(with apologies to David Bowie)


The man from Michelin has spoken. This year’s recipients of coveted stars have been revealed. Once again there were no new starred venues in Scotland although two establishments now have a Bib Gourmand. The latest announcement was met with the usual excitement that accompanies the annual ‘big reveal’. And it confirmed that the urge to be recognised in this way is just as strong now as it was when the guide started in 1990 at the Michelin tyre company in France.


Thinking that more travel would increase tyre sales, the Michelin brothers, Andre and Edouard, produced a guide with maps, details of where to buy petrol, hotels along the way and, of course, restaurants. 
By the 1920s, the company had recruited restaurant inspectors who would award a star to the best places. Eventually a grading system evolved, with the secret diners marking them with zero to three stars. Nowadays, despite other guides and rating systems offering valuable information and judgements, Michelin remains the gold standard around the world. A relatively small number of inspectors – around 120 globally – eat and make judgements on the quality of restaurants.


There are four categories of award, ranging from the Bib Gourmand to the top-rated three stars. The ‘Bib’ takes its name from Bibendum, the tubby Michelin Man who is the company mascot. This award is given to restaurants serving good food at reasonable prices, meaning three course for less than £28. 
One star is granted when the inspector believes a place is worth a stopover on your journey, with food of a consistently high standard. A two star restaurant is worth a detour, offering skilfully and carefully crafted dishes of outstanding quality. To be awarded the top accolade of three stars, the quality must be good enough to justify a special journey. The cooking is distinctive and executed in a very precise manner using highest quality ingredients.

While the standard of the food is the key to clinching a star, the wine clearly plays a big part in the overall quality of the dining experience. As such, the house wine in a starred establishment should be of excellent quality. And, in the case of matching it to the food, the sommelier will have chosen carefully to ensure the drink – it may not always be wine – is a perfect complement to the dish.


No restaurants graduated to the three star level this year, and there were no new awards in Scotland, despite 21 places in Great Britain in Ireland earning a first star and three adding a second. Three Scottish stars were lost – Albannach, Lochinver and Martin Wishart at Cameron House because they are closed, and Boath House, Nairn, which asked to have its star removed. 
Meanwhile, The Sugar Boat in Helensburgh, and Monadh Kitchen in Glasgow were added to the Bib Gourmand list.

The places that were recognised will no doubt be celebrating with bubbly, and if you want to join in, or you have another reason to pop a cork, here are some suggestions for various budgets:

• Bugey l’Origine Réserve Brut, Burgundy, France 2015/2016

• Cava Reserva Mirgin Brut, Alta Alella, Alella, Spain 2015

• Blanc de Blancs Champagne, Janisson et Fils, Verzenay, Grand Cru, France NV

• Thiénot Vintage Brut, Champagne, France 2008

Pieter H Walser breaks the rules when it comes to wine making, so why would he not do the same with his labels? 

The South African created BLANKbottle precisely because he was fed up with fancy labels and wanted to focus on the contents rather than the wording on the bottle.

 Walser explains the inspiration behind the idea with the story of a woman who came to his door and asked to buy some wine – she was happy to accept his recommendation as long as it wasn’t Shiraz. He gave her a glass of something, she loved it and bought several cases. It was, of course, Shiraz.

 And that little episode convinced him that labels carry too much influence on the wine we buy. So, he took the radical step of putting no detail on the labels.



Take a look at the labels which carry an enigmatic title, a picture, hand crafted by Walser, and little else. The maker’s policy is to say nothing about the grapes or the proportions in the blend.

 And he takes a casual approach to more than just the label. Indeed, Walser suggests that the plan behind his technique for making his sought-after products is simply not to think too much about it.

 As an experimental winemaker, he changes direction every year, buying in grapes and blending them in different ways to make a natural wine. His maverick approach extends to him using bottles of different shapes.



The idea of a wine that tells its own story has caught the imagination of diners in some of the world’s finest restaurants. They like the uniqueness of the wine and the tale that lies behind it. 

But, Walser has created an escape for those who want to know a bit more about the wine they are drinking.

 For, although there is no real information about the wine on the label, there is a QR code. And, with a casual swipe of a smartphone, all is revealed about the varietals in the blend and the story behind the wine.

Walser’s minimalist approach is evident in the following bottles, while the idiosyncratic names he gives his wines are evidence of the unique approach of this intriguing individual.

• Moment of Silence, Blankbottle, South Africa 2017

• Riesling Im Hinterhofkabuff, Blankbottle, South Africa 2016

• Orbitofrontal Cortex, Blankbottle, South Africa 2015

• Koffer (Cinsault), Blankbottle, South Africa 2016

Most of us know that feeling when your inner voice is nagging you to take some exercise, but you are being lured by the bottle of white chilling in the fridge. And, anyway, it’s raining outside, and the old twinge in your Achilles is playing up. One way to overcome that need to choose one ahead of the other is to combine the two.

Marathon du Médoc

On 8 September, around 8,500 intrepid runners/wine lovers will take to the start line for the Marathon du Médoc which twins the pain of participating in a marathon with the joy of good food and great wine. Dubbed the longest marathon in the world, the event near Bordeaux aims to be a fun occasion, with participants observing a fancy dress theme – last year it was 33rpm records.

The top prize for the leading man and woman is their weight in wine and, despite the temptations along the route, the 2017 winners in the men’s and women’s categories managed times of 2 hours 27 minutes and 6 seconds, and 2 hours 55 minutes 57 seconds respectively. But the big attraction for those taking it less seriously is the choice of feeding stations scattered along the course. Compared with the normal marathon refreshments of water, energy gels and wet sponges, the chance to sample Chateau Lafite Rothschild with oysters from Arcachon is somewhat more alluring and explains the popularity of the event.

Entries for next year’s race open in March at marathondumedoc.com

Surrey Bacchus Marathon

The day after the field shuffles round the wine making areas of Bordeaux, on this side of the English Channel the Surrey Bacchus Marathon and Half Marathon take place at England’s biggest vineyard, Denbies.

Although partly on footpaths around the North Downs, most of the route is on the road and there is one steep climb. But the prospect of a little glass of something at one of the six feeding stations – double that number for the marathon which covers two laps of the same circuit – should act as motivation for the tiring runner. There is also a five-mile walk/run that includes one drinks station.

A maximum of 2,700 entries are accepted and there is no fear of being stuck in a queue at the wine stations, with a staggered start (insert your own joke here about the finish!) ensuring that groups of 850 leave every 30 minutes. However, it is a challenge and marathon runners must complete the first of their two laps in no more than 2 hours 20 minutes.   

The 2017 winner clocked a time of 2 hours 54 minutes and 49 seconds for the full marathon distance. If you feel brave/thirsty enough, registrations are over here.

German Wine Road Marathon

With a first prize of €1500 up for grabs, the German Wine Road Marathon attracts some serious athletes and the course record is a speedy 2 hours 20 minutes and 46 seconds. If you are not daunted by the prospect of seeing a few top runners disappearing into the distance, there is plenty of time to prepare for the next race which will take place in April 2020.

The route – there is also a half marathon – starts in the village of Bockenheim and passes the Leningerland vineyards. The mid-way point at Bad Durkheim is marked by a wine barrel. The return leg will be made easier by the wine served at drinks stations and by sponges soaked in Riesling wine that are handed out at two points around the course.

And if the undulations have taken their toll, what better way to cool down than by running through the fine spray in Herxheim am Berg which has a refreshing aroma of wine? Details about the last edition can be found juste here.

Other runs further afield:

Lanzarote Wine Run
Osoyos (British Columbia, Canada) 
Fueled by Fine Wine (Oregon, USA)

Alternative

So, if you’re tempted to take on the challenge, but not yet ready to look out the trainers, here are some wines that might help get you in the mood:

• Médoc (Chateau de Pez, Saint-Estèphe, Bordeaux Left Bank, France 2011

• Sussex (Limney 'Horsmondsden' Dry White, Davenport Estate, East Sussex and Kent, England 2015)

• German Riesling (Riesling Mittleheimer Edelmann Trocken, Weingut Bernhard Mehrlein, Rheingau, Germany, 2017)

If you’re packing your shorts and heading for some European sunshine over the summer, there’s a good chance that a little spot of wine tasting will be on the agenda.

Read more

With the global footie jamboree about to get underway in Russia, we should be in for some top entertainment. However, we are sure the question on everyone’s lips is not about who will be lifting the trophy in Moscow on 15 July, but ‘what wine should I drink while I’m watching the big games?’. Here is our selection, available with a 15% discount for all the duration of the tournament.

Read more

After several days of glorious sunshine in the lead-up to the event, it was rather disappointing to see the rain start to fall on the morning of our Artisan Wine Fair at the Columcille Centre in Morningside. However, with some reflection, we all agreed it was actually not a bad thing…what better way to spend a rainy Saturday afternoon than by sampling lots of delicious organic, biodynamic and natural wines?! Thankfully, it seemed that lots of others felt the same way, so we had a great turnout and it was a fantastic day.

Read more

Scottish winemaker, Jamie McCulloch, confirmed to take part in our Artisan Wine Fair next week, where he'll be sharing his love of his adopted homeland, Switzerland, his vineyard and winemaking...and letting you try some the fruits of his labour!

Read more

Read more

This week we continue our series of posts looking at our new discoveries by travelling to the French region of Bugey, midway between Lyon and Geneva.

From his 10 hectare estate in the foothills of the Alps, Yves Duport crafts artisan wines which are steadily putting this lesser known French region on the winemaking map.

Half of Yves’ production consists of Bugey Blanc, including a key focus on the indigenous grape variety of Altesse, known elsewhere in France as Roussette. This cuvée displays subtle mineral and fresh floral aromas, which develop through ageing to notes of honey and bees wax.

Along with Altesse, Yves also cultivates the local grape variety of Mondeuse, which along with Pinot Noir, forms the base of his red wines.

A grape which contributes deep colour and high levels of acidity, Mondeuse is one of the key components in Yves’ spectacularly elegant sparkling wine. A blend which also contains Chardonnay, Aligoté and Pinot Noir, the ‘Origin’L’ Brut is produced using the Traditional Method and displays graceful floral notes, rendering it a perfect aperitif wine. It is simply one of the best French regional sparkling wines that we have encountered in a very long time, underlining the value for money on offer if you are patient enough to trawl meticulously through some of world’s lesser known wine regions.

We are delighted to be able to introduce Yves and his wines to you all. We hope that you enjoy them as much as we do!

 

Bugey Origin’L Reserve Brut Sparkling 2013 - £15.10

Bugey ‘En Chinvre’ Blanc, Altesse de Montagnieu 2014 - £13.50

Bugey ‘Sous le Chateau’, Terre Brune Mondeuse 2014 - £14.65

Bugey ‘Sous le Chateau’, Terre Rouge Pinot Noir 2014 - £14.65

 

This week we kick off our series introducing our new exciting selection of producers with Vriesenhof – a range of wines from South Africa that we are delighted to have been able to bring to Scotland.

Winemaker Jan Boland Coetzee is revered in South Africa for his success in two very different careers. He is a rugby legend, having played for the Springboks against the British Lions in 1974 among many other highlights in a sparkling career.

However simultaneously, Jan was building a reputation on the South African wine scene. Having graduated in oenology and viticulture from the University of Stellenbosch, he learned his trade under the tutelage of various winemakers before acquiring the Vriesenhof estate in 1980.

Since that point, his reputation for producing complex, well-structured wines that speak for their unique terroirs has grown exponentially. From his hilltop vineyards that sit above False Bay, Jan cultivates rugged Pinotage bush vines, along with Merlot, Cabernet and Pinot Noir – a varietal which he fell in love with during time spent in Burgundy.

Alongside the strides he has made in the wine world, Jan is also respected for his contribution to the social situation of his vineyard staff. He has developed various projects with his team that now include new housing schemes close to his vineyards along with the construction of local sports facilities.

We are delighted to be working with Jan and we hope you have the opportunity to try his wines soon!