With good wine, it’s all in the timing
Three bottles, three questions that delivered three different answers. I was in Dorset — cannot keep away — enjoying the…
Why Covid could be Britain’s new Crimea
This is a very British story. Because we Brits are often warlike but never militaristic, we often make a balls-up…
Can Simon Case restore stability to the heart of government?
Boris Johnson does not get everything wrong. The appointment of Simon Case to be head of the civil service at…
A perfect luncheon wine
I suspect, though this may be romanticising, that if a French lorry driver with hitherto suppressed culinary tastes won France’s…
Soave, an original sin-free wine
‘The Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day’: surely one of the most beautiful images…
The difference between American and French wine-drinkers
Is it safe to visit the continent? On the one hand, abroad is likely to be less crowded this August…
The hunt for a Test-class claret
In one respect, there has been a reassertion of normality, though this is nothing to do with the virus. Although…
Boris Johnson’s leadership skills are in doubt
Two ‘c’s come easily to Boris: charm and cheerfulness. He has always believed that he can charm his way out…
The best wine since incarceration
The woodpecker jinked across the lawn like an especially cunning partridge. Its goal was a skilfully constructed bird table with…
Has Boris's luck finally run out?
In the grand scheme of things, it is easy to overestimate the importance of Parliamentary performances. But they do influence…
Two bottles to help eradicate cabin fever
The virus is in retreat, the lock-down is crumbling, the sherbet dispensaries will shortly reopen and there is a second…
Recollections of Burgundy
More than two months: who would have thought it possible? Before the great closure, I had been trying to decide…
Bitter memories: my craving for a pint
It is enough to drive a man to drink. The most glorious weather, so suitable for white Burgundy on a…
Boris Johnson needs to admit his coronavirus mistakes
Be careful what you wish for. Over the past few years, a fair number of thoughtful Tories have included a…
The best New Zealand wine I’ve come across
I was once invited to the Cheltenham races and found the experience underwhelming. Everything was too respectable: not nearly Hibernian…
Clarets to see in the summer
This April was indeed the cruellest month, at least for those of us banged up in cities. From the country…
I’m drinking half as much as usual – with no ill-effects
I cannot remember a prettier Easter, or a more frustrating one. This was no time to be in town. But…
Drinking in isolation is far less appealing
Spring sense, caressing sunshine: last week, London enjoyed village cricket weather. Even in normal circumstances, the season would not have…
If we can’t go to the Veneto, we’ll drink to it
We live in a world where yesterday’s inconceivable becomes today’s commonplace, but even so. I never thought that the day…
The Spanish winemakers with a missionary zeal
It is time to begin with an apology, and hope. In the course of these columns, I have already admitted…
Which water goes best with whisky?
Peaty water ought to be classed as a luxury. You have spent a day on the hill, a’chasing the deer.…
How gin escaped from Gin Lane
In the mid-18th century, London was awash with gin. Socially-conscious members of the bourgeoisie believed that this was the root…
Bloomberg is the only Democrat who can take on Trump
To paraphrase Shakespeare, the whirligig of time brings in… more whirligigs. Four years ago, few people thought that Donald Trump…
How Boris Johnson can emulate Margaret Thatcher
An open letter to Boris Johnson: People, even including your opponents, are getting used to the idea that you are…
A toast to Roger Scruton
In clubs and other admirable locations throughout the civilised world, glasses have been raised and toasts proposed. But this was…
