Food and drink news round-up

Chefs, sherry, and fizz are among the flavours in Peter Ranscombe‘s latest food and drink news round-up. CHEF Michele Di Bonito from Sicilian restaurant Battimandorlo will visit Glasgow on 16 November to cook a six-course tasting menu at Eusebi Deli. Owner Giovanna Eusebi said: “We are so proud to welcome Michele into our kitchen all…

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Greywacke Wild Sauvignon

Drinks blogger James Robertson enjoys a vertical tasting of Greywacke Sauvignon Blanc. THE other day I had the privilege of attending a vertical tasting of wines from Greywacke, a winery found in Marlborough, New Zealand. Marlborough is the home for some of the best New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs around. The climate and soil structure has…

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Secret Garden Distillery bought by Admiral founder

THE founder of insurer Admiral Group has bought the Secret Garden Distillery on the outskirts of Edinburgh. Kate Armstrong was one of the founders of Admiral and was the founding managing director of price comparison website Confused.com Her daughters, Isobel and Imogen, will run the distillery and focus on brand and product development. Head distiller…

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REVIEW: House of the Dragon wine

Drinks blogger James Robertson reviews the House of the Dragon wine from Wolf Blass. I AM a self-confessed Game of Thrones addict and had read all the books way before the series came to our screens. Therefore, I have to admit I was a touch sceptical about the launch of a red wine to coincide…

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Hostelling Scotland sites all open again

ALL of the sites operated by Hostelling Scotland are now up and running again following the lockdowns. It marks the first time in more than two years that the charity’s 29 youth hostels are all open again. Margo Paterson, the boss at Hostelling Scotland, said: “The [past] couple of years will long be remembered as…

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Whisky new releases: Glenturret, Tullibardine, and more

Peter Ranscombe rounds up the latest whisky releases from Scotland’s distilleries and bottlers. GLENTURRET has added whiskies at either end of the age spectrum to this year’s core range. A seven-year-old single malt is joined by a 25 year old and a 30 year old. It’s seven-year-old peat smoke is aged in American oak casks…

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River City marks 20th birthday

SOME familiar faces are returning to Shieldinch for a special River City episode to mark the TV soap’s 20th birthday. Filming began this week on the anniversary episode, which will be broadcast at the end of September. In the programme, Bob O’Hara and best mate Angus Lindsay wake up “in a parallel dimension where all…

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Wine to Dine – September 2022 – Ballintaggart

In his final Wine to Dine column, drinks writer Peter Ranscombe recommends five bally good bottles for Ballintaggart. “THERE’S been a murder!” – oh no, wait, wrong Taggart. Rather than the crusty Glasgae cop, we’re talking about the recipes from Ballintaggart, which featured in the food feature in the September issue of Scottish Field magazine.…

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English sparkling wine for the Lionesses

Drinks blogger James Robertson picks two English sparkling wines to toast “the auld enemy’s” victory in the fitba. TIMING, they say, is everything and – along with 17 million other viewers – I watched the England women win the European Cup. The question therefore is what to drink to celebrate the win? Well here are…

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Wine to Dine – August 2022 – The Shetland Chef

Wine columnist Peter Ranscombe selects five seafood-sociable bottles to swim alongside the recipes from The Shetland Chef. WHAT always sitcks in my mind about dining on Shetland is the quality of its seafood. From crab and lobster to mussels and scallops, it was so exciting to see the range of dishes on offer. With his…

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