blind tasting

The final day's tasting at the IWC

A full day of tasting today - the final day of the International Wine Challenge (although there's a further trophy tasting day next week). Once again, I was with a fun, competent team of tasters. We...

Striking gold at the IWC

Another day's tasting at the International Wine Challenge. After a short day on Tuesday where we were finished mid-afternoon, the last two days have been quite hard work - we've been going full...

Behind the scenes at the IWC...

Tomorrow I begin the second week of judging at the International Wine Challenge (IWC). This is the bit where we take a second look at the wines that survived the first week, to decide on...

IWC: BBC and the end of week one

Finished the first week of the International Wine Challenge (IWC). It has been less physically demanding on my palate that I'd anticipated, although I am physically very tired.Yesterday a BBC camera...

Day 3 of the IWC, and a note about the Barbican

The International Wine Challenge (IWC) is held in the Barbican. It's a remarkable construction, built on a site that had been bombed out in WWII, which then remained undeveloped for two decades,...

126 wines today

Today was the first day's judging at the International Wine Challenge, where I'm busy for the next two weeks as a panel chair. It's the world's largest blind tasting competition.What I tasted today,...

Three blind Sauvignons, and off to Argentina

Later on today I depart wintry old London for a quick trip to Argentina. It's my first time to this increasingly interesting wine country. I'll be based in Mendoza, and will be seeing some of the top...

Chile day 4 - more tasting

Today was the second full day of tasting at the wines of Chile awards. We were down to eight judges, because unfortunately Sara Ahmed had been stricken with a nasty illness, and was unable to...

Le Dome 1996, plus others, blind

So we headed off to brother-in-law Beavington's (who is married to my sister Hester) for lunch, along with twin sister Anne and her husband Dominic. Little did I know that I was going to be treated...

Almost summer, and three blind wines

Pictured is Regent's Park this lunchtime, taken with my Pentax*ist DL2 and posted using Google's Picasa (that's what the little coloured logo at the bottom of this post represents). I've been...