Many people think of giving everything up to follow their dream. Very few, however, end up taking the plunge. This is the story of Ray Walker who had a secure career in finance until he took a wine-tasting vacation which ignited a passion for wine that he couldn't stifle. Now the interesting part of the story is that unlike most wine lovers who develop their passion over … [Read more...]
Book review: Shadows in the vineyard – the true story of the plot to poison the world’s greatest wine
What kind of man the cellarer of the Monastery should be 1) As cellarer of the monastery should be chosen from the community, one who is sound in judgement, mature in character, sober, not a great eater, not self-important, not turbulent, not harshly spoken, not an off-putter, not wasteful. 2) but a God-fearing man, who will be a father to the whole community 3) He is … [Read more...]
Discovering the beauty of Champagne
The first time we went to the Champagne region in France we had read about a very small producer in the South-East area of champagne in the Aube region known as the Côte des Bar. This is far away from the glitzy Champagne capital of Reims and Epernay. The Aube region produces a quarter of France's champagne, and much of what the small producers make is sold on to the big houses … [Read more...]
What I enjoyed reading this week (4)
Moneglia is a place that we have missed on our two visits to Liguria mainly because it is rather complicated to get there by car. It is located between Sestri Levante and the Cinque Terre and is accessible through a one-lane tunnel. We were told that if you miss the tunnel crossing, you will have to wait for a rather long time before the traffic lights turn green. So we avoided … [Read more...]
What is happening to French restaurants?
There is no question, at least at the high end of the restaurant scene that the French are still at the top of the culinary world although the competition has become incredibly fierce with countries like Spain, Italy, the UK (yes you read that correctly) and Japan challenging for the top position. But amid that reputation is a creepy feeling that not all is rosy. While the top … [Read more...]
