Wine
The best way to celebrate the past? Uncork it
I have been thinking about the Dark Ages. This has nothing to do with Theresa May or Jeremy Corbyn. A…
A New World to discover
The astonishing Aussie ‘Noirs’ that rival premier cru Burgundy
The best way to view Jeremy Corbyn? Through rosé-tinted glasses
It was a typical bank holiday. Usual English weather: glorious, until you leave home without a brolly. Then fickleness supervenes…
Dear Mary: how do you excuse yourself from a dull conversation?
Q. My mother always told me that only boring people are bored. However she never got stuck at a drinks…
The charms of old Paris – and the naughtiest girl of the 20th century
Paris used to be the most self-confident city in the world. Brash, assertive, boastful: Manhattan claimed to be the best.…
Beware the cult of ‘natural wine’
Beware the cult of ‘natural wine’
Burgundies that taste of T.S. Eliot
Eliot. After 50 years trying to make sense of his verse, and at the risk of admitting to rampant philistinism,…
From kittens to claret: an ideal education
Call me a sentimental old whatever, but watching a four-year old hearing The Tale of Samuel Whiskers for the first…
There is a dangerous new snobbery – but it’s not from Remainers
Yet another kind of snob Sir: May I offer another definition of a ‘snob’ to the one described by Bryan…
Should I hang myself out to dry again this January?
And so it begins again. This time last year, I decided to see how long I could last without alcohol.…
Had someone deliberately messed up Lord Archer’s dinner?
I first ate at the London version of Harry’s Bar in the early 1990s. Back then, Jeffrey Archer and I…
Want to understand Italy's economy? Look at its wines, not its GDP
The other day, I had lunch with the grandest person I know. Forget 1066: Adrian Ziani de Ferranti can trace…
The Odd Bottles now have a paramilitary wing
This is something to be said for starting to celebrate Christmas before the end of the grouse season. It provides…
What wine is worthy of white truffle? It took us a few tries to be sure
A few days ago, on the Dorset/Somerset marches, autumn was still in orderly retreat. Although a pear tree’s leaves had…
Should Nato have embraced Russia?
An aeon ago, when I was first invited to the odd City lunch, there was a standard formula: G&T, white,…
The Wine List: We name and shame the worst mark-ups in London restaurants
The worst wine mark-ups in London named and shamed
The French say their best champagne goes to us Brits. It may even be true
The British are notoriously cheap when it comes to wine; the average bottle price is around £6. On one wine,…
The sacred mission to stop real whisky becoming too popular
A long-standing friend of mine is a lucky fellow. He has spent his career doing exactly what he was born…
With great wine comes great anxiety
We were surpassing Sydney Smith. His idea of heaven was pâté de foie gras to the sound of trumpets. Our…
How to invest in wine? Buy some, drink some, sell some
A beginner’s guide to enjoyable investment in wine
The no-nonsense greatness of Australian wine
Any Australian who admits to not having convict ancestors loses caste. When granted a coat of arms, the smart ones…
What’s a travelling oenophile to do?
Nothing beats drinking Château d’Yquem in a tropical paradise
The delicious secrets of the Douro Valley
They’re called quintas, Joana tells us, because the rich families who owned the land along this stretch of the Douro…
The first grouse of autumn, and a debate begins afresh
The autumn bank holiday is like the five-minute bell at the opera. The shades of the prison house loom. All…
A toast to the glories of Provence
Friends have a house in Provence, near the foot of Mont Ventoux. Even in a region so full of charm…
Most Popular
- Read
Editor’s Choice
Cartoons
