Mrs. Claret and I have developed a cunning modus operandi for eating out at fine restaurants – rock up to the hottest ticket in town, without a booking, but at a slightly non-standard time (perhaps 6.30pm, or 9pm). Accept any seat, even if it is at the counter (which is frequently the case). Think you
Don’t you just hate it when that happens . . .
Simon falls in love with Hegarty Chamans Cuvee No. 1 – only to discuss his supply has been cut off!
Birthday vinucopia
I have to write a brief post about my very enjoyable birthday celebration, last week. What better place than Green and Blue (of which I have spoken before) – good atmosphere, brilliant wines, and enough high quality nutrition to keep everyone from falling under the table. As we ended up being a party of 14,
A very sparkling bottom
To some, the idea of English wine is a bit of a joke, wrongly associated with those sickly sweet concoctions labelled as “British Wine”. It’s an unfortunate and confusing quirk of our labelling laws that “British Wine” is made from imported grape must, which often has sugar and other additives thrown in. English wine, however,
Let’s get naked
I’ve read a lot about Naked Wines over the past few months. Naked are a relatively new online retailer with a novel concept – you can join up as a “angel”, pay £20 a month and then get Naked’s exclusive wines at a considerable discount (33% or more) when they’re released. Naked use the money
A Balkan take on Burgundy – Matošević Alba Barrique 2008 (Obscure white grapes, Part 3)
It’s not every day you get the opportunity to try a Croatian white wine, without troubling the budget airlines. There is no shortage of high quality wine to be found throughout Dalmatia and Istria, but close to nothing reaches the UK. Therefore, when I saw the Matošević Alba Barrique 2008 on sale at Cartwright Brothers
A Bordeaux blowout – Lagrange 2001 and Chasse Spleen 1985
Considering the title of this blog, you might have expected a bit more action centred around the Medoc. Just as well then, that a happy dinner with family last Saturday night provided the occasion to unleash some serious clarets. We kicked off with Chateau Lagrange 2001, a charming St. Julien from a forgotten vintage. What
Lunch at Brixton Cornercopia (Obscure white grapes, Part 2)
Brixton Village used to be a forgotten corner of the market, depopulated and unloved, until 18 months ago when the spacemakers project started persuading artists, philosophers, foodies and other madmen into the once empty units. Fast forward to March 2011, and it’s crammed full of interesting new eateries and shops, and in danger of becoming
Rotgipfler and Scamorza (Obscure white grapes, Part 1)
Mrs. Claret arrived back at the house yesterday evening clutching an intriguing looking black bag. Had she indulged herself in a new dress or pair of shoes I asked? Absolutely not, it was actually a present for me – and a consumable one at that! She had happened across a stall at the South Bank
Friday night at Green and Blue – Bressan Schioppettino 2004 and Pintia 2006
Someone said to me recently that Friday night was all the excuse they needed to celebrate with a fine wine. I decided to put this excellent philosophy into practice last night and recruited a few friends to repair to Green and Blue, an exceptional wine bar in East Dulwich. For those not familiar, Green and