A rum encounter
For many years, the Central American republic of Guatemala had a grievance against the United Kingdom. It claimed sovereignty over…
A toast to Spain
Towards the chimes at midnight, a few of us left a — respectable — establishment near Leicester Square. Eight or…
A toast to Spain
Towards the chimes at midnight, a few of us left a — respectable — establishment near Leicester Square. Eight or…
From puppy to Pinot
Meeting to taste wine, we started by talking about dogs. Roy Hattersley is good on the subject, which ought to…
From puppy to Pinot
Meeting to taste wine, we started by talking about dogs. Roy Hattersley is good on the subject, which ought to…
A divided inheritance
When we consider poets who perished before their day, thoughts turn to the Romantics or the war victims: Burns, Keats,…
A divided inheritance
When we consider poets who perished before their day, thoughts turn to the Romantics or the war victims: Burns, Keats,…
Wits on parade
We were discussing wit. I uttered a self-evident truth which proved gratifyingly controversial. Of all the people I encounter, the…
Wits on parade
We were discussing wit. I uttered a self-evident truth which proved gratifyingly controversial. Of all the people I encounter, the…
The spirit of Prohibition
It is an old adage, but still pertinent. ‘Every generalisation about India is true, and so is the opposite.’ The…
The spirit of Prohibition
It is an old adage, but still pertinent. ‘Every generalisation about India is true, and so is the opposite.’ The…
Burgundian battles
There is only one answer to the question ‘Burgundy or claret?’ ‘Yes, but never in the same glass.’ Yet I…
Burgundian battles
There is only one answer to the question ‘Burgundy or claret?’ ‘Yes, but never in the same glass.’ Yet I…
Diary
An embarrassing confession: in the late 1960s, I was a Trotskyite. But that period of political adolescence has its uses.…
Sonoma survivor
I had not drunk the wine for 20 years, and nearly all the information which I thought that I had…
Sonoma survivor
I had not drunk the wine for 20 years, and nearly all the information which I thought that I had…
The heroes of Cognac
The chestnut trees were still resplendent in yellow leaf along the banks of a misty autumn river on its glide…
The heroes of Cognac
The chestnut trees were still resplendent in yellow leaf along the banks of a misty autumn river on its glide…
Last of the lunchtime wine
This is a tale of two lunches, sort of. The first was a classically English affair. We started with native…
Last of the lunchtime wine
This is a tale of two lunches, sort of. The first was a classically English affair. We started with native…
The real French embassy
Semper eadem. There is some basement in a Mayfair street that is forever France. It is not far from the…
The real French embassy
Semper eadem. There is some basement in a Mayfair street that is forever France. It is not far from the…
A vintner’s vocation
A delightful girl came to see me this morning. She is helping with the research for a biography of David…
A vintner’s vocation
A delightful girl came to see me this morning. She is helping with the research for a biography of David…
The willow and the vine
A high proportion of wine-lovers also enjoy cricket, and vice versa. This might seem natural. Anyone with an aesthetic temperament…
