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Stalin’s wine cellar, Tbilisi
View of the hills and castle above Tbilisi on a later visit in 2005 A friend recently lent me his copy of John Baker and Nick Place‘s (Viking, 2020) Stalin’s Wine Cellar about John and Kevin Hopko’s...
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World’s Best Vineyards Top-50 celebrations in Mendoza
It is a great honour to serve as the Academy Chair for the UK and Ireland of the World’s Best Vineyards awards organised by William Reed, which are designed to celebrate and promote the best wine...
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The Douro and Vila Nova de Gaia in late February: remembering friends
It was wonderful to be back in northern Portugal last week after many years of absence. The sights, smells, and tastes resurfaced numerous poignant memories. There have certainly been huge changes,...
View ArticleImagery of Tirana (in the daytime…)
Participating in a conference in Tirana over the last few days has provided an opportunity to explore something of this fascinating city – a mixture of new constructions, communist era buildings, and a...
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On the Geography of Wine
It is many years since I wrote substantively about the historical geography of viticulture, but I have nevertheless retained a keen theoretical and practical interest in wine and the vine ever since....
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Exploring Central Otago’s wines
One of the challenges in trying to buy wines in New Zealand is the dearth of good wine shops across most of the country. Yes, it is possible to buy many New Zealand wines in supermarkets, such as...
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Pitarra Restaurant, Barcelona
It was so good to return today to one of my favourite restaurants – Pitarra in Barcelona (on Carrer d’Avinyó) – for lunch. It is full of atmosphere (of the theatre), the food is really excellent, it...
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Rapid tour of northern New Zealand wineries
Twelve hours between flights into and out of Auckland provided a great opportunity to explore some of New Zealand’s more northerly vineyards. Despite only having a couple of hours sleep before...
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My favourite South African Wines…
A visit to the Cape Province of South Africa last week in order to help select wines for the Athenaeum provided a great opportunity to learn something about recent changes in the wine industry in the...
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Jordan Wine Estate, Stellenbosch
It is some 40 years since I was last in Stellenbosch – and how it has changed! Today, I had the privilege of being introduced to the wines of Jordan Wine Estate by Gary and Kathy Jordan – in the...
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Thanks to the Masters of Wine…
Without doubt, one of the most interesting and enjoyable aspects of my life in recent years has been serving as Academic Advisor and External Examiner for the Institute of Masters of Wine since 2004....
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Re-experiencing Bloodwood
Back in 1994, I had the real privilege to undertake a review of the extension services provided by the Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI) – which, apart from anything else, introduced me to many...
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Becker Vineyards Texas Iconoclast Cabernet Franc 1995
This has to be one of the most surprising wines I have tasted in recent years. Back in 1997 I was attending the Annual Meeting of the Association of American Geographers held in Texas, and spent some...
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First Drop – wines to look out for
Matt Gant and John Retsas have put together an exciting and eclectic range of wines under the label First Drop. As their site says, “First Drop is about passion. for life, fun and flavour!… a lifelong...
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Voyager Estate, 1995 Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot
Rarely do I use my blog to comment on a single wine, but exploring my ‘cellar’ over the Christmas period I came across a Voyager Estate Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot (1995) that I had bought there when...
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Sagrantino – Berlin
The Sagrantino grape makes one of my favourite wines. It has strong tannins and tends to be low yielding, producing wines that are rich, dark, complex and long-lived. The classic area where it is grown...
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Prague – a selection of restaurants
Prague has to be one of my favourite cities in the world! At any season, and despite the masses of tourists, it is possible to escape and find some wonderful hidden away places. A short visit over...
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Croatia: seascapes, wine and food
So, I have been hiding away in the Dalmatian coast of Croatia for the last week – and greatly enjoying the amazing coastal scenery! Dubrovnik – despite the thousands of tourists – has to be one of the...
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Lugano grottos and wines…
Thanks to Isabella Rega, I had an opportunity last week not only to learn much more about the exciting research ongoing at the Università degli Svizzera italiana in the field of ICT4D (NewMinE Lab and...
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Maputo restaurants
Not everyone would automatically think of Mozambique for its culinary excellence – but for those who like fine seafood, Maputo’s restaurants are definitely worth exploring. Mozambique is a forgiving...
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