Grape&Grain
My magnificent seven McLaren Vale grenaches
When grenache is treated like pinot noir, vinous magic can happen in the glass, writes Peter Ranscombe. ASK most wine geeks to pick their favourite grape varieties and the answers are often the same – riesling among the whites and pinot noir for the reds. Yet my own answer to that question has been slowly…
Read MoreThese New World wines will rock with your new wave haggis dishes
Whether you’re serving your haggis with neeps and tatties or nachos and pizza, Peter Ranscombe has some ideas for vinous accompaniments. ARTICLE one of Scotland’s constitution clearly states that all haggis must be consumed alongside neeps and tatties, while sipping on a dram of Scotch and wearing a kilt or tartan skirt – right? Wrong!…
Read MoreWhy Adelaide Hills will rise from the bushfire ashes
Continuing to buy wine and visit wineries will help the Adelaide Hills and other Australian regions to recover from this summer’s devastating bushfires, writes Peter Ranscombe. WATCHING the bushfires rip through parts of Australia has been heart breaking. One of the worst-hit regions has been the Adelaide Hills, which I visited in early November as…
Read MoreWhy I still can’t quite put my finger on ‘minerality’…
Peter Ranscombe goes into full ‘wine geek’ mode with an exploration of what ‘minerality’ might mean when it comes to wine. FLICK through the tasting notes for bottles of wine and it’s not long before you start to spot patterns emerging. Pinot noir tends to taste of red fruits like strawberry, raspberry and red cherry,…
Read MoreWelcome to the weirdest winery in the world…
Peter Ranscombe steps inside the d’Arenberg Cube and finds that, while the architecture may be quirky, the wine is sublime. THERE aren’t many wineries that can boast of having their own “alternative realities” museum, Rubik’s cube-like visitors’ centre or Salvador Dali exhibition. But, then again, there aren’t many wineries like d’Arenberg. The “d’Arenberg Cube” rises…
Read More#DryJanuary or #TryJanuary? You decide!
Whether you’re doing “Dry January” or “Try January”, drinks blogger Peter Ranscombe has some suggestions to hand. THE first footers have left, the steak pies have been reduced to crumbs, and the Christmas decorations are looking a little sorry for themselves; it can all mean only one thing – it’s 1 January once again. New…
Read MoreWINE TO DINE – FEBRUARY 2020 – TATTIES
Scottish Field wine columnist and drinks blogger Peter Ranscombe digs up five wines to pair with potatoes. WHETHER you call them tatties, spuds or potatoes, there’s no arguing with the versatility of what could be dubbed Scotland’s national vegetable. After a break for the Christmas food feature in December’s issue and last month’s festive fizz…
Read MoreWinds of change blow at Journey’s End
Rollo Gabb tells Peter Ranscombe why it’s not just the Cape Doctor breeze that’s blowing changes through his South African vineyards. THE world of wine is also the world of wind: from the Mistral and the Levant that blow through Provence to the Sirocco of Sicily and the breezes that flow through the Petaluma Gap…
Read MoreAuction update: Cape Fine & Rare and Cask Trade
Peter Ranscombe provides an update on the Cape Fine & Rare wine auction and the new date for the Cask Trade whisky sale. REGULAR readers of The Grape & The Grain drinks blog will remember that two auctions caught my eye over the autumn – and so it’s time for an update on the results…
Read MoreOver A Barrel: Lager with a heart
Peter Ranscombe explores how beer can be used as a force for good in his latest column for Cask & Still. IN MY second beer column for Cask & Still magazine – Scottish Field‘s wee whisky-focused sister publication – I shine a light on Brewgooder, which makes lager to fund clean water projects in Africa.…
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