Drink
Port sunset
I once drank some excellent port at Ted Heath’s table. The invitation came as a surprise, but it almost certainly…
A serious Burgundy
It was the English summer at its most perverse. We were drinking Pimm’s while hoping against hope for better news…
Tuscan favours
Some subjects invite an eternal recurrence. One such is Tuscany. The other day, I wrote about that glorious region: its…
Super Tuscans
In Fellini’s La Dolce Vita, the hopes embodied in the title dissolve into grimness and black irony. It was all…
Rosé and roses
What an idyllic setting. We were amidst the joys of high summer in England, with just enough of a breeze…
Discovering St Julien
Burgundy or Bordeaux? We were discussing that unending question during dinner over the weekend. I think that there is only…
Red bull
I am assured that this is not a legend. But a few years ago, an Irishman’s life was twice saved…
Bitter truths
England. Despite being a Scotsman, partly brought up in Ulster, I have taken so much Englishness for granted over so…
Distilled wisdom
It was a perfect setting for a spring day, next to a 15th-century barn. Other walls and buildings had clearly…
Rising to the challenge
Of all London districts, there is no more charming name than Mayfair. It makes one think of pretty shepherdesses, giggling…
A nose of wet chihuahua
Some decades ago, there was a Tory MP called John Stokes: eventually, and deservedly, Sir John. He had no interest…
Battle of the clarets
‘Come dance with me in Ireland.’ That has always struck me as an enchanting prospect, though a recent Hibernian venture…
A belated Christmas tipple
Life is returning to normal. Clinics, pills et al are receding into the distance. There was never anything remotely approaching…
The dying days of abstinence
There is one advantage to a stay in hospital followed by confinement to barracks: time to read and to think.…
How to not drink
I have just finished a sojourn with a curious twist. Readers of Thomas Mann’s The Magic Mountain will remember Hans…
Vicarious celebrations
I am occasionally teased. In a column devoted to drink, which in practice usually means wine and often the products…
A toast to democracy
Not everything in the entire world is going to hell in a half-track. A few days ago, I tasted some…
Advent vinousness
Some simpering bishops are urging their clergy to make sure that carol services do not interfere with the ship of…
French polish
At the end of last century, when there were grounds for optimism about Russia’s future, an increasingly popular word expressed…
The spoils of war
Wine-making can have a tragic dimension, and rarely more so than with Italian Pinot Nero: that is, Pinot Noir. It…
Life of the party
A few days ago, when everything looked black, a small group of us were consoling ourselves over a couple of…
A thirsty business
‘Golden’ is often used to describe the hue of some wines in the glass. But there is another resemblance. Gold…
The art of the cocktail
We were discussing bourbon and whether American whiskey could ever rival Scotch. I recalled the first time I ever tried…
Days of passing
There have been few more momentous weeks in British history, or indeed in world history. This commentator must plead guilty.…
A toast to the field marshals
August may not be the cruellest month but it is often the most dangerous one. Now that it is over,…
