Posts by Peter Ranscombe
New Zealand syrah: Gimblett Gravels and beyond
After exploring syrah from Gimblett Gravels, Peter Ranscombe casts his net wider to look at other parts of New Zealand. WINES fall into two categories. There are the crowd-pleasing styles that most fans will recognise – Prosecco from Italy, shiraz from Australia, sauvignon blanc from Marlborough. Then there are the niches, the bottles about which…
Read MoreFind fantastic fizz for your Valentine’s Day at home
Whether you want splash-out sparklers or bubbles on a budget, Peter Ranscombe has you covered. FEW dates strike fear into the hearts of wine fans like the fourteenth of February. Should I buy bubbles? Should the wine match the food? Should I shake the bottle and spray the room like I’ve just won an F1…
Read MoreOnline wine tasting just went hi-tech
Peter Ranscombe logs on to tech entrepreneur Michael Baum’s Vivant virtual wine tasting platform – and he’s impressed by what he sees. I GUESS is was just a matter of time before online wine tastings got the gamification treatment. When every other aspect of our lives – from logging the miles we slog on running…
Read MoreSeven South African wines you need to try
Peter Ranscombe revisits some of his recent favourites from South Africa as the country’s alcohol ban shifts direction once more. YESTERDAY’S news that the South African government has lifted parts of its alcohol sales ban will provide some relief for wine producers. Yet – as winemaker Bruce Jack warned in a recent article for The…
Read MoreWhy your new favourite Italian wine will be from Puglia
Peter Ranscombe samples a new range of organic wines with Bellissimo Vino in Edinburgh. IF ITALY is shaped like a boot then Puglia is its very stylish heel. Bordered by the Adriatic and Ionian seas, the area is sometimes overshadowed by more famous wine regions in Campania and on Sicily. One of the reasons that…
Read MoreAugmented reality: ‘It’s gin, Jim, but not as we know it…’
A Scottish gin maker has gone all hi-tech with its labels; Peter Ranscombe finds out more. IT SOUNDS like something straight from an episode of Star Trek. Wave your mobile phone at the label on a bottle of gin and you’re transported into another world. But, today, science fiction is meeting distilling fact with the…
Read MoreDamiani_Christmas
Shetland firm makes Scotland’s first lamb biltong
A COMPANY on Shetland is launching a range of biltong – including Scotland’s first lamb biltong. J&G Shetland, which owns Sound service station, will start production next month in Lerwick. The firm has secured £24,000 from economic development agency Highlands & Islands Enterprise (HIE) to buy the specialist equipment it needs to dry and cure…
Read MoreScandis and Americans join Scots for Granite Noir
AUTHORS from Scotland, Scandinavia and the United States will star in next month’s online Granite Noir book festival. Aberdeen’s international crime writing extravaganza will include appearances by Camilla Läckberg and Attica Locke. Well-kent faces popping up on screen include David Baldacci, Stuart MacBride, Peter May, Val McDermid, Jo Nesbo, and Ian Rankin. The festival will…
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