Articles
27th Jan 2013
Everyday value?
by Matt Walls
Lined up against the wall in my hallway, they stood quietly like forlorn commuters queuing for a bus. These were not bottles to make a taster salivate. Why didn't I suggest a tasting of vintage Champagnes instead, I wondered? But this is the... Read more
15th Aug 2012
Try before you buy: the future of wine?
by Natasha Hughes
Some 10 years ago, when I first started out as a wine, journalist I was commissioned (by a certain Tim Atkin) to write about why people bought the wines they did. I spent a week or so lurking in the aisles of supermarkets and high street wine... Read more
25th Jul 2012
Too much bottle?
by Simon Woolf
It's the wine industry's dirty little secret. The back label tells you about the wine producer's respect for the environment, their commitment to preserving the terroir and farming sustainably. But that great big heavy glass bottle could triple... Read more
6th Apr 2012
Redefining fine wine
by Tim Atkin
The wine world is often celebrated for its breadth and diversity – all those grape varieties, countries, regions and sub-regions – but there are times when it feels like a very narrow and conservative place. It’s not just because... Read more
10th Feb 2012
My Dream Cellar
by Tim Atkin
Imagine, just for one minute, that you were richer than Bill Gates: more loaded than a Hollywood film star, Warren Buffett and a Russian oligarch put together. Which wines would you buy? Would you stock your cellar with the most expensive... Read more
8th Dec 2011
Twelve Christmas wines under £10
by Tim Atkin
Bearing in mind that most of us are broke at this time of year, I've decided to keep things simple and affordable this Christmas, restricting my choices to just a dozen bottles, all of them under £10. What I've focused on is great value, which... Read more
30th Oct 2011
My pick of Sainsbury's 25% off wine deal
by Tim Atkin
Sainsbury's is offering a 25% discount on six bottles of wine until midnight on 1st November, both online and in store. This includes fine wines,... Read more
14th Oct 2011
Who needs generic wine tastings?
by Tim Atkin
Hands up who watched, let alone attended, any of the party conferences this autumn? Yup, I thought so. You have to be a serious political wonk (or a paid lobbyist or journalist) to take more than a passing interest in these boring, outmoded,... Read more
10th Oct 2011
Wine dynasties and how to survive them
by Tim Atkin
The comedian John Cleese once published a conversational if surprisingly serious book called "Families and how to survive them". You don't have to be Sigmund Freud, or a member of the Monty Python team, to recognise that... Read more
27th Sep 2011
Wine Families and How to Survive Them
by Tim Atkin
The comedian John Cleese once published a conversational if surprisingly serious book called “Families and how to survive them”. You don’t have to be Sigmund Freud, or a member of the Monty Python team, to recognise that relationships... Read more