In France, they use the phrase, Sud-Ouest, not unlike we use the phrase, Gach Treo Eile on road signs, it is the shorthand for, everywhere else, or perhaps, all the rest of it. In simple geographic terms, the Sud-Ouest, or South West is all the land, south of Bordeaux, west of the Rhone that runs along the Atlantic Coast and hits into the giant … Continue reading The Secret Vineyards of Hidden France – The Splendour and Mystery of The Sud-Ouest & Midi-Pyrenees AKA The South West

    And then, there is St. Emilion. Perhaps the most beautiful, certainly the most important and without doubt the best known wine village in France, indeed, probably the best known in the wine world. Along with Chablis and Chianti, St.Emilion is one of the oldest and most powerful brands in the wine world. Like most wine lovers, the first time I visited St.Emilion was … Continue reading St.Emilion – Ausonius’s PR, St.James, The Camino and The Invention of Wine Tourism

           The New Spirits of Christmas – The Triumph of Irish Whiskey : Jobs and Presents Galore      While it always comes as a slight surprise to find out that you are now just one weekend away from Christmas, the incessant Christmas advertising, and the festive food-porn, that we have been surrounded by for the last two months, has surely … Continue reading The New Spirits of Christmas – The Triumph of Irish Whiskey : Jobs and Presents Galore

                                     water retention data sets on a vineyard one of the earliest scientific tools of terroirism                                   Beauty and the memory of years of success and failure has been the traditional method … Continue reading Wine’s God Particle – The Science of Terroirism

OR A Frame by Frame view, of the consequences of Bord Bia,Department of Agriculture and Governmental Love Affair with ‘Big Food’ and ‘Processing’ at The Expense and damage of Artisan, unprocessed production The words, “34 Different Burger products Supplied By Irish”  firms booms out over the first two pictures while the words, Contaminated, Horse, Meat, DNA and Irish Meat producers lingers in the minds of … Continue reading Irish Beef’s Reputation Slaughtererd Live On ITV

Rioja : Wines From Lost Mountain Kingdoms and Forgotten Heroes   One of my favourite reads of the last decade was published just about a year ago this month, Prof Norman Davies, Vanished Kingdoms. It is the literary equivalent of luxuriating in browsing old maps which detail, as the book does, a forgotten Grand Duchy here, an ancient Visigoth Kingdom there. However the real pleasure … Continue reading

Loved this witty addition to the world of sparkling wine, could make a very nice duo for all ‘new arrivals’ celebrations and of course evens up the Mother’s Day, Father’s Day deficit that had long been troubling sparkler loving fathers. Continue reading DADD and MUMM : Sparkling Couple Together at Last !

As the seven pillars of the tallest bridge in the world loom into sight above the clouds, it is impossible not to be more than a little bit excited. Around me cars all imperceptibly speed up as they see the first glimpses of the Viaduct of Millau, as if the bridge is going to disappear before we all reach it. The Canary Warf skyscraper, can … Continue reading In Search of Celtic Salvation, An Authentic, Sustainable, Anti-Industrial Agriculture, Wine Wars and Mas Daumas Gassac Rebels.. and..The World’s Tallest Bridge

Driving from the Mont Blanc Tunnel to Venice is not just one of the great car journeys of the world, it is also a revelation about the gross nonsense being talked about Italy as an economic sick man of Europe. Travelling through and to the wine regions of Europe by car and train I get to see, close up and in detail the state of … Continue reading Amarone, Napoleon, The PoMo Countryside of Venice and Italy’s Economic Resilence Measured In Trucks