At last, it looks like sun is on the way. And this time it might just stay for more than about 20 minutes. When we were promised some sun a few weeks ago I duly threw on the St Tropez and went the colour of an old mahogany sideboard (my preferred shade). Sadly, the tan …
So, I went to a Burns Night supper on Thursday night and left thinking I really must drink more whisky. Not that night (I’d already had a couple of drams). Just generally, because it’s the most glorious drink and I really don’t drink it very often. Dried fruits, nuts, vanilla and spice – the flavour …
Oh, how I love this time of year. I’m back in jumpers. I’ve picked blackberries. I’m drinking red wine in front of the fire. Truly: my comfort zone. But I saw a quote on Instagram the other day (bear with me) and it said that outside of your comfort zone is where the magic happens. …
I kicked off my rose season properly yesterday with a glass at midday accompanied by this view. I’m in Austria and plan to spend much of the rest of the week drinking more wine and eating melted cheese. But the mood is definitely Spring-like, despite being surrounded by snow. So I’ve added a suitably Spring-friendly wine review below (you can even …
Maybe it’s the back to school feeling in the air. More likely it’s the fact that I’ve got deadlines. Whatever: I can’t stop clearing out cupboards. It all started with the coat cupboard, where I found not one but two old puffa jackets I’d forgotten about. A boon because apparently they’re the only thing we …
Another week in London for me this week, working at the International Wine Challenge. And in the evenings, I’ve gone crazy. Sort of. On Monday, an old wine friend treated me to dinner at Noble Rot, a new restaurant in Bloomsbury. Nothing rotten about it at all, rather it’s the most fabulous place for wine along with …
For my sister’s birthday, I ordered her the most fantastic sweatshirt from Selfish Mother’s (uh-mazing) website. It’s this one, grey with the word SISTA emblazoned across the front. Anyway, I sent it on to her, all wrapped up. But after about a week, she still hadn’t received it. Turns out, I’d sent it to her …
So, Mother’s Day on Sunday. Already looking forward to my cup of tea in bed, cards and a few hastily freshly picked daffodils from the garden. But given that I plan to be on the sofa, glass in hand whilst someone else does the washing up, I want something really lovely in my glass. So this week’s wines are freshly …
So, I went to Lake Como last week. I won’t go on about it (much) but SERIOUSLY. One of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen. And we had a Very Famous Person on our flight out. I realised something was up when one of the air stewards practically exploded with excitement and mouthed to …
Yesterday, I spent the day at the London Wine Fair. It’s an annual trade fair that I’ve been to almost every year since I began working in the wine industry 20 years ago. Obviously things have changed enormously in that time, not least the fact that I now no longer have the energy to go …
I know that tasting and writing about wine for a living is a ridiculously lovely job. But given that wine is usually enjoyed in the company of friends and with food on the table, attending a wine trade tasting is somewhat different. Take a room and fill it with wines, winemakers, press and buyers. Add …
I do love a nativity play. I was once Angel Gabriel to my husband’s Joseph. We were five years old at the time and I remember thinking that, even if I wasn’t Mary, at least I had a speaking part. Tomorrow, it’s our children’s turn. Apparently there’s a cowboy theme (me neither) and Middle Boy’s …
You can’t buy happiness but you can buy wine and that’s kind of the same thing, or so the saying goes. But I’m not drinking wine this week: combination of a late night on Saturday (old friend’s wedding, too many cocktails) and the fact that I’ve now got a cold. Normally, I’d go with the …
Pre-wine tasting egg & baconbreakfast (not incl. wine) I’ve spent the last couple of days at The Oval, but I’m not there for the cricket. (I once asked Andrew Strauss if he was following The Ashes, not realising he was the England captain at the time but that’s another story). As ever, I’m there for …
Last weekend, Youngest Girl was 5 years old. She had a little party at home with her friends from school, involving a game of Pass the Parcel, Musical Statues and an early Easter Egg Hunt in the garden. I decorated the house with bunting and the cake with a tub of Betty Crocker chocolate fudge …
Look! KMWC at Camp Bestival! I’m so excited. You must ALL come. Details here. Current white in the fridge: Tesco Finest Picpoul de Pinet 2012, £7.99, Tesco Earlier this evening, someone on Twitter asked me for an emergency wine recommendation. She needing something crisp and cool, and she needed it pronto. I suggested this, knowing …
So, deep breaths required when taking Youngest Girl to school for her first day last week. She was fine of course, looking tiny in her uniform, with a sweet but nervous smile on her face. And she loved it. Then, on Friday, she was knocked to the ground by the dogs, cutting her lip. Cue …
So, if you know that Gris is the name of a grape, that joke is funny-ish. Actually, the grape is better known as Pinot Grigio, but I digress. Point is, I’ll be discussing Fifty Shades this week at Book Club. Over the Summer we also read Nora Ephron’s Heartburn – a brilliantly funny/heartbreakingly sad book …
I can’t sit still. No, not because of those (although memories of postpartum you-know-whats make me shiver to this day). I’m just not very good at doing nothing. If I’m in an empty house and I’m not working, I’m cleaning or picking stuff up and moving it from one room to another. And, ever the …
Last night, as I shoved unsolicited advice about sparkling wines down your throats, Tara tweeted asking for some still wine recommendations, especially reds, for Christmas. So, since she asked, here’s what I’ve got in for next week: Whites in the fridge: Tesco Finest Argentinian Chardonnay 2010, £5 on offer, Tesco I shipped in some NZ …
I’ve been blogging away for the last few years, recommending a couple of wines every week, whatever I happen to be drinking that I think you might like too. I’m now wondering whether you might want to buy wine from the site. You tell me what you want and I’ll source it exclusively for the …
Today has been a bit of a rush, as in time-poor rather than adrenaline. School run, work, school run (already?!) swimming lessons, more work. But this evening has been a joy. I poured a glass of red and SLOWED. DOWN. I made a little vlog about tasting wine ahead of a twitter tasting I am …
I’m friends with VB. Not that VB (seriously though, have you read Mrs Beckham’s interview in this month’s Vogue? She’s fab). This is Very Bored, or Very Bored in Catalunya to give her blog its full title. Luckily, boredom drives her to write very funny stuff. It also drives her to drink (in moderation, obviously) and she knows lots about good Spanish …
I went out on Monday night. It doesn’t happen often so I made the most. I wore an adored emerald green dress (Ghost), nail varnish (Rouge Noir), matching underwear (old vintage Myla) and really high heels. On Tuesday, I wore track suit bottoms, couldn’t walk properly and had two mouth ulcers. My body has decided to slope about doing everything at half-speed ever since, leaving …
The Knackered Mother (knackeredus maternius) is most commonly seen in her natural habitat, the kitchen. Here, she slaves away putting food on the table for her children to flick all over the floor, occasionally falling silent to actually eat some of it. She exists on a diet of sandwich crusts, leftover fish fingers and mint kitkats with the …
My 6yo boy’s favourite current pastime is writing secret agent-type notes, folding them into paper aeroplanes and pinging them round the door of the kitchen. They land softly at my feet and he scampers back up the stairs, shrieking with laughter. Recent notes include baddies are poo heads and – my personal favourite – i love you big bum that …
Following two weeks away on holiday (we did a Bromsgroves, Mrs T), I feel somewhat restored by my break from the norm. A bit of sun – tans fade, wrinkles don’t blah blah – and a couple of snatched half-hours with my book and I’m happy. Determined to not fall back to pre-holiday ways including 1) talking to my children …
Following two weeks of tasting hundreds of wines all day, every day here, my take on the current wine-scape is this: 1. New Zealand Pinot Noir is usually divine. 2. Cheap South African red usually isn’t. 3. Champagne with a bit of age is much more interesting than young stuff. 4. Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon from the Colchagua region tastes a bit like chocolate. 5. The Nebbiolo grape (of …
Last night we held a Knackered Mothers’ Wine Club tasting at a local restaurant (the amazing Graze) to raise a bit of cash for our local nursery. It was a heady mix: eight wines + inquisitive people up for trying different wines + company of friends both old and new. The result was delicious. Lots of laughter, slurping, a bit of spitting, far more …
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