2021 harvest report in Europe (with a focus on Spain)
Wine production continued to fall in the 2021 harvest in the European Union for the third year in a row, particularly affecting the three major producing countries of Spain, France and Italy, with falls of up to 14%. These three countries represent 45% of world…
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The 1st October hasn’t previously been a date of significance for me, however this year it will be. As of this date, products brought into the UK must have details of the importer (or their agent) included on the product. This already applies to imports…
More detailsEvery Wednesday a Grogger be showcasing a wine we love on Facebook and Instagram The current wine of the week will have a 10% discount, so why not join us to taste along and try something new? Next week is Domaine St Paul Viognier/Marsanne
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Back in the day (1970s) this was the place to buy. Then it became Oddbins, where I worked in the 1990s. What a shop. I love the prices too! CLICK FOR LARGER RESOLUTION
More detailsRichard’s Christmas Article 2021
Edinburgh is looking very busy in the centre of town this year. Glasgow has cancelled its Christmas market and this could be a factor as to why Edinburgh is so busy. The “scaled back” Edinburgh Christmas market is alarmingly crowded. It is not for me…
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Christmas Looms on the horizon
Our new Christmas list is back from the printers and has been posted to everyone who has bought a skelp of wine from us this year. It is a very shiny example of amateur production, although I think we are actually getting better at it…
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It may sound like a bit of a wine trade joke: “do you have any gluten free wines?” This is definitely something that we have been asked in Great Grog. Unlike beer (made from grains) wine is generally naturally gluten free (it being made from…
More detailsTen or so days of consistent sunshine and heat! Is everyone ok? Everyone remember their sun-cream? I’m not sure I’ve ever experienced such consistently glorious weather in this country and I hope everyone has made the most of it. Now, weather such as this only calls…
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sounds like a new healthy snack consisting of a breaded, deep-fried outer shell filled with a weirdly pink sludge made from “mechanically recovered pig meat”, but no, it’s more of a product pickle (am I allowed to mention Richmond pork sausages here? Probably not). We…
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Notos Nebbiolo £13.29 If you are yet to try a wine from Uruguay, you will be hard pressed (pun intended) to get a better starting point than this wine. Nebbiolo is the grape variety behind the top-quality red wines of Piedmont, north-western Italy, the most…
More detailsAh…Shocking Sauvignon Shortage!
Ah…Shocking Sauvignon Shortage! …..as Sean Connery almost definitely never said, (but it does sound better in his accent). It may indeed come as a bit of a shock to fans of this green & grassy elixir to hear that New Zealand’s 2021 harvest will…
More detailsThe top wine brands in wine for last year have just been announced and two top contenders globally were Yellowtail (Australia) and Barefoot (USA). They have both been enormously successful in attracting wine drinkers and are produced in quantities measured in the tens of millions…
More detailsBrexit seems like a long time ago when so much is going on in the world, but it is really starting to have an effect on the wine trade and in what we are going to get to drink on the domestic market. Foreign travel…
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Are there any indigenous grapes in the New World?
Have you ever wondered, in the middle of night as you stare at the ceiling and try to ignore the cat scratching at your bedroom door, why all the grapes from Chile, Argentina, Australia and the USA are the same as the ones…
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Tickled Pink. Rose in the sun and snow.
click for video Weirdly, making Rose Prosecco was illegal for the last few years. The "Prosecco" regulator thought it caused consumer confusion (and to be honest, we are easily confused). It is back now, since 2020, with a bang (or is that pop?). Rose Champagne…
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