Food & Drink News Opinion

WINE O’CLOCK: Time to talk turkey – not to mention spiced beef

By Kilkenny Now 4th December 2020 0

When planning Christmas dinner I always start with the best of good intentions. Quality before quantity, don’t go mad on the sauces, remember the vegetarians in our midst. Then I add a bit of this, because it was a big hit last year, a bit of that because my grandchildren love it, and a load […]

Food & Drink News Opinion

WINE O’CLOCK: The wine that dares not speak its name

By Kilkenny Now 27th November 2020 0

The grapes for Champagne are picked by hand and always have been since the seventeenth century when the monk, Dom Pérignon, is said to have discovered the wonderful, sparkling drink. Of course they didn’t have much choice back then – that’s how all grapes were picked in seventeenth century France. Today the grapes for most […]

Food & Drink News Opinion

WINE O’CLOCK: Box clever and let the shop make the choice

By Kilkenny Now 13th November 2020 0

Good wines, like good books, are best bought from shops where you can look at the stock, savour the atmosphere and get advice from somebody who knows what they are talking about. However, successive lockdowns have persuaded many of us to shop online and, while it is not a trend I would like to see […]

Food & Drink News Opinion

WINE O’CLOCK: A lot of good wine goes up in smoke

By Kilkenny Now 9th October 2020 0

Fires have been rampaging through California’s Napa Valley in recent weeks, destroying thousands of acres of vine-growing country and causing severe damage to at least 20 wineries. The fires have also destroyed hundreds of homes and small businesses and claimed some lives, so wine is not top of their worry list just now. But it […]

Food & Drink News Opinion

WINE O’CLOCK: It’s hard to get the measure of drinking at home

By Kilkenny Now 18th September 2020 2

Pessimists, we are told, always see the glass as half empty; for optimists it is half full. But it seems we are all a bit optimistic when it comes to pouring wine. A survey has discovered that what most of us regard as an average glass is about 50% bigger than the standard measure you would buy in […]

Food & Drink News Opinion

WINE O’CLOCK: Say cheese – and pick a wine to make you smile

By Kilkenny Now 31st July 2020 0

Whatever happened to wine and cheese parties? They used to be very popular. Charities ran them to raise money and cheapskates, who didn’t want to fork out for a real party, would buy some cheese and leave it to their guests to provide the wine. They seem to have gone out of fashion along with […]

News Opinion

WINE O’CLOCK: It’s cool to give your red a chill

By Kilkenny Now 12th June 2020 0

I am fortunate to have a very good friend who is fortunate to have a very good house in a very good part of southern France. A visit there is a pleasure I enjoy every summer. But not this year, alas. Even if the flight restrictions are lifted, I fear other rules would spoil the […]