Drink
Three sisterhoods
The Honourable Society of Odd Bottles has been mentioned in this column before. I can report that the membership is…
Three sisterhoods
The Honourable Society of Odd Bottles has been mentioned in this column before. I can report that the membership is…
From horses to glasses
A stint in dry dock — the ‘dry’ literally — has one advantage. There is time for lots of long…
From horses to glasses
A stint in dry dock — the ‘dry’ literally — has one advantage. There is time for lots of long…
Escape to Burgundy
There have been some splendid rumours about my health. According to the most exotic, I was cas-evacked from a hill…
Escape to Burgundy
There have been some splendid rumours about my health. According to the most exotic, I was cas-evacked from a hill…
Bedside manners
‘Don’t you think you’re drinking too much?’ said the nurse, contemplating the array of bottles. ‘But I feel so thirsty,’…
Bedside manners
‘Don’t you think you’re drinking too much?’ said the nurse, contemplating the array of bottles. ‘But I feel so thirsty,’…
A toast to all bottles
Where two or three British males are gathered together, the agenda often includes a glass or two. One thing can…
A toast to all bottles
Where two or three British males are gathered together, the agenda often includes a glass or two. One thing can…
An elegy in Burgundy
It was a sort of wake. An old friend’s father had died, and some of us were helping him and…
An elegy in Burgundy
It was a sort of wake. An old friend’s father had died, and some of us were helping him and…
The joy of Glenmorangie
Glenmorangie is the most accessible of malt whiskies. It is a gentle, almost feminine creature, with hints of spring flowers,…
The joy of Glenmorangie
Glenmorangie is the most accessible of malt whiskies. It is a gentle, almost feminine creature, with hints of spring flowers,…
Cutting the capon
A county, a house, a dog — and a bottle. Somerset: men have delved and farmed and built here for…
Cutting the capon
A county, a house, a dog — and a bottle. Somerset: men have delved and farmed and built here for…
Port and daughters
Port, or Hermitage? This does not refer to personal consumption. I was trying to remember Meredith’s Egoist, in which one…
Port and daughters
Port, or Hermitage? This does not refer to personal consumption. I was trying to remember Meredith’s Egoist, in which one…
A military port
Alas, the ’63 ports are beginning to fade. I came to that conclusion the last time I tasted a Warre’s,…
A military port
Alas, the ’63 ports are beginning to fade. I came to that conclusion the last time I tasted a Warre’s,…
A toast to Le Roi Jean Quinze
There ought to be a new literary award: the antisocial book of the year. A dozen years ago, Claire Tomalin’s…
A toast to Le Roi Jean Quinze
There ought to be a new literary award: the antisocial book of the year. A dozen years ago, Claire Tomalin’s…
A storm in Bordeaux
The en primeur tastings have been taking place in Bordeaux, and the mood has oscillated from despair to defiance. It…
A storm in Bordeaux
The en primeur tastings have been taking place in Bordeaux, and the mood has oscillated from despair to defiance. It…
New ways to open a bottle
Chefs have a problem. Think of much of the best food you have ever eaten. Caviar, English native oysters, sashimi,…
