imagined that a brief walk through Chablis would take …
By Will Lowe, http://www.willlowe.com/
On November 21st, Bibendum’s Training Team packed up and headed to Burgundy for an educational extravaganza. Why Burgundy? Simple, really: if you can understand Burgundy, then you can understand Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from all over the world. And November is an ideal time to visit, since the sun-seeking tourists are long gone, the harvest is completed, …
By Will Lowe, http://www.willlowe.com/
June 14th was a date I’d been looking forward to in my diary for quite some time. My debut judging with the International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC) was doubly exciting for the fact it was for the Tequila category, a long standing favourite of mine.
Upon arrival my first impression was, to be honest, that I must’ve taken a …
By Will Lowe, http://www.willlowe.com/
Recently I was asked to write a (frustratingly short) introduction to the world of whisky. Always willing to oblige, I did exactly that. Whisky is a real favourite of mine – indeed, it was whisky which got me interested in spirits in the first place. Apologies to those of you for whom this is old ground, but as I mentioned, the …
By Will Lowe, http://www.willlowe.com/
When I was asked to write an article on dairy based cocktails, my head was immediately filled with the sound of Calvin Harris singing “it was acceptable in the 80’s”. Fortunately, it’s a short song, so it wasn’t long before I was able to focus on the task at hand.
Fashions in what …
By Will Lowe, http://www.willlowe.com/
I was asked recently – minutes ago, in fact – if it’s true that there are fish guts in wine. Simply put, the answer is no. But it reminded me of an article I wrote recently, which may or may not be of interest to some of you, so I’ll …
By Rob Pickard
Since its creation in 17th century Europe, gin has taken an interesting journey through history. From its early days, when it was sold in pharmacies across Europe to treat ailments, before a boom in gin production in 18th century London; following the British government allowing unlicensed production. This leading to London’s ‘Gin Craze’ and the cause …
By Will Lowe
Ageing in oak barrels is a critical part of the production process for many spirits. Once distilled, every spirit is completely clear, and it is only in the barrel that they take on their colour.
Barrels come in a variety of shapes and sizes, but are almost always made from oak, since the grain is tight enough to ensure the barrel remains water tight, but …
By Will Lowe
Distillation is a very simple process for separating two liquids in a solution from each other, utilising different boiling points. In the same way as evaporating sea water leaves salt behind, so heating a low alcohol solution will allow the alcohol to evaporate whilst the water content remains. By collecting and condensing the vapour as it evaporates, we separate out a concentrated alcohol.
The equipment …
