James Bercovici - The Big Red Wine Company

Well, when Jill challenged me to go for the whole of January without wine, my first thought was "Don't be ridiculous". My second thought was "Don't be ridiculous" but when I realised she actually meant it, I decided I may as well do it for a good cause so I am going to attempt the impossible (or, certainly, improbable) and go for thirty one consecutive days senza vino   as well as  sans vin. So, if you've already bought the presents, now's your chance to feel really good by making a donation to Cancer Relief via my brand new Just Giving page . Don't forget to GiftAid your donation so Osborne has to stump up his share too! And finally, you will able to follow my efforts here on my blog ( http://bigredwine.blogspot.co.uk/ ) which, hitherto, has extolled the virtues of some big red wines but, for January 2014, will be dedicated to my struggle to "do the right thing". Merry Christmas everyone and a Happy New Year! James

We have two Christmas tastings every year: one here and one in Norwich. Very different crowds but the selection of wines is more or less the same for both so it is interesting to see what goes down well at each event. The line up for this Saturday is as follows: Sparkling wines 1.       PROSECCO Grandi e Gabana                                                                                                 2.       CHAMPAGNE 1er Cru Michel Rocourt 'Blanc des Blancs'                                                          White wines 3.  ...

Today, our mobile site has gone live. This means that anyone typing the URL http://bigredwine.co.uk into their mobile phone will no longer have to scroll around avoiding images and excessive (for a mobile phone) text but will instead find a much scaled-down version which anyone can visit here: http://m.bigredwine.co.uk . Let us know what you think!

Robert Parker's replacement for Rhone reviews, Jeb Dunnuck has given a stunning reappraisal of many wines from the 2011 vintage. First a word about 2012 which he describes as "a great vintage for the whites". I could have told him that in April when I first tasted the white wines from Laurent Brusset , Domaine des Anges and Raymond Usseglio whose new Cotes du Rhone Blanc scores an outstanding 90 points. That seems fair to me; it is a truly superb white. Raymond Usseglio 's 2011 reds (in stock) all receive excellent reviews and, for me, it is about time his Part des Anges  cuvee got the top score (not that I have any problems with the delicious 2011  Imperiale - I just think Stephane should be rewarded for his efforts and successes with this fairly new wine). This is a sensationally black-fruited wine that just goes on and on. I had a bottle of the 2007 with a friend a couple of weeks ago - he had not tasted this cuvee before and was completely bowled over. Yes,...

December's issue, out now (as a subscriber, I received my copy before the end of October! I will never understand this) features the results of a tasting of Gigondas 2010/11. The UK's leading Rhone specialist, John Livingstone-Learmonth, advises that the levels of ripeness in 2010 were excellent whereas there was more unevenness in 2011 which means, of course, caveat emptor  (or, at least, buy a wine you either know or from a merchant you trust). He describes 2010 as a "more complete vintage" although the panel certainly does not write off the 2011 vintage at all. A criticism that was levied against a few of the wines was heavy handed use of oak. When I first got to know Gigondas, it was a time of experimenting with new oak in the top cuvees (started, I believe, at Domaine les Gouberts) and it was fun for a while but Grenache doesn't always react well to the gentle oxidation that inevitably takes place in the barrel and, frankly, if you want an "internati...

The annual tasting of French wines selected by 50 UK wine critics - three wines each so 150 altogether - took place a few weeks ago in London and today has been written up in the Ham & High by Liz Sagues who points out that "unlike just about every other trade wine tasting in the UK, the bottles are there because people who know and love wine want to drink them, not because they’re the choice of a wine-promoting organisation of whatever kind." Event founder, Andrew Jefford had already reviewed  Domaine Joblot   Givry 1er Cru 'Clos du Cellier aux Moines' 2010 :  “Precise, fresh scents of mingled red and black cherries, with poised and  vivacious fruit flavours which warm, fill and fatten on the palate.” Liz Sagues agreed with the emphasis on this wine in her column; this was the one wine she highlighted from the tasting: "For a single recommendation, rather than one of my own choices, here’s a memorable wine – a perfumed, elegant and warmly fruited red ...

A couple of days after the fact but my memory is probably better today than yesterday (after the lunch I went to Uppingham to present a selection of Rhone wines). Before the eagerly awaited lunch (I had enjoyed a similar starter at the Manzone meal in March), a tasting of 2010 Barbaresco and 2009 Barolo. Fortunately I was one of the first to arrive but within minutes there were 25 people, mostly male, crowding round a small table with a dozen or so wines to try before we sat down around 12.30. Not much time to savour the subtle nuances of a dozen young Nebbiolos.  Indeed, one seasoned Nebbophile later commented that it was, perhaps, too much even for him - his actual comment was "I must admit to being a bit overwhelmed by the volume of wines - for all my love of Nebbiolo, in the end I felt myself craving for some variety, even though interestingly clear differences were visible. I think I'm a wimp!" For some reason a Roero had been allowed to slip through, the incre...