Amateur Wine

Q&A with Carlos Serrano from Vina Montes

Carlos Serrano is the Commercial Director for Vina Montes and manages the global strategy for Montes brands including Vina Montes, Kaiken, Napa Angel and Star Angel. Here, he talks about Montes’ experience of working in Asia.

What’s your view of the Asian market right now?

In general, Asia is growing and willing to drink more and better wines. We have been in the market for almost two decades;…

#HOTGV: On Francois Lurton wines with the man himself

For this episode of Heard on the Grape Vine, I met with Francois Lurton, a French winemaker with vineyards in France, Spain, Argentina and Chile.

Francois represents the fifth generation of the Lurton family, who are well known in the world of Bordeaux wines. But as a bit of a maverick, Francois has ventured out to establish his own brand and his own wine identity after more than a decade of…

#HOTGV: On Château Angélus with Stephanie de Bouard

About a year and half ago, I went to Bordeaux for the first time. On a sunny afternoon in June we cycled through Saint Emillion and stopped at this really grand, palatial building to catch our breath. That was Château Angélus.

I can’t remember what time it was but the bells rang, reverberating through the air and over the lush green vines. With the sun just so over its sandy coloured walls, it…

#HOTGV: On Canadian ice wine with Inniskillin’s Bruce Nicholson

This episode of Heard on the Grape Vine is all about Canadian Ice Wine.

Canada is perhaps the only place in the world where ice wine can be produced every year thanks to its consistently cold winters. And because of the quality and availability, the country has become famous for this delicious sweet wine over the past couple of decades.

But the history of this wine, which has its roots in…

#HOTGV: On Bordeaux and the Chinese wine market with Suzanne Mustacich

For the nineth episode of Heard on the Grape Vine, I met with journalist and author Suzanne Mustacich at The Goring Hotel in London.

Mustacich, who’s based in Bordeaux, writes regularly for Wine Spectator magazine on the region.

She had just won the prestigious Andre Simon Award in the drink category for her first book, Thirsty Dragon, which was presented at the hotel.

The book, published in…

Rustenberg Straw Wine 2011

The wine: Rustenberg Straw Wine 2011

The producer: Rustenberg www.rustenberg.co.za

They say:This wine has been made using a centuries-old process of drying grapes on straw in order to produce dessert-style wines. Grapes are harvested at the same ripeness required to make table wine and are then laid out on straw for a number of weeks. This allows the grapes to slowly dehydrate, concentrating…

The Author Ryan Chetiyawardana, also known as Mr Lyan, is a bar tender who opened the award-winning White Lyan in 2013 and more recently, Dandelyan at Mondrian Sea Containers mrlyan.com

The Publisher Frances Lincoln Limited

The Release date 1st October 2015

Who’s it for? Cocktail enthusiasts and bar types keen to pick up some new skills or ideas – White Lyan was the first bar in the world to have no drinks on the menu that used perishable ingredients like lemons and herbs so you can expect some exciting ideas inside.

What you’ll find inside The book is very much aimed at those shaking up a round or two at home so there are easy recipes to follow as well as things to experiment with. Case in point, there are some classics like the Manhattan, Old Fashioned and Chetiyawardana’s twist on the Negroni. The beginning of the book tells you about the staple ingredients, the tools, the techniques and the type of serves. Each cocktail has an introduction, ingredients, method and a ‘magic’ top tip that will either improve the drink or make your life easier. It feels like every recipe has a purpose and a reason to be there.

What’s missing Drinks and friends! The book is incredibly well put together, almost like an instruction manual in that it’s concise and comprehensive. Every drink has a recommended glass and a final photo so you know exactly what you should be getting. There’s no history or background on the drinks but that’s perhaps for a different type of book altogether.

The best bit The book is divided according to the time of day and occasion for drinking, rather than by the type of drink. There’s a feeling of spontaneity – no more diving straight into the martini.

The Price (RRP) £20

Buy now from Amazon

#HOTGV Episode Eight: On The Oxford Companion to Wine with Julia Harding MW

This episode of Heard on the Grape Vine is about one of the most well-known books in the world of wine – The Oxford Companion to Wine.

It’s a book that’s been described as the world’s most useful wine book and the greatest wine book that’s ever published.

It took Jancis Robinson OBE, MW, five years to pull together the first edition of the encyclopaedic tome, published in 1994. Since then, the…

A taste from New Zealand’s Marisco Vineyards

My first taste of the 2015 vintage came from Marlborough, New Zealand, from the Marisco Vineyards. I tasted through part of the Marisco portfolio at The Merchant’s Tavern with owner and winemaker Brent Marris.

Wines at the Marisco tasting at The Merchant’s Tavern

Having tasted through a whole bunch of mostly okay, occasionally mediocre, 2014 vintages from other parts of the world this year, the…

Taylor's, Vila Nova de Gaia

http://amateurwine.co.uk/taylors-vila-nova-de-gaia/

#wine #port #Douro #Oporto #Portugal

#HOTGV: On natural wine with Isabelle Legeron MW | Amateur 

Winehttp://amateurwine.co.uk/hotgv-on-natural-wine-with-isabelle-legeron-mw/

#wine #podcast #naturalwine