Lockdown I was the surprise hit of Summer 2020. It was of course followed up by Lockdowns II and III; arguably the worst sequels since The Matrix debacle. Suddenly, wine tastings came to a halt. It was uncertain that wine merchants themselves would be able to open for physical trade, instead having to rely on … Continue reading Originality In A Time Of Sequels
“This is an ungodly hour to go to war.” I said to myself as the alarm went off at 5am. It’s a good job then that I wasn’t going to war but instead to Bristol. I know that these two things have often been confused and once led to the USA invading the city to … Continue reading The IEWA Team Love It When A Plan Comes Together
When I feature a wine on my Socials (otherwise known as The Socials) I always try to pair a song that I can just about play on my guitar. I do this not to show off any form of guitar skill, for in that arena I am clearly lacking, but merely because it’s a fun … Continue reading Wildflowers Long To Be Free: Stanlake Park
Normally the first full week of January is relatively quiet for a wine merchant. Dry January kicks in, we’re all on the Christmas come down, no one has any money…all culminate into nobody really drinking much grape juice. Apart from wine merchants themselves of course…January for me is extraordinarily busy. Yes dear readers (both of … Continue reading Work? In January…
I’m only 5 days into 2020 but from a vinous perspective it’s got off to a pretty good start. It’s included Jura, natural wine, orange wine and of course showings from Italy and Argentina. I hope the rest of the year continues to be as diverse. Providing we’re not all blown to bits obviously. Really … Continue reading Diversity In Adversity
Let’s get something straight: bees are cool. Yes they are. I say this mainly as I am a big fan of the concept of ongoing life on Earth. Did you know there are 16,000 species of bee? I know. Awesome right? Did you also know that if you stacked up all the vinyl records ever … Continue reading Oh Beehive It With These Terrible Puns
The strangest thing just happened: I opened this bottle and suddenly my room was filled with societally approved attractive women, all scantily clad and seemingly attracted to me despite their better judgement. I had a sudden urge to wear ridiculously tight white t shirts and behave like a complete pr…wait. I know what’s happened here. … Continue reading Wild Cats & Fictional Dogs
There are many avenues down which one can learn about wine. WSET, the internet, tastings…I learned a lot from Captain Picard. Starfleet operates the Prime Directive; minimal intervention of primitive yeast cultures. Every week the valiant crew of the USS Enterprise carry out First Contact; skins would be macerated at length to create wines of … Continue reading To Boldly Go Where No Skin Contact Has Gone Before
No one really knows the origins of the Masters of Wine. Mythos suggests that it was in medieval Scotland. Their ranks have included Juan Sanchez Villa-Lobos Ramirez; an Egyptian with a Spanish name and thick Scottish accent and a Scotsman played by a Frenchman. The wine trade is nothing if not inclusive. MW’s famously engage … Continue reading There Can Be Only One
Learning about wine is all about going on a journey. My own wine journey started on the Australian Express; Platform 7 to Shiraz Town with a quick stop at Chardsville (there’s a subtle joke here for snooker fans). How one gets into wine is irrelevant really, it’s about remaining open minded and taking delight in … Continue reading Dante’s Timetable
