Chiaramonte Gulfi is a hilltop town known as the ‘balcony of Sicily’ due to its panoramic position and views north towards Etna and south to the Mediterranean Sea – I’ll have to take their word for that as it was an unseasonably cloudy Sunday when we made the trip to Ristorante Majore in the town. […]
Hello and welcome. On the last weekend of September we had our first wine tasting and the launch of JMB Wine with, of course, a party to follow! Wines from Fritz Wassmer, Agricola Brandini, Champagne Yannick Prevoteau and fine Swiss beer from Simmentaler were all enjoyed – there was not much spitting in evidence! Tasters […]
The Piedmontese village of La Morra stands on top of one of the many hills in the region. Just outside the village is the young winery Agricola Brandini where you can sit in the garden by the pool with a glass of their superb wine and take in the view to Mont Blanc and the […]
It was new to me that Yannick is a name of Breton origin meaning ‘Little John’ – the Prevoteau wines are also a new discovery for me but not for the Guide Hachette where they have long been recognised as high-quality but reasonably priced Champagne. In fact, the Prevoteau family have farmed their vinyards for […]
Fritz Wassmer is truly an all-round farmer – not content with raising strawberries, asparagus and Christmas trees, he produces World-class wines from his estate in Southern Baden. Daughter Lisa is only half joking when she says that the only holiday she is allowed all year is Christmas day. Fritz’s Pinot Noir, or Spatburgunder as they […]
In March, I was skiing on a bluebird day at Adelboden in the Swiss Alps. I’m not normally a great beer drinker but it was one of these days where only a glass of cool amber liquid would hit the spot. We stopped at a restaurant for lunch and I ordered a Mountain Pale Ale […]