I underwent a knee operation a fortnight ago. Last week, at a party at The China Sichuan to celebrate the Chinese New Year, I was made to realise just how hard it is to manage two crutches, a glass of wine and a morsel of dim sum. My heart goes out to those for ...
Restaurant Reviews
A day in a wine writer’s life. I get up, dress, eat my porridge then phone the Guinness Storehouse to see if they have a wheelchair. Oh dear, apparently they don’t. I should maybe make it clear that my request stems not from the previous night’s over indulgence but from a knee operation. The Storehouse ...
More than a few people have commented on what they reckon is an uncanny likeness between superstar San Sebastian chef Juan Mari Arzak and a certain Dublin-based food and drink writer. This photo, taken a couple of years ago after one of the most memorable meals of my life, should help you decide for yourselves. ...
BLOG, FoodLike football, the wine-tasting season is back in full swing. Today Spain, tomorrow, the Adelaide Hills. I do hope everyone planning to organise an event this year poked their head through the door of The Great Room at The Shelbourne during the Spain ‘Rising Stars’ tasting, which was simply the best-organised tasting in the history ...
Tasting Notes, Wine & DrinkThis week’s decent drinking A few months ago, somewhere in the middle of Spain I stood gazing at a higgledy-piggledy collection of unkempt tatty bush vines rising out of a pebble-strewn field. “Why the hell would anybody want to make wine here?” I wonder. We’ve bumped up to this plateau, 850 meters above sea level, ...
Tasting NotesThe other day, en route to a wine tasting, I was walking up Grafton Street. The sun was shining the buskers were out in force. Halfway up the street a couple of girls were knocking out old Beatles’ hits. They were pretty damn woeful. Both played guitars and, between them, could just about scrape up ...
Wine & DrinkEnglish and (spot the) Irish wine scribes on tour in Priorat, Montsant, Terra Alta, Conca de Barbera and Tarragona eagerly await wine No 247 in a Series
Wine & DrinkModern Spain is arguably one of the most significant allies in the wine critic’s fight against the spectre of big brand uniformity. Since Rioja’s fall from grace in the nineties when over-production and unscientific tinkering caused quality to tumble, other regions have emerged, offering exciting wines, frequently made from hitherto unsung grape varieties to titillate ...
Books & EquipmentWe promised you a full review of this book. Well, here it is. For those of you who are not aware of El Bulli, it’s a 3 star Michelin restaurant in Spain, north of Barcelona. El Bulli has become so popular that reservations for its entire six-month dining season are filled on the day it ...
Books & EquipmentIt is difficult nowadays to imagine the impact that Rioja had on the wine drinker when it burst into our consciousness some forty years ago. Let me set the scene. For starters, Bordeaux and Burgundy, our favourite tipple, had started to escalate in price. Whereas in the 1960s the difference in cost between a merely ...
Wine & Drink