You could be forgiven for thinking that very little changes in Armagnac. It’s also easy to regard it as Cognac’s introverted and less illustrious younger sister. Both charges are unfair. Quietly, and without enlisting the support of rappers, Armagnac has been flexing its muscles in export markets and experimenting with new products and presentations. Armagnac produces fewer than 6 million bottles a year to Cognac’s…
Germany has its fair share of stereotypes to battle. As Rainer Lingenfelder, a well-known Pfalz producer and exporter, puts it: "Germany is seen as a high -tech country where everyone is an engineer who is obsessed with ‘vorsprung durch technik’, racing up and down the autobahn. These guys don’t eat or drink and only occasionally stop to enjoy a Beethoven concert. "The fact is ,…
The family of beer has two broad branches – the cold, crisp, bottom fermented lagers and the warm-hearted, top fermented beers. In the latter case there is a traditional association with the beers of the United Kingdom, with its milds, bitters, pale ales, IPAs, brown ales and barley wines. But the process, which produces wonderful rich, fruity tones, is widely used elsewhere in the world. Germans in…
== The Summit == 4 cl VSOP Cognac 6 cl traditional lemonade 4 thin slices of fresh ginger 1 lime zest 1 long piece of cucumber peel 2.5cl sugar syrup (optional) Glass: Old fashioned/rocks Method: Prepare this cocktail directly in the glass. Place the lime zest and ginger slices in the glass. Pour in half the Cognac and lightly press the lime and ginger…
Twenty mixologists representing some of the world’s top bars in Germany, France, Slovakia, the UK and US converged in the town of Cognac earlier this year to collectively create a signature cocktail for Cognac. This first International Cognac Summit organised by the Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac involved four days of visits to Cognac houses large and small to discover the complexities of the brandy,…
One tour of Ribera del Duero was surprisingly bleak: the wines might have been rich, heady and warm, but the landscape was barren and freezing. We passed from bodega to bodega, gums (and fingertips) getting bluer . What does one say about the sixth Tinto del Pais wine of the morning? Or the 16th? What does one say when the winemaker is standing 2m…
== Get back to yesterday == Hard Days Night , the four-star boutique hotel acclaiming The Beatles, has opened in Liverpool, this year’s European Capital of Culture. The 110-room hotel is in what has become the "Beatles quarter" , close to where the Cavern Club was. It boasts two penthouses – the Lennon and McCartney suites, the former accommodating a white grand piano (pictured).
The Bordeaux Ecole du Vin has the dates for its three new courses . Bordeaux Wine Tasting, From A-Z, May 16-17, July 25-26 and October 17-18. Price: E350. Explore the Secrets of Bordeaux Wines , May 18-19, July 27-28, October 19-20. Price: E335. T he Grands Crus of Bordeaux , June 23-25. Price: E600. http://ecole.vins-bordeaux.fr.
== Mimus 2003 QbA Trocken, Dr Heger – Baden == Grown on the volcanic soils of the Ihringer Winklerberg, reputed ly one of Germany’s warmest sites; maceration on skins for 20 days followed by 12 to 14 months in small barriques; 13.5 per cent abv; UK £23.25 Colour: Bright ruby red Aroma: Ripe fruit jelly, raspberry/cherry compote, hints of damp earth Taste: Really full, fruity…
The inaugural competition last year was won by the International Wine Centre in New York (IWCNY). The other nominees included: the Art Institute of Vancouver; Claire Blackler (Case Studies Wine School), Edinburgh; Kevin Powell and Wine and Spirit Professional Consultants, Athens, Greece. It is open to individuals and companies who have made a “significant contribution to WSET courses and qualifications in the previous year, and…
