Why champagne and fish go swimmingly together

Don’t dismiss sparklers when it comes to food and wine pairings, writes Peter Ranscombe. WHEN is a wine not a wine? When it’s a champagne, of course. While champagne and other bubbles are the bottles of choice for aperitifs to start a meal, seldom do you see fizz being served throughout a dinner. But why…

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On patrol at Bon Vivant Companion’s fizz tasting

Edinburgh wine merchant The Bon Vivant’s Companion has plenty of ideas for sparkling wines to grace the Christmas dinner table, as Peter Ranscombe finds out. I PROMISE that I don’t have a favourite wine shop – but if I were to draw up a top ten then The Bon Vivant’s Companion tucked away on Thistle…

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WINE TO DINE – JANUARY 2019 – LOWER-ALCOHOL WINES

Drinks writer Peter Ranscombe selects five lower-alcohol wines. FEW months appear as bleak as January – the heady excesses of Christmas and Hogmanay are fading into the background and it feels like a long way to go before we can indulge in the whisky-fueled revelry of Burns’ Night. Fear not though; even if the belt…

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A sparkling education at the Fizz Feast

Today’s Fizz Feast in Edinburgh not only has delicious Champagnes on show but also sparkling wines from around the world, writes Peter Ranscombe. EDINBURGH Academy may be renowned for the sparkling success of its former pupils – with notable alumni ranging from writer Robert Louis Stevenson to physicist James Clerk Maxwell – but it was sparklers…

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Lidl pops-up in Edinburgh with gin range

Peter Ranscombe heads down to the capital’s Castle Street for a preview of the German grocer’s gin range. POP-UPS have become a regular fixture on our high streets, filling empty shops with retailers for a short period of time. They can be a great way for new businesses to dip their toes into the water…

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WINE TO DINE – DECEMBER 2018 – CHRISTMAS BANQUET

Drinks writer Peter Ranscombe picks five wines to pair with the Christmas banquet. CHRISTMAS is a time for feasting – celebrating family and friendship over good food and good wine. Taking that feast outside into a location like The Secret Herb Garden in Edinburgh – as Scottish Field did for its December 2018 issue – makes…

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California collectin’

The futuristic-looking United States embassy in London played host to the first ‘Collectible California’ dinner, demonstrating how the state’s wines can age, as Peter Ranscombe reports. WHEN wine enthusiasts begin building their collection of bottles, they usually turn to the Old World classics from Bordeaux and Burgundy. But what about California? Can wines from the…

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Apprentice star launches Canadian ice wine

Peter Ranscombe tastes Rebel Pi, the dessert wine created by Jackie Fast, star of BBC One television series The Apprentice. ANYONE who’s watched the current series of The Apprentice on the gogglebox will be familiar with Jackie Fast. With her direct business style and oodles of energy, the Canadian entrepreneur has already made her mark…

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Quinta do Noval: Blending tradition with technology

Peter Ranscombe dons his saltire boxer shorts to join in the crushing of the grapes in the Douro valley and along the way discovers how classic ports also need a modern edge. AS THE sun began to set across the Douro river valley, the sound of an accordion started to waft through the evening air.…

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WINE TO DINE – NOVEMBER 2018 – PEARS

Drinks writer Peter Ranscombe selects five wines to go with pears. WHETHER they’re sliced in a salad, smothered in chocolate or poached in wine, pears are one of the fruits that always grab my eye on a menu. Check out the pear recipes in the November 2018 issue of Scottish Field magazine and take a look at…

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