Alistair Darling is the minister responsible for Britain’s finances. Lately Britain’s finances have not been doing well. However unfairly, many people are holding Mr Darling to blame. In an interview with the Guardian, he revealed how these people are expressing their displeasure. He and his wife recently ate in a restaurant with another couple. When they tried to order a second bottle of wine,

“The waiter came over and said ‘too much wine’ in a loud voice. So we stuck to one bottle for the entire meal.”

If you have ever wondered why British food and British restaurants are so awful, this story tells you all you need to know. Read the rest of this entry »

The region of Alentejo used to be best known for corks. It is said that over half the world’s corks are from Portugal, and of these nearly all are from trees in Alentejo. Since the 1970s the region had also produced some interesting wine. Its best-known firm, Herdade do Esporão, hit form in the 1990s. Since then a combination of sound investment and the gifts of an Australian winemaker named David Baverstock have taken it from strength to strength.

This Reserva is the estate’s flagship wine. It has a bright, appealing nose of strawberries and tulips. On the palate it is robust and slightly tart, with a strong presence of oak. It is fiercely strong (14.5%), and while not perfectly balanced, it is straightforwardly enjoyable, particularly with the right food: steak or venison would go perfectly. $17 in the US, $8 in the UK. Read the rest of this entry »

Some weeks ago I argued that this Chianti, like so many other red Tuscans, was no longer good value for money.  On reflection I think this was unfair.  I would still say that, in most years, these wines offer a poorer deal than wines of equal stature from, say, Chile or South Africa. But some years are better than others, and a few are exceptional in every sense.  This week’s vintage is undoubtedly one such.

I have heard the Antinori family called the Rothschilds of Italian wine.  It would be truer to call the Rothschilds the French Antinoris.  The Rothschilds have been prominent only since the early 1800s, and they entered the world of wine in the 1850s.  The Antinoris have been growing wine since the late 1300s. Twenty-six generations later, the Antinori family owns vineyards in Tuscany, Umbria, Piedmont, southern Italy, and even California. Read the rest of this entry »