As promised, a spring post. In this post, I am reviewing one wine from my Virgin wines purchases (a Spanish Gran Reserva), and one from my Boulogne purchases (an Haut Medoc). But before I review the wines, I will go to a different, non-wine related ‘in praise of..’ topic. In praise of…Copilot Last summer I bought a new laptop. My old one was Windows 10, and I always declined the free upgrade to Windows 11. Better to have a laptop designed and set up to run on Windows 11. I needed a lighter weight one to travel to the US for my cousin’s 60th birthday party. I used Chrome as my default browser o ..read more

I have been tasting some more of the wines that I purchased from Virgin wines. I have already reviewed one of these. This month briefer comments on several more. I have been very busy with work, and also travel commitments, so not had time to do full reviews. Instead, mainly commenting on which ones I will buy again. But first… In praise of Jana and Isaac I have spoken to the Virgin wines representative, Jana on a few occasions since signing up with Virgin wines. Only chatted a few times as I have been too busy with big work deadlines, and booked trips abroad. The conversations that I have had ..read more

Quite often, when going out where I drive, I have tried some non-alcoholic beers. And to my surprise, I like them. I prefer them to other soft drink alternatives such as coke. So I wonder, are non-alcoholic wines any good. Just search ‘Are non-alcoholic wines any good’ and you will get a lot of search results. So this month I will look at some of this, as well as reviewing a red and a white non-alcoholic wine. From the web search From the Wine Society. “This requires more than a simple yes or no. According to The Oxford Companion to Wine, alcohol is ‘an important, intoxicating constituent of w ..read more

I signed up for Virgin wines. There was an offer when I purchased something else (forgotten what), but did not realise that it was a monthly payment. So with quite a bit of credit, bought 16 bottles. I will be looking at some of these in more detail in later posts. Very busy with work at the moment, so just a short post this month reviewing one of these. Tasted with Johnny and with a small bit of steak, and a large vegetable stew. Torre Aguila £12.99 from Virgin Wines (less on offers) 13.5% Aroma: Rich, dark berries and oaky. Strong, will taste be overpowering? Taste: Also really nice, ful ..read more

In France now, with my mother in the Charente, on her birthday. I will be heading back to Boulogne for a few days next week before heading back to the UK. And yes, I will be buying more wine. Again I will stick to my new ration of 20 bottles that I have bought before and know I like, and 4 news ones to try. I am still reviewing some of the new ones from my last trip. Not a lot of time to work on the blog this month, so just a short post reviewing a white, a Domaine de Terrebrune Anjou. Domaine de Terrebrune is the name of the producers, and it is nice to see where they are located. I did not ..read more

On to reviewing one of my 4 new wines that I purchased March at Auchan. I now plan to buy 20 bottles of wines that I have bought before, and know I like, and 4 new ones to try out. I will mainly buy more expensive ones for this choice of 4. This month, a Hospices de Beaujeu Bourgogne Gamay at €8.40. All of my regular favourites are under €8. Just reviewed by me. Hospices de Beaujeu Domaine Cuvee Messire de Tremont Bourgogne Gamay €8.40 at Auchan 12.5% Aroma: Very nice elegant and quite strong without being overpowering. Soft fruits, mellow. Taste: Also very nice. At only 12.5%, quite light ..read more

I received a wine book for Xmas last year. Taken me a while to get the chance to look at it, but have now so this month’s post is a review of ‘The Periodic Table of Wine’ by Sarah Rowlands, and printed by Ebury Press. And if you are looking for a really good basic reference source, that lists and explains the different types of wines, and groups them according to body and other characteristics, in a very easy to understand style, then I can really recommend this book. Most people know that some wines are more ‘full-bodied’ and some are lighter. This particularly applies to red wines. This boo ..read more

Back in Leeds again after my March trip to Florida and France. Trip was both relaxing and stressful. A lot to sort out helping my mum in clearing out Florida and moving stuff to France. But also had time to chill in both locations. And yes, stopped of in my house in Boulogne sur Mer to stock up on some wine. With the new 24 bottle limit, I split my purchase with 20 bottles that I had bought before, and know I like, and 4 new ones to review in the upcoming months. I will stick to this ratio going forward. This month reviewing a Medoc wine, from Chateau Tartuguiere. But first…. What is a Medoc F ..read more

After over 20 years of ‘snowbirding’ in Florida, my mother decided to sell her house there. Expensive to run, car hire has almost tripled, and hard work to get there from the Charente, especially when carrying a small dog. She had a lot of clothes and other stuff there, and I too had clothes there for when I visit. So I went over to help bring them back to France. Went with a big empty suitcase, returned with it full, just on the 23 kg limit, plus another smaller one. Quite a lot of work, but it was good to spend time there as I have not been since February 2020 due to Covid restrictions. As o ..read more

I will be off to both Florida and France in March. And will bring some wines purchased in Boulogne to review soon. This month back on to some UK purchased wines. One by me (the Cahors Malbec), and two purchased by my friend Ed. I popped over to visit him in Redditch between Xmas and New Year. reviews of all three. Cahors Malbec Cahors Malbec Around £7 from Asda 13.5% Cahors Malbec Aroma: Deep rich oaky, but maybe a bit overpowering Taste: A deep rich oaky taste too, pleasant spiciness but not as good as the Morrisons. Me Aroma: Pungent, will lighten over time, can feel it lifting. Taste: F ..read more