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Wineries to visit in the Luberon (and Châteauneuf-du-Pape)

If you head over to France and want to avoid the crowds, discover hidden gems and less crowded wineries, then head to the Luberon region which borders Coteaux d'Aix-en-Provence and the town of Aix-en-Provence to the south. Being based here…

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Visiting the Adelaide Hills

On Saturday I headed off to the Adelaide Hills for the very first time. I was really looking forward to it having only ever read about the wine region, starting when I did my WSET Advanced Certificate and Diploma. Then…

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Leeuwin Estate Art Series Tasting

If you have the opportunity at a tasting to either meet the winemaker or the founders of a winery, then I recommend going! Leeuwin Estate was one of the first wineries established in Margaret River and now sell 40% of…

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Lamont’s 1st Sunday Tapas 7th July

Well what another glorious Sunday Tapas there was at Lamon'ts again! This time I went with more friends - the experience is rather more enjoyable with more people. I tend to go to tastings by myself as I'm a wine…

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A whirlwind tour of wine with The Wines Birds

The Wine Birds is a recently established company set up by Christina Pickard and Jo Perry providing independent educational courses and masterclasses. They launched their first masterclass at the Wine Store on 5th June and due to popular demand, set…

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Lamont’s 1st Sunday Tapas

I'm a bit late writing up the latest tapas tasting I attended at Lamont's but it was as delicious and enjoyable as ever. [caption id="attachment_539" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Lamont's 1st Sunday Tapas 5th May"][/caption] We started the evening off with a …

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Tasting in the airport

When I was returning to Perth from Sydney last week I got through to the departure side pretty quickly and had just under two hours to spare in the airport. So after eating my favourite type of Krispy Kreme doughnut…

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Wines for a friend’s house

Finding good quality Burgundy wine at a "reasonable" price is hard to find in Australia due to the taxes and the distance the wine has to travel. But saying that I have found a great wine courtesy of Swanbourne Wine…

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Sunday night dinner on budget

We are all keen to have a tasty bottle of wine but not at a high price.  Below are a few wines that are well worth trying and won't break the bank! Bouchard Père et Fils 2009 Chardonnay, £7.49 /£7.99…

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Saturday night dinner

So you have a vegetarian meal you're cooking (courgette soup with chickpea casserole) and you want a wine that goes well with both.  I wasn't sure what to have, at first I thought a Viognier or an oaked Chardonnay -…

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New Zealand Tasting

If you are ever invited to attend a tasting, I would recommend going.  On Tuesday 11th January New Zealand Winegrowers held its annual tasting in London.  The trade event was during the day with the evening dedicated to consumers.  I…

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Saint-Bris and Chenin Blanc – Wines that will surprise you

Saint-Bris Les Vaux Sereins 2008, £9.99 at Nicolas. Most of Burgundy is made from Chardonnay grapes.  However in the Yonne department, south west of Chablis Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon Gris and Aligoté are permitted in the blend.  This wine is dry,…

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New Year Wines

To celebrate 2011 I went to a friend's house where we started the day with Gamay and Pinot Noir.  Gamay is a lighter style of wine but still quite fruit driven, refreshing and has low tannins.  So if you've had…