Posts Tagged ‘Beer’
Le Miccine: Showing Chianti’s cooler side
Le Miccine winemaker Paula Papini Cook is celebrating her Scottish roots in Tuscany, writes Peter Ranscombe. FOR Scots living abroad, there’s always once thing they miss more than anything else. For some, it’s Irn Bru; for others, it’s haggis. For Paula Papini Cook, the winemaker at Le Miccine in Tuscany, it’s tattie scones. While she…
Read MoreTesco: Seven of the best summer wines
The summer Tesco press tasting gave Peter Ranscombe the chance to select his seasonal recommendations. AFTER press tastings with Aldi and Marks & Spencer, Tesco was the next supermarket chain to unveil its spring and summer selection. I came away feeling more positive about Tesco than I have done for a while. The focus on…
Read MoreEast Coast: Where land meets sea and wine
Peter Ranscombe visits East Coast in Musselburgh to put the restaurant’s wine list through its paces. EVERYONE has their favourite chippies. One of mine used to be The Coral Reef in Musselburgh. My guilty pleasure was its southern fried chicken goujons. Carlo Crolla took over the chip shop in 2002 from his parents, who had…
Read MoreBelvedere vodka: going organic with infusions
Peter Ranscombe tries Belvedere vodka’s new organic infusions range, which kicks off the brand’s full organic conversion. BELVEDERE today unveiled plans to make all its vodkas using organic rye by 2030, starting with its new organic infusions range. The Polish rye vodka’s brand ambassador, Mike Foster, told an online tasting this morning that all the…
Read MoreInnis & Gunn reveals new look for Originals range
Scottish brewer Innis & Gunn has unveiled an eye-catching new look for their Originals range, led by their flagship beer, The Original, as they look to brew further success. The new design signals another step forward for the premium beer brand who, now in their 18th year has become one of the UK’s biggest independent,…
Read MoreCold Town glory: Reconnecting beer to pubs
Peter Ranscombe visits Edinburgh’s Cold Town brewery to hear how head brewer Ed Evans takes inspiration from pubgoers. WHAT inspires brewers? For some, it’s the hops, and the arrival of more and more varieties from around the world. For others, it’s the malt, and the challenge of balancing the depth with the freshness. For Ed…
Read MoreAldi: Toasting reliable fizzy favourites
Peter Ranscombe salutes Aldi for the consistency of its sparkling wines. SUPERMARKET shopping is – let’s face it – boring. Don your face covering and trudge down the same aisles, week after week, month after month. Pick up the same milk, the same bread, the same giant bag of crisps that you promise yourself will…
Read MoreMarks & Spencer: If you like that, try this…
After the excitement of an in-person wine tasting subsided, Peter Ranscombe found interesting Marks & Spencer alternatives. A PRESS tasting. An actual, real life press tasting. With wines and people and everything. Novelty aside, yesterday’s press preview of spring wines from Marks & Spencer was a great chance to catch-up with the ongoing refresh of…
Read MoreScottish Craft Beer Festival to get underway in stores
Lidl’s Scottish Craft Beer Festival hits stores this week with a host of new and exclusive Scottish drinks. The festival features 19 beers from 11 different Scottish brewers including fan favourites and debuts set to become this summer’s must-try beers. Dundee-based 71 Brewing leads the line-up with two new beers exclusive to Lidl. In a…
Read MoreHolyrood Distillery: A ‘rude’ reawakening in the courtyard
Holyrood Distillery has created a ‘sipping gin’ that’s ideal for its reopened courtyard, as Peter Ranscombe discovers. IN A world with more and more gin, it’s becoming harder and harder to find anything that stands out from the crowd. Yet Holyrood Distillery may have just cracked it. The Edinburgh whisky maker set out to create…
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