Search results for: south africa
Reyneke: ‘Farming with grapes and farming with soils’
Peter Ranscombe revisits Reyneke’s stunning organic and biodynamic wines from South Africa. WHEN he arrives at a trade tasting, Daily Mail wine columnist Matthew Jukes is professionalism personified. Head down, taste the wines, move onto the next job. That’s why is was so refreshing to see his fan boy side when he presented last week’s…
Read MoreHow Scottish tourism was transformed by one film
In the autumn of 1995, Braveheart was released and the first ever Easyjet flight took off from Luton to Glasgow – two events that helped transform Scottish tourism. Braveheart sold Scotland around the world – and almost overnight, the country became synonymous with Mel Gibson’s historically dubious epic. Scottish Tourist Board chief Tom Buncle recalled…
Read More5 of California’s best organic pinots
The Golden State’s online wine tasting demonstrated pinot noir at its best, writes Peter Ranscombe. FEW grape varieties get wine geeks as excited as pinot noir. Most-closely associated with Burgundy in France, the grape has gone on to find new homes in the new world, including at Mornington and Tasmania in Australia, Central Otago in…
Read MoreLanzarote: 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…
Read MoreLockdown 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…
Read MoreCap 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…
Read MoreWine to Dine – April 2021 – Brodie Williams
Scottish Field wine columnist Peter Ranscombe hums Eddie Grant’s classic tune as he matches bottles to Brodie Williams’ brunch dishes. THE first time I got off the tube at Brixton and saw the sign for “Electric Avenue”, a wee lightbulb popped on inside my head. It hadn’t dawned on me that Eddie Grant’s 1983 reggae…
Read MoreWhy does Portuguese wine taste so different?
Peter Ranscombe hits the trail to find out what makes Portugal’s wine so special. IT WASN’T the grapes that first brought Peter Bright to Portugal – it was the surfing. Winemakers seem to have an affinity for the waves, no matter whether they’re from California or South Africa or Australia. Bright’s first visit to Portugal…
Read MoreThe Scot whose book briefly outsold Dickens
The insatiable blood lust of celebrated big game hunters – and none was bloodier than a Scottish aristocrat whose books were briefly as popular as Dickens – sparked a Victorian craze for African safaris. Hunting big game for food may be an ancient practice – cave paintings depict early man hunting mammoth in groups –…
Read MoreShetland 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…
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