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Published: 06 December, 2017
Serendipity is part of the pleasure of owning a wine cellar. Unless you’re the kind of person who keeps a log of every bottle that’s down there – I’m as organised as the next Virgo, but there are limits – these chance discoveries are wonderful. Well, most of the time. For every bottle of oxidised Condrieu or dried-out claret, there are dozens that are exciting to unearth. I had a bottle of 2006 TMV Swartland Syrah recently, made by Chris and Andrea Mullineux before they set up their own now globally famous winery in South Africa, and it was a revelation.
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Published: 27 November, 2017
Harpers gets the lowdown from specialist retailer buyer James Hocking, wine director at The Vineyard Cellars
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Published: 27 November, 2017
Harpers gets the lowdown from Alistair Viner, head buyer at Hedonism
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Published: 27 November, 2017
Harpers gets the lowdown from specialist retailer buyer Edward Gerard, buying manager for wines, spirits and cigars at Harrods
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Published: 27 November, 2017
Harpers gets the lowdown from specialist retailer buyers Rob Graves, head of food and wine buying at Harvey Nichols
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Published: 20 November, 2017
It’s a tale of corporate mismanagement to rival the worst.
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Published: 10 November, 2017
The Vistamar winemaker talks to Andrew Catchpole about the ongoing evolution of Chile’s winemaking scene
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Published: 06 November, 2017
Within days of the Napa Valley going up in flames, as firefighters were still wrestling for control of Atlas Peak and Mount Veeder, the assurances were being issued. Everything was OK – the vast majority of the grapes had already been harvested, the remaining fruit on the vine was the thick-skinned, resilient Cabernet and any smoke taint was likely to be minimal.
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Published: 02 November, 2017
Remind me never to play poker against Frédéric Engerer.
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Published: 02 November, 2017
James Lawrence catches up with the buying team at customer-owned The Wine Society
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Published: 30 October, 2017
Ahead of his forthcoming retirement David Cox talks to Andrew Catchpole about a lifetime at the forefront of the drinks trade
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Published: 24 October, 2017
Many years ago, one of the UK’s biggest retailers used Reverse eAuctions to source entry point wine from Eastern Europe. Their annual contract to supply fixed quantities of different wines was at stake. The volumes were huge. It was a thrilling but deflating experience.
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Published: 18 October, 2017
D&D London’s Michael Patterson talks to Andrew Catchpole about evolving drinks trends on the London restaurant scene and how they affect the buyers’ role
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Published: 16 October, 2017
Having a speciality can be a boon for a merchant. Andrew Catchpole invites a few to share the pros and cons of sourcing, selling and communicating such an offer
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Published: 11 October, 2017
Former editor of Decanter @guyawoodward
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Published: 06 October, 2017
When I was younger, fitter and considerably trimmer than I am now, I took part (twice) in a wine trade version of The Full Monty for charity. The name of our group of buffed-up writers, sommeliers and importers was The Semillons (geddit?). So, when I received an invitation to an event called The Semillon Sessions recently, part of me hoped that a new group of amateur strippers would be strutting their moves on a stage somewhere.
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Published: 28 September, 2017
Laura Jewell MW talks to Andrew Catchpole about life at the UK helm of Wine Australia and her involvement with the Women in Wine Awards
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Published: 19 September, 2017
Why aren’t “organic carrots” just called carrots? Why aren’t carrots grown with pesticides called “chemical carrots”?
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Published: 19 September, 2017
Andrew Catchpole drops in on The Good Wine Shop where a hybrid-focused refurb is the latest innovation primed to seduce wine drinkers from the south-west London ‘burbs
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Published: 15 September, 2017
The one thing everyone knows about Gerard Basset OBE MS MW is that he’s a nice bloke. A true gent. A real gem. As I write this, his latest tweets feature extended thanks to well-wishers and teachers after his son’s successful admission into university, and a retweet of a cute dog. Well I’ve got news for you. It’s all a front. A façade. He might appear as affable as his canine namesake, but have you ever seen a Basset hound when it gets the scent of rabbit in its nostrils? Scary…
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