Never say that wine labelling regulations are a subject devoid of humour. The Tribunal Correctionnel de Paris recently heard a case brought by anti-alcohol NGO Addictions France against Languedoc vigneron...
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A New White Zin
If you are not familiar with the lore of White Zinfandel — America’s greatest contribution to wine culture — you are missing out on some excellent cocktail conversation. I understand...
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Nasty Not Nice
Why are people drinking less, when wine is better than ever? I have an idea. Wine is too good. The wine trade is too nice. What we need, to have...
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A Level Playing Field
What do we mean by the word “Burgundian”? Used indiscriminately to describe a region that is famously, almost defiantly complex, it’s a term that covers so many appellations, terroirs and...
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Affordable Luxury
Would I pay £25 for a glass of Veuve Clicquot? Not if I could help it, no. Now that I think about it, I wouldn’t drink Veuve Clicquot if it...
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Meet Your Robo-Somm
The year is 2029. First-world civilisation has adapted to mass surveillance. Waymos and Tesla Robotaxis chauffeur NPCs between work and their domicile. Porch Pirates have spared your paleo meal-prep subscription...
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The Pluralism Of Wine Writing
Einstein was there before us. As he famously put it, I know not with what technologies the third 67 Pall Mall awards were fought, but the fourth will be fought...
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Drinking Quite Well
I hope you’ll forgive this column for being somewhat nostalgic. I want to begin by giving a picture of the wine-drinking habits and economics of a particular middle-class English family...
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Raising Standards
Joy is unconfined, one assumes, in the Languedoc village of Montpeyroux: last week it became the 369th French Appellation d’Origine Controlée. This will mean stricter controls on the red grapes...
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Palliative Measures
Things can only get worse was a mantra of student life in the 1980s. Thatcherism was dystopic, a priori. Graduation was just a blip. We were all back in our...
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A Performance Art
Susannah Cibber was a terrific singer, by all accounts. Handel gave her the contralto solos in Messiah, and she had a great acting career as well: she became the highest...
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Hand In Hand
Rowan Hooper’s new book, Togetherness, is a fascinating study of symbiosis, what he calls a “neglected silo” of scientific research. The subject might sound a bit geeky and pointy-headed, but...
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