Guest writer Aleesha Hansel applies fashion’s ’20 year rule’ to wine as she ruminates on the resurgent popularity of Beaujolais Nouveau. ‘It’s all just a little bit of history repeating’, Dame Shirley Bassey Fashions come and go. As the dominance of skinny jeans crumbles and high-waisted ‘mom jeans’ take their place, it’s good to remind ourselves […]
Sarah Abbott shares her end of term report reflecting on our work and our clients’ successes in a turbulent 2020. 2020 began in disarray. We had the best laid plans – but my fantastic team and clients kept calm and carried on. Together, we found ways to be adaptable, creative and resilient in order to […]
Swirl meets Collette O’Leary, head winemaker at Henners Vineyards. Colette is an English winemaker on the rise. She’s in charge of the small team at Henners, a stone’s throw from the coast in Sussex, where they make delicious English wine. We talk about her career switch from PR to winemaking and what English wineries could […]
Swirl meets Clara Latham, General Manager of Della Vite. Working with Seedlip, Clara created a whole new category of drink. It was called ‘the emperor’s new clothes’ – but today Seedlip is the king of the ever-growing distilled non-alcoholic spirit category. Now with recently launched Della Vita, can Clara change how we view Prosecco too? What’s […]
If the customer is always right, why is the wine establishment so snobby about mainstream and less complex wines? Guest writer Aleesha Hansel reflects. In any field, the more we learn, the further removed we are from our humble beginnings – the things that drew us in in the first place. In wine, this distance means […]
Are food and wine matching too European-centric? Guest writer Aleesha Hansel ponders why food and wine paring suggestions are so standardised – and what sorts of wines work best with the Jamaican-Caribbean food of her heritage. ‘Goes with fish and seafood’ – wine 101 when it comes to food pairings on the back of a […]
The National Wine Agency of Georgia had hoped to host their usual (and hugely popular) trade and press trips to Georgia this Autumn, but given the ongoing disruption to international travel, regrettably, this is not possible. However, conscious that interest and curiosity for Georgian wine among the UK wine trade remains high, the Georgian wine […]
In many ways, words are all we have in wine world. Unlike clothes there isn’t an option to try before you buy and even with the proliferation of reviewers and rating apps one man’s meat can be another man’s poison. It’s extremely important then that we speak to consumers with meaning, truth and integrity and […]
In support of black wine professionals. Black Lives Matter is having its #metoo moment: we think it’s about time that systemic racism became as unacceptable as everyday sexism. Black wine professionals are marginalised in our industry. We shared the following comments and resources for self-education about racism in the wine trade in our June newsletter on 12/6/20. […]