BACK LIST
Glenturret range (SE Highlands) ()nc ofthe oldest distilleries producing wide range (74—90).
Glenmorangie range Very popular. combining spiciness ofN Highland malts with lightness from large sills (80—82).
Highland Park (Orkney) Great all-rounder combining smokiness. maltiness. smoothness. depth and fullness offlavour (85—90).
CHAMPAGNE
The Glory oi Champagne Di :1 Ilewitson (Macmillan “8.95) A symbol ofcelebration. a good I ostentation. champagne is regarded with disdain by many connoisseurs of fine wine. While toasting the monarch with a steaming hot mug of cocoa just wouldn‘t be the same somehow. For most consumers it is the simple act ofdrinking the stuff which is important. not what it actually tastes like.
Added to this wilful ignorance is the unscrupulous attitude of many restaurateurs. who overprice bottles secure in the knowledge that well. it‘s a special occasion. and forking out the readies is a chance for the customer to flaunt his wealth. to prove his economic virility.
If anything can change this parlous state of affairs. it is this book. in which the author‘s evident enthusiasm for and knowledge of his subject combine with a refreshingly unpretentious approach. An authoritative account ofthe history and production methods of the drink. the book is also strong on anecdotes about the industry‘s great names. from Dom Perignon. erroneously reputed to be ‘the man who invented champagne‘. to Victor Lanson. who by his 85th birthday had at least shared in the drinking of over 70.000 bottles.
Although Hewitson's love of champagne. and his admiration of the meticulous marketing of it as a prestige product. mean that his is. by implication. a partisan account. he is no mere propagandist. If a vintage does not merit the praise the growers heap upon it. he will say so; indeed. some types — particularly the extremely dry ‘Brut zero‘ — he describes as undrinkable.
One‘s chiefcriticism of the book has to be the price. At under 200 pages. and not too lavishly illustrated. it is. like its subject. a luxury item. Nevertheless. as Hewitson would no doubt say of a bottle of Pol Roger Blane de Blancs de Chardonnay Vintage. ifyou can afford it. it‘s worth it. (Stuart Bathgate)
Recommended
Sainsbury's own brand Ar £8.75 a bottle. Hewitson regards this as highly drinkable and excellent value. Pol Roger A personal favourite of Hewitson‘s. who waxes lyrical about the non-vintage white foil and the 1982 vintage Brut in particular.
Moet & Chandon The largest producer. perhaps the best-known name. remarkable for its reliability
and consistency.
Bollinger1966 ‘Still sensational . . . an aristocrat ofchampagnes‘. although you may have to go further than your nearest branch of Haddows to find one.
Krug ‘Ask any senior member ofthe champagne establishment which champagne they rate the most highly (after their own ofcourse). The answer will inevitably be Krug.‘
WINE
Webster’s Wine Guide 1990 (Websters/Mitchell Beazley £9.95) Oz Clarke's annual Wine-Buyers Handbook is more fun than the other wine guides. because it doesn‘t concentrate on telling you what you ought to buy. or feel ashamed to buy. by giving everything a mark out of l() or 1()(). 02‘s great gift (on display in his weekly wine column in the Saturday Telegraph) is his relaxed. witty method of getting across lots of information about lots ofwines. and his hugely infectious personal enthusiasm for so many ofthem, which really does encourage you to go out and try things.
He was one of the first people to rave about New World wines. and notes that ‘in the last year or so the psychological price barrier has come down, but the most important thing for the consumer is that the wine they are now prepared to spend £4 on should not be a disappointment.‘ In the past. mid-priced French wines. for example. have often been something ofa gamble; the New World has really led the way in consistency and. just as important. accessibility for the new generation ofwine drinkers. Clarke points out that any country whose professional wine-tasters can describe a wine as ‘a bloody good drop of red‘ must have something going for it.
This is not a book for someone trying to find the cheapest source of bulk Liebfraumilch. but anyone with half a thought for what they pour down their necks and the odd £4 to spend on wine should find it a gripping read and very practical. Almost halfthe book is taken up with the wine price guide. which tells you where to find specific wines. how much it should cost. and where some of the best bargains are. My only caveats are that of the seven independent wine merchants he recommends in Scotland. six are in Edinburgh and one is in Dundee and that it doesn‘t seem to occur to Clarke that some of us might not need to know what he thinks of South African wines as we won‘t be buying them for a while yet. (Lucy Bailey) '
Recommended
Hill-Smith Cabernet Sauvignon/Malbec '87 (Peter Dominic £4.49) Good value Australian.
Vosne-Homanee Rion ‘83 (Raeburn Wines £10.95) Complex. memorable burgundy.
Barolo Bricco Boschis Riserva San Giuseppe, Cavallotto ’83 (Oddbins £5.99) Old-fashioned Italian
WE’RE DREAMING OF A WHITE. (AND RED, AND ROSIE.)
CHRISTMAS.
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WINES FROM PARIS
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7 OLD FISHMARKET CLOSE EDINBURGH 031 225 5428
bras_§___erie
Fig/fir ‘e‘pgn‘gevéh‘aayg food served all day fri 8r sat
restaurant
iuesday— saturday' 1900 - 2200
5643”
III-I-I-I-II-I-I-C
Cafe
Barbizon
40 High Street GLASGOW G 1
Tel: 041-5522 0707
From the Mano emenf of The Baby rand
Cafe
Ba rbizon
Mon-Sun mam-Midnight
Volailles, poissons, crépes, andouilles, [a viande
E/mbank Gardens Charing Cross GIASGOW G2
Tel: 041-248 4942
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The List 22 December 1989 l l January I99081