Blog
What is Fine Wine?
What exactly is fine wine, anyway? After consulting the Googles, there isn’t actually a straightforward answer. Even Masters of Wine and fine wine specialists seem to say that the term is subjective. However, after some pondering, it seems to be mostly to do with ageing. Fine wines are designed to be aged, from the decision about the grape variety and the timing of the picking to the type of vessel the wine is to be aged in.
7 ways to be a better wine lover (it’s OK - we’re all different!)
One size wine lover does not fit all. There isn’t one mould to make a wine lover - we are all different and that’s a good thing. A very good thing.
If you’re wondering whether or not you can be a wine lover - because you don’t really look like one - I have a secret. Wine lovers don’t all look the same. Shh! We don’t all wear red trousers (though some of us do, and that’s FINE...) and, on the other end of the spectrum, we don’t all look like supermodels posing with wine bottles. Whatever type of wine lover you are, wherever you see yourself of the spectrum, it’s all good. Your opinion is valid. Whatever you are wearing, whatever you sound like.
WSET Level 2 Award in Wine & Spirits
Hooray! My WSET 2 course is done and dusted. I’m excited because there’s a qualification at the end of it (I hope!) but a little sad that the learning is over – I was just getting into the swing of things.
London Wine Fair 2018
There are three days in the calendar that I block out every year, as soon as the dates have been announced. Pity the fool who has a birthday or a wedding during that time (luckily, none of my friends have a birthday around then, and I can always vet any new ones I might make; weddings are trickier, but so far, so good). Frankly, there is not much that will get in the way of immersing myself in enough wine to fill Olympia London – which is precisely the opportunity that the London Wine Fair brings.
To WSET and beyond!
It all begins with an idea.WSET stands for Wine & Spirit Education Trust and it’s the largest provider of wine, spirits and sake qualifications in the world – a WSET qualification is globally recognised as a mark of professional knowledge. It took me 32 years to find out about it, but once I did, there were about 12 hours in between hearing of its existence and booking a day release course for the WSET Level 1.
Why Wine?
I’ve always had a good relationship with wine – we’re tight. I grew up in a house where there was a healthy attitude towards drinking wine – my parents drank red wine with dinner (not all dinners, and mostly with a roast on a Sunday).