Food, Wine and Travel Blog

What is it that’s so special about white wines from Sancerre? If one change has dominated the last 40 years, it is undoubtedly shifting emphasis from place to grape. In Europe, the name of a wine, with few exceptions, was its place of origin. The New World saw things very differently; in Australia, New Zealand, […]

For any visitor touring the Champagne region, the sight is instantly recognizable; row upon row of bottles being stored horizontally in the ancient and majestic chalk cellars of Champagne. Hidden underground, the cellars’ depth ensures the perfect ambient temperature for storing Champagne cuvées destined for long aging – the most prestigious bottles can be stored […]

Which Champagne houses to visit? Champagne is perhaps the most famous and simultaneously misunderstood of all the great wine regions of France. These hallowed vineyards – found east of Paris – have been making wine since early Roman times. However, throughout the majority of Champagne’s history, nothing sparkled. By the early 16th century, still, wines […]

Is Champagne better than sparkling wine? The sparkling wine world is infinitely more complex, diverse, and exciting than the Champenoise would like you to believe. Benefiting from an extraordinarily talented firmament of marketeers, Champagne has been sold as the definitive luxury sparkling wine: rarified, glamorous, and naturally, very expensive. Thus, many consumers assume that upmarket […]

Burgundy’s legendary blackcurrant liqueur Every gastronome, sybarite, and bon viveur owes Burgundy a monumental debt of gratitude. No other region has given so much in return for so little. No other French wine region takes the art of winemaking and gastronomy more seriously. From Dijon to Chagny, Burgundy is a food and drink paradise, not […]

What’s the difference between Burgundy and Bordeaux? In 2015, esteemed wine writers Jancis Robinson MW and Hugh Johnson hosted a landmark event in London: Bordeaux Vs. Burgundy. The debate was lively, robust, and enlightening, with strong arguments put forward underlining the relative merits of both regions. The Bordelais and Burgundy establishments have similar arguments on […]

The 1855 Bordeaux classification: the creation of an elite In 1855, the Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce took an unprecedented step that would transform the Medoc region’s fortunes. After much debate and disagreement, it was decided that the area would benefit from a formalized classification. The impetus was the upcoming Paris Exhibition – the Bordeaux establishment […]

Top 10 French desserts paired with wine Is France Europe’s ultimate culinary Mecca, a land of superlative gastronomy that has no equal? The answer is not so clear-cut as the French would have us believe – in recent years, the best Italian and Spanish chefs have been winning countless awards and challenging the notion that […]

Once dismissed as a passing fad, today, there is no doubting the massive relevance of rose to the global wine category. There have been numerous articles, blogs, and opinion pieces dedicated to exploring rose’s rise to prominence, the celebrity factor, its newfound popularity with men, the transformation from summer tipple to year-round indulgence. Yet the […]

What is Dijon Mustard, and how is it used? What is the sacred trinity of the Burgundian culinary tradition? Many would argue that it is beef, red wine, and cheese – the red wines of Chambertin, Musigny, and Volnay are as highly prized as the legendary dish Boeuf Bourguignon, particularly if it is made using […]

Cassis White Wines At first glance, there are few surprises left in French viticulture. The wines of Bordeaux, Burgundy, and indeed Provence are globally renowned – Pauillac, Blanc de Blancs Champagne, and Provencal rose are as many cultural icons as they are wine styles. Yet, with real effort, France still has undiscovered regions and terroirs […]

The infamous white wines of Burgundy The status and reverence given to the superlative white wines of Burgundy are arguably under threat. California, Australia, New Zealand, and other European regions have proven that you can coax great class and refinement out of Chardonnay grown worldwide. It is simply undeniable that Burgundy no longer has a […]