Wine to Dine – May 2021 – Sophie Greig

Scottish Field wine columnist Peter Ranscombe mixes five sweet and dry bottles to back up Sophie’s baking. BAKER Sophie Greig scooped the top prize in the Contini Bake Off competition with her caramel apple Paris brest and so it was fascinating to get an insight into some of her other recipes in the May issue…

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Putting Tesco’s SMS wine service to the test

Peter Ranscombe tries a wine recommendation service from Britain’s biggest grocer. IT’S a situation that will be familiar to every foodie. You’ve researched your recipe, you’ve grabbed your ingredients, you’ve invited your friends round – but what wine are you going to serve with your chosen dish? If you were in a restaurant ordering a…

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Lanzarote: The grapes that grow in lava

Peter Ranscombe pens a very personal reflection on wines from the Canaries’ most unusual island. LET me start with a confession – I’m biased horrendously when it comes to Lanzarote. In fact, I promised myself I would never write an article about the island and its wines in this blog. Selfishly, I wanted to keep…

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What’s the craic with Beer 52’s Irish craft ales?

Peter Ranscombe joins drinks website Beer 52 for a virtual road trip around the island of Ireland’s breweries. FEW countries are associated as closely with a single drink as Ireland and stout. Guinness flows through Dublin’s veins, and few beers can claim to match its global brand recognition. Yet Ireland also has a thriving craft…

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Lockdown lamb II: Last-minute libations

As Maundy Thursday approaches, Peter Ranscombe picks wines from local stores and further afield to serve with your Easter lamb. PERHAPS this year more than any other, Easter feels full of hope. “Stay at home” is about to become “Stay local” on Good Friday. Hairdressers will reopen on Monday – goodbye, mullet – and garden…

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Cap Classique: Are these the world’s best-value bubbles?

Peter Ranscombe celebrates 50 years of South Africa’s flagship sparkling wine. IF YOU went to a party and all the guests were sparkling wines then you’d be able to spot the usual suspects. There’s Champagne over there, holding court, and hogging the limelight. Then there’s Prosecco in the middle of the dance floor, causing trouble…

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There’s more to South Africa than pinotage and chenin

Two online wine tastings remind Peter Ranscombe about the diversity of South Africa’s grapes. THINK South Africa, think pinotage, the weird offspring of cinsault and pinot noir that’s become the country’s flagship red. Or perhaps it’s chenin blanc that springs to mind, the Loire stalwart that’s found a new lease of life in the Cape.…

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Why it’s time to revisit Italy’s BIG red wines

Don’t fear the reaper – nor the tannins in full-bodied Italian reds, suggests Peter Ranscombe. SCOTLAND’S links with Italy stretch back for generations. Whether it’s Italian restaurants, ice cream shops, or the local fish and chip emporium, there are few Scottish towns without a connection to the “Bel Paese”. Those strong bonds are reflected in…

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Could Rueda be the best wine to order in a restaurant?

Peter Ranscombe meets the white wine that can even go with lamb. RESTAURANTS – remember those? The mythical places where we used to gather to share food and drink and laughter with family and friends and strangers-who-weren’t-friends-yet. Soon, those days will return. And with them will come that age-old conundrum – which bottle of wine…

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Why blending begins in the vineyard

Peter Ranscombe relives his sixth-year studies* chemistry lessons with a spot of online blending. FOR such a simple word, “blend” is packed full of complexity. It’s easy to pass over that collection of five little letters without giving it much thought. Yet listening online this afternoon to winemaker Felipe Tosso and grape grower Sergio Hormazábal…

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