Is there a clean joke for Burns Night? I asked Cecil Parkinson...
As a life, it was a scintillating spectrum of the human condition. There was hardship and suffering, as well as…
The immortal memory
As a life, it was a scintillating spectrum of the human condition. There was hardship and suffering, as well as…
Drink: The great white Burgundy disaster
We agreed that it was the gravest crisis facing mankind. It has led to dashed hopes, widespread grief and a…
The great white Burgundy disaster
We agreed that it was the gravest crisis facing mankind. It has led to dashed hopes, widespread grief and a…
Bruce Anderson: Bordeaux's negociants deserve to suffer - and they will
Our sweet enemy, France, is not always that sweet. It is tempting to respond to France’s current degringolade with cynicism…
The fall of France
Our sweet enemy, France, is not always that sweet. It is tempting to respond to France’s current degringolade with cynicism…
When the Rothschilds waged a claret class war
Claret has a commercial advantage over Burgundy. Thanks to the grandes lignes of châteaux and vintages, you know where you…
Claret’s class war
Claret has a commercial advantage over Burgundy. Thanks to the grandes lignes of châteaux and vintages, you know where you…
Mineral reserves
St James’s Street is a repository of urban comfort. It contains majestic clubs, a gunsmith, a boot-maker, a barber, a…
Mineral reserves
St James’s Street is a repository of urban comfort. It contains majestic clubs, a gunsmith, a boot-maker, a barber, a…
House sherry
The Speaker was in trouble. I do not refer to Michael Martin or John Bercow, the two worst Speakers in…
House sherry
The Speaker was in trouble. I do not refer to Michael Martin or John Bercow, the two worst Speakers in…
Drink: the romance of fall
The fall: one of the few instances where American English is superior to English English. ‘Autumn’ has a comfortable charm,…
The romance of fall
The fall: one of the few instances where American English is superior to English English. ‘Autumn’ has a comfortable charm,…
Treasures from a lost domaine
René Engel must have been a wonderful man. He studied wine-making before fighting in the trenches during the first world…
Treasures from a lost domaine
René Engel must have been a wonderful man. He studied wine-making before fighting in the trenches during the first world…
Life — and death — of a Tokay
I was praying for a miracle, but it seemed unlikely. There had been one already: the bottle’s very survival. A…
Death of an imperial survivor
I was praying for a miracle, but it seemed unlikely. There had been one already: the bottle’s very survival. A…
What it's like to drink a 118-year-old wine
Marcher country, the Jura lies to the east of Burgundy and the contrast is marked. Burgundy: the very name is…
The patriarch of wines
Marcher country, the Jura lies to the east of Burgundy and the contrast is marked. Burgundy: the very name is…
Dining in style at David Cameron’s favourite Italian
It is impossible to think about any Italian region without wondering ‘What if?’ Sardinia lacks the glamour, grandeur and menace…
A dinner fit for a prime minister
It is impossible to think about any Italian region without wondering ‘What if?’ Sardinia lacks the glamour, grandeur and menace…
Enjoying South Africa's secret French connection
One aspect of the old South Africa’s racial policies cannot be faulted. After the revocation of the Edict of Nantes,…
Flowers of Stellenbosch
One aspect of the old South Africa’s racial policies cannot be faulted. After the revocation of the Edict of Nantes,…
When Glyndebourne is the most perfect place on earth
Glyndebourne. There is no single quintessential example of English scenery, but this is one of the finest. The landscape is …
