Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Striking a balance

Published: 18 January, 2007

BY Kate Colman, WSTA public affairs manager.
'To combat the supply of alcohol to under-18s, we first have to look at the issue of demand.'

Oh, the savage irony

Published: 18 January, 2007

by Max Allen
Horror stories abound in Australia as global warming wreaks havoc on grape growers

Award brings recognition

Published: 18 January, 2007

May I congratulate Rebecca Gibb on being awarded Young Wine Writer of the Year' (Harpers, 10 November).

Once again, Malcolm Gluck has ruffled a few fine feathers. This time it is among those sensitive souls: the wine educators. The chairman of this august body - an MW, no less - ripostes with a suggestion that wine writers should all pass exams before being allowed to be published. Surely this is censorship of the very worst kind; a sort of intellectual snobbery.

The Analyst

Published: 18 January, 2007

A good test of any expanding restaurant group is how different each venue manages to be. Is the latest member a clone, produced according to the same tried-and-tested formula, or does it offer something different? The consensus regarding Maze, Gordon Ramsay's biggest London opening last year, and Square Meal's Restaurant of the Year 2005, is that he has managed to pull another rabbit out of the hat, not least by appointing Jason Atherton as chef. His creations reflect the time he spent at El Bulli in Spain, and he specialises in small dishes, with customers encouraged to choose six, eight or 11 from a selection of 20. Does the wine list manage to be as different, or is it a smaller version of the tome Ronan Sayburn has put together for Gordon Ramsay Royal Hospital Road?

What a waste - by Nicolas Belfrage MW and Franco Ziliani

Published: 18 January, 2007

As anyone who has ever read one of the punditries on the state of modern Italy well knows, one of the great blights on that fair land is bureaucracy.

Wines in the Weekly Press

Published: 18 January, 2007

The Independent on Sunday
RICHARD EHRLICH bows out of his column this week after 10 years. The growth of the internet has been one of the biggest influences on the drinks trade during that time, he says, and of the recent developments in the online drinks world, the most uneven is the rise of the blog'. He doesn't hate all drink-related blogs, but most are drivel'. In his view, there are way too many amateurs waffling on about subjects they know nothing about. He remonstrates: In cyberspace,
it seems, no one can hear you scream "Enough! Shut up, please."' One of his favourite blogs is by Sunday Express columnist Jamie Goode (www.wineanorak.com/blog), which combines technical expertise with vivid accounts of his travels and a nice bit of personal history'. Ehrlich also uses this last hurrah to sing the praises of France and insists: French wine is the best on Earth'. He suggests trying 2005 Le Cas, Mas de la Conscience, Vin de Pays de l'Hrault (10.95; Berry Bros & Rudd).

Know your Cantenac-Browns from your Brane-Cantenacs

Published: 18 January, 2007

Stuart George owes me a bottle of the 7.99 Chilean Cabernet he promised to buy me (Harpers, 27 October) if I can identify the author of an Elizabethan sonnet.

Perhaps wine writers should pass exams, too

Published: 18 January, 2007

Having recently returned from a long educational trip to the wine regions of New Zealand, I have only just seen Malcolm Gluck's comments in his article The write stuff' (Harpers,
13 October).

Judgment days by Neil Beckett, reporting on fine wine

Published: 18 January, 2007

Are angels male or female? Should wines be tasted blind or open?

A taxing question by Jeremy Beadles of the WSTA

Published: 18 January, 2007

To use football parlance - it was a game of two halves last week.

Liberty demands change over screwcap attitudes

Published: 18 January, 2007

Dear Minister,
I am writing to you regarding an issue that is having an adverse effect on the sales and positive image of Italian wine.

The Analyst

Published: 18 January, 2007

It can't be easy living up to the Chef of the [20th] Century' accolade applied to Jol Robuchon by Gault Millau.

The write stuff

Published: 18 January, 2007

Recently I asked Margaret Rand, one of the very few wine writers who can actually write, why she had resigned from the Circle of Wine Writers, and this elegant, patrician woman said what was the point of it?

Wines in the Weekly Press

Published: 18 January, 2007

Daily Mail
Oz Clarke's forthcoming BBC series - Oz and James' Big Wine Adventure - is thrown into the spotlight by JILL PARKIN as she takes a look behind the scenes of the televised French road/wine trip. She finds that Oz remains a true expert on all things vinous -when it comes to wine, he can talk you beautifully into anything' - although Top Gear's James May reveals that his car knowledge is somewhat lacking: He's quite good at talking about them in a lyrical way but he thinks they've still got carburettors.' The series will be aired on BBC2 in November.
MATTHEW JUKES recommends some inexpensive French reds, including 2004 Chteau Roubaud, Tradition Costires de Nmes, France (6.99; Yapp Brothers).

Wines in the Weekly Press

Published: 18 January, 2007

Financial Times
Riesling remains a favoured topic of JANCIS ROBINSON MW, but this time it's the turn of Australia, rather than Germany.

'Start them young' - by Jeremy Beadles

Published: 18 January, 2007

On 16 October the Government will launch a Binge Drinking Campaign'. Its objective is to increase understanding of the consequences of irresponsible drinking; its aim is to contribute to positive long-term change in attitudes towards sensible drinking' and ultimately help drive behaviour change.

'Piety versus terroir' - by Max Allen

Published: 18 January, 2007

Terroir, according to Malcolm Gluck in his new book Brave New World, is twaddle. Well, I'm sorry, Malcolm, I just don't agree.

The Analyst - by Neil Beckett

Published: 18 January, 2007

The Bell at Skenfrith (www.thebellatskenfrith.co.uk) has long been known to aficionados, but has only recently started to win the wider recognition it richly deserves, earlier this month beating one of London's best hotel restaurants to win the 2006 Gosset Award for the best Champagne list in the UK.