Going in search of lost distilleries

PETER RANSCOMBE ASK whisky fans about “silent” or closed distilleries and they’ll quickly reel off the famous names, like Port Ellen and Rosebank. But what about Scotland’s other lost distilleries? Scott Watson is on a mission to find those silent stills. Back in 2013 he teamed up with co-founder Brian Woods to launch The Lost…

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Tamdhu: 50 years in the making

PETER RANSCOMBE WHAT was happening in the world back in 1963? In America, president John Kennedy was assassinated. In Liverpool, The Beatles released their first album. And, in a quiet corner of Speyside, on 2 November, a batch of spirit was distilled at Tamdhu. That new-make spirit was placed into a first-fill European oak sherry…

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Unfamiliar wines in familiar places

PETER RANSCOMBE MENTION the word “Sancerre” and most wine drinkers will immediately think of a dry white wine, then slip the name “Beaujolais” into conversation and they’ll picture a light and fruity red. We’re all guilty of it – we taste a wine we enjoy from a specific region and it becomes fixed in our mind,…

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Going beyond bubbles

PETER RANSCOMBE FLICKING through the pages of a wine textbook sometimes feels like looking back at an old photo album. There on the pages are all the old friends – from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Pinot Noir through to Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio and that cheeky wee Sauvignon Blanc. Then you reach the pages about England…

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Alternatives to Chablis

PETER RANSCOMBE CHABLIS will always hold a special place in my heart. As a red drinker, it was the white that opened the door for me to a whole world of elegant and exciting wines, eventually leading to delights such as riesling and gruner veltliner. That’s why last year’s news sent a shiver down my spine…

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California Part 1: Finding a sense of place

PETER RANSCOMBE OAK can be a double-edged wooden sword in winemaking. At its best, it can impart aromas and flavours of vanilla and sweet spices like cinnamon and cloves, as well as bringing a rounded mouthfeel to a wine. At its worst, the oak can dominate, overpowering the primary fruit and leaving drinkers checking for tiny…

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California Part 2: Critters in the vineyard

PETER RANSCOMBE AT THE top of a very tall pole in the Trefethen Family Vineyard, there sits a box. And in that box, there lives a family of barn owls. Over the course of a year, that single family can eat more than 2,000 gophers or “critters”, helping to control one of the pests that…

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California Part 3: Diversity in the winery and in the glass

PETER RANSCOMBE THINK you know Californian wines? Think again. They’re mostly white zinfandel or blush aren’t they, with some over-oaked and over-ripe chardonnays and cabernet sauvignons thrown in at the top end, right? Wrong. If California was a nation then it would be the world’s fourth-largest wine producer, behind Italy, France and Spain. That scale…

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Wines to take home from Contini

PETER RANSCOMBE IT’S a situation that will ring bells with most diners – after enjoying a delicious bottle of wine with your meal, you quickly scribble down the name from the label so you can try it again at home. You search high and low on the shelves of your local bottle shop but, to…

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Fewer calories but no compromise on taste

PETER RANSCOMBE AS JANUARY draws to a close, those new year’s resolutions are getting harder and harder to keep. For anyone who over-indulged during the festive period by reaching for that extra mince pie or another slice of Christmas cake, weight loss is usually top of the list come Hogmanay. While our food packaging is covered…

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