Posts Tagged ‘Italian’
Armchair exploring: Supporting South African wines
As South Africa lifts its ban on wine exports – again – Peter Ranscombe picks bottles to kick-start some armchair exploring. FEW countries have had such an intense rollercoaster ride through the lockdown as South Africa. First wine exports were banned. Then they were allowed again. Then they were banned again. Last week’s news that exports…
Read MoreThis is not just wine… this is a first look at M&S’s ÂŁ5 range
Peter Ranscombe relives his youth as he dips into Marks & Spencer’s latest releases. DERVLA Kirwan has a lot to answer for. Whether it was putting the “kiss” into Balykissangel on BBC One or making the Noughties truly naughty with her sultry voiceovers for Marks & Spencer, the Irish actress’s dulcet tones enticed a generation.…
Read MoreAn odyssey through Italy’s indigenous grapes – via Zoom
Falanghina, montepulciano and passerina all featured in the latest online tastings attended by drinks blogger Peter Ranscombe. FEW countries can boast as many varieties of grapes as Italy – the International Organisation of Vine & Wine (OIV), the keeper of the geekiest of all statistics, lists 454 varietals as being grown from the Alps down to…
Read MoreTenth Boswell Book Festival delayed till October
The Boswell Book Festival, the world’s only event dedicated to memoir and biography, has been postponed. The programme for the 10th Boswell Book Festival was to have been announced with a line up of writers proving that great lives make great stories. However, the festival which had been due to take place from 8-10 May…
Read MoreScottish holiday company aims to grow in the US
A Scottish adventure holiday firm is planning to boost its business in America. Flavours Holidays, specialists in activity holidays in Italy and Spain, celebrated reaching a turnover to ÂŁ3.5m by unveiling expansion plans, which includes targeting the US market, purchase of a new larger office on the Water of Leith and creating eight jobs, thanks…
Read MoreGlenfiddich Collection’s third release in over 20 years
Glenfiddich is offering whisky connoisseurs a once in a lifetime drinking opportunity with the third release of its Rare Collection: Glenfiddich 1975 Vintage Cask 4706 and Cask 5114. The Rare Collection Series, introduced in the 1990s, is a selection of a small number of outstanding casks reserved and hand selected by Glenfiddich malt master Brian…
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 MoreScotland’s first blue pasta marks St Andrew’s Day
A leading Glasgow restaurateur is celebrating St Andrew’s Day with the launch Scotland’s first blue pasta. Ahead of St Andrew’s Day this Saturday (30 October), Giovanna Eusebi, owner of Eusebi Deli in the city’s West End, has created rigatoni coloured with a deep azure hue. Thought to be the first of its kind in Scotland,…
Read MoreFizz Feast hits new heights
Missed this month’s Fizz Feast in Edinburgh? Peter Ranscombe selects six sensational sparklers from the festival. ONE of the most exciting aspects of Fizz Feast, the celebration of sparkling wine and artisan food, is the sheer variety of bubbles on show. Organiser Diana Thompson, who has been running the fair for the past four years,…
Read MoreChristmas at the Botanics opens for third year
Christmas at the Botanics has opened at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, unveiling a series of magical light installations inspired by Christmas. This year’s event is set to be more spectacular than ever; with over one million twinkling lights, more than 4500 metres of cabling, 250 metres of garlands, 4480 candles and 60 Moroccan lamps…
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