Bottega: quality Prosecco and Prosecco Rosé 
Book 5 Index 
951. Mullineux, Syrah Swartland, 2011 
950. W & J Graham & Co, 30 Year Old Tawny Port, NV (2010) 
949. Cartuxa, Pêra-Manca Branco Évora, 2012 
948. Pella, Xi-Ro Cuvée Experimentale, NV 
188. Chateau Mont-Redon, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, ????
Mid-weight garnet with mid-breadth brick rim. Developed and intense bouquet of chocolate, coffee and leather, but with a nuance of black cherry, supporting a …
187. Sterling Vineyards, Napa Valley Merlot Three Palms Vineyard, 2000
Mid intensity ruby / garnet core, to ruby-rim. Prompted by the back label, raspberry aromas, with crushed red fruit. Milk chocolate characteristics again, but …
186. Joseph Drouhin, Moulin-à-Vent, Beaujolais, 2003
The staff discount at the James’s Gate Bottle Shop, coupled with this being bought on product allowance made this value-for-money, otherwise it would have …
185. Château Montrose, Saint-Estèphe, 1997
Again, drank over Christmas, so written too long after drinking. Good fit with roast venison. Matured. Garnet-to-brick colouring Well knitted fruit and secondary aromas, …
184. Domaine Santa Duc, Gigondas Prestige des Hautes Garrigues, 1999
A pity that this is being written 2½ months after drinking, but I have 2 more bottles to verify with! Deep, deep colour, from …
Kopke, Cálem and friends: Sogevinus fine Port-folio
Sogevinus is the Portuguese firm that has a portfolio of 4 major Port houses: Kopke, Cálem, Burmester and Barros. Kopke is the oldest established …
Passing the Port: Douro Boys and classy table wines
The Douro Boys are a group of 5 grower-winemakers who clubbed together in 2003 to promote the wines of the Douro valley, upriver of …
Top 5 grape varieties of the moment
There are 1,368 commercially-grown grape varieties documented in the above great tome. I will never taste them all, but I have tasted a fair …
Big Fortified Tasting: go hard or go home
On 9th May 2018, I went to my first edition of the fabled trade tasting, the Big Fortified Tasting. The clue is in the …
Chianti Classico: a four-dimensional view of the beating heart of Tuscany
By invitation through the IMW, 4 Tuscan Consorzi, representing the finest in gastronomic production from primarily the Chianti Classico region, ran a press trip …