After another early departure, we touched down at Nîmes Garons airport in bright sunshine and a biting Mistral. By 10 o’clock we had zipped past flamingos feeding in the Basin de Thau and we were tasting with Roland Géraud from Côtes de Thongue at the Parc des Expositions in Montpellier. Vinisud is a big and […]

Our last day in the Rhône valley and feeling a little road weary, but we’ve saved the best till last. Appointments at Clape, Graillot and Chave proved to be as exciting as we had anticipated. A multiple cask sampling chez Clape is always an enjoyable experience, but not for the faint-hearted. The 2010 vintage in […]

The concept of value seems to be much in the news of late and I found myself contemplating its relativity on several occasions during the past week.  I spent the last evening of a holiday dining with friends in a terrific Catalan bistro called Mam y Teca in the lively Raval area of Barcelona. The bill […]

Last week, we were blessed with a whistle-stop visit from our old friend Crozes Hermitage maestro Alain Graillot and his charming wife (and administrative guru) Elisabeth. Alain graciously agreed to talk us through a flight of his wines and elaborate on his wine making philosophy as well as fielding questions from our inquisitive team in […]

Ronan Sayburn is a long established supporter and friend of Yapp Brothers. Now Head Sommelier at The Greenhouse Restaurant, Mayfair, Ronan has developed an extensive expertise in wine and his years in the business means that his address book reads like a Who's Who of the UK restaurant trade. Every now and then Ronan likes […]