By Robert Giorgione on April 12, 2013
My dear readers and followers, by now I’m sure you’re more than aware that I like my food and wine and am rather partial to a bit of chocolate too. I’m also interested in making new discoveries. The other week I was preparing for another one of my roving sommelier chocolate and wine masterclasses (please contact me [...]
Posted in Food and Wine Matching, Tasting Notes, Wine Reviews | Tagged An Epicurean Odyssey, Book, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chocolate, Cossetto Mozaik, Croatia, Croatian Wine, eBook, Food and wine matching, Istrian Borgonja, Merlot, Pacta Connect, Robert Giorgione, Roving Sommelier, Sommelier Stories, Tasting Notes, Venison, wine blogs, Wine Reviews |
By Robert Giorgione on December 2, 2012
I’ve been a big fan of the wines from the Margaret River region in Western Australia for many years. For me, it’s a great spot for Chardonnay, producing some of the country’s most prestigious wines. In addition, Margaret River is making a name for itself with premium “Bordeaux Blends” red wines. The regional micro climate [...]
Posted in Food and Wine Matching, Restaurant Reviews, Sommelier Stories, Tasting Notes, Videos, Wine Reviews | Tagged An Epicurean Odyssey, Australia, Australian Wine, Book, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, eBook, Elizabeth Cook, Fifth Floor, Food and wine matching, food blogs, Justerini & Brooks, Margaret River, Merlot, Orrery, Robert Giorgione, Roving Sommelier, Sauvignon Blanc, Shiraz, Sommelier Stories, Steve James, Syrah, Tasting Notes, Videos, Vinoteca, Voyager Estate, wine blogs, Wine Reviews, Wine tasting |
By Robert Giorgione on November 26, 2012
To be brutally honest, I’m not really ‘a Cabernet person’. My personal preferrence for red wine includes Pinot Noir, Syrah and Nebbiolo. The main thing is: everyone has their own palate and learns to discover and appreciate what they enjoy the most. However, from time to time, I do enjoy a nice bottle of Claret [...]
Posted in Sommelier Stories, Tasting Notes, Wine Reviews | Tagged An Epicurean Odyssey, Apalta, Book, Bordeaux Blends, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmen, Carmenere, Chile, Colchagua, Cousino Macul, eBook, Food and wine matching, food blogs, Maipo, Malbec, Medalla Real, Merlot, Montes Alpha, Robert Giorgione, Roving Sommelier, Santa Rita, Sommelier Stories, Tasting Notes, wine blogs, Wine Reviews, Wines of Chile |
By Robert Giorgione on November 13, 2012
Each year, from what seems like the second week of January and reminded at various strategic moments throughout, my older sister ritually continues to advise me that she has already done her Christmas shopping. In fact, she normally confirms this during the final week of August, when she has successfully wrapped up all of the [...]
Posted in Wine Reviews | Tagged Bacchus, Cabernet Sauvignon, Champagne, Chardonnay, English Sparkling Wine, English Wine, Food and wine matching, food blogs, Gruner Veltliner, Madeira, Marylebone, Marylebone High Street, Marylebone Journal, Merlot, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Port, riesling, Robert Giorgione, Roving Sommelier, Sauvignon Blanc, sherry, Shiraz, Sommelier Stories, Syrah, Tasting Notes, Vin Doux Naturel, Waitrose, Waitrose Wine, wine blogs, Wine Reviews |
By Robert Giorgione on September 16, 2012
Back in the day, we had Berni Inns and when you visited one of their many branches throughout the country, you were pretty much guaranteed a decent steak. In fact, top-quality steaks and a unique brand of friendly service were the bedrock on which the company’s reputation was founded. Nowadays, this much-loved British institution has [...]
Posted in Food and Wine Matching, Sommelier Stories, Wine Reviews | Tagged An Epicurean Odyssey, Beef, Book, Butcher, Cabernet Sauvignon, eBook, Fillet, Food and wine matching, food blogs, Garnacha, Ginger Pig, Goodman, Grass-fed beef, Hawksmoor, L'Atelier des Chefs, Marylebone, Marylebone High Street, Marylebone Journal, Merlot, Nebbiolo, Rib-eye, Robert Giorgione, Roving Sommelier, Rump, Shiraz, Sirloin, Sommelier Stories, Steak, Steakhouse, Syrah, Tempranillo, Waitrose, Waitrose Wine, wine blogs, Wine Reviews |
By Robert Giorgione on September 11, 2012
It was ‘back in the day’, as they say, in 1998 that I first visited Navarra in Spain. At the time I was working as sommelier at Oxo Tower Restaurant on London’s South Bank and I had already visited Spain a couple of times, but was in the process of getting into the wines from [...]
Posted in Food and Wine Matching, Interviews, Sommelier Stories, Tasting Notes, Videos, Wine Reviews | Tagged An Epicurean Odyssey, Angeline Bayly, Bar Pepito, Beatriz Ochoa, Bodegas Ochoa, Book, Cabernet Sauvignon, eBook, Fifth Floor, Food and wine matching, food blogs, Garnacha, Merlot, Navarra, Orrery, Oxo Tower, Pink Wines, PLB, PLB Group Ltd, Rioja, Robert Giorgione, Rosado, Rose Wines, Roving Sommelier, Sommelier, Sommelier Stories, Tasting Notes, Tempranillo, varietal labelling, Videos, wine blogs, Wine Reviews, Wine tasting, Wines of Navarra, You Tube |
By Robert Giorgione on September 10, 2012
I’m particularly passionate about the wines of Navarra. For me, this neighbouring region to the more famous and illustrious Rioja, produces top quality wines that just deserve to be discovered. Historically, the province of Navarra has become synonymous with the best agricultural produce, especially peppers, asparagus, tomatoes and lettuce that it is known as “The Garden of [...]
Posted in Interviews, Sommelier Stories, Tasting Notes, Videos, Wine Reviews | Tagged An Epicurean Odyssey, Angeline Bayly, Book, Cabernet Sauvignon, Carlos Biurrun, eBook, Food and wine matching, food blogs, Garnacha, Merlot, Navarra, Olite, Orrery, Pamplona, Pink Wines, Robert Giorgione, Rosado, Rose Wines, Roving Sommelier, Sommelier Stories, Spain, Spanish produce, Spanish Wine, Tasting Notes, Tempranillo, Videos, wine blogs, Wine Reviews, Wine tasting, Wines from Spain, Wines of Navarra, You Tube |
By Robert Giorgione on July 20, 2012
Everyone enjoys a big juicy steak. Well, perhaps not everyone, especially if you happen to be vegetarian or vegan. But I certainly do. We were treated to a fabulous lunch at legendary London steakhouse, Goodman in swanky Mayfair. It was actually the first time that I had visited the place, but had already heard good [...]
Posted in Food and Wine Matching, Restaurant Reviews, Sommelier Stories, Videos, Wine Reviews | Tagged Adolfo Hurtado, Alvaro Marcos Garcia, Beef, Bordeaux Blends, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Chile, Concha y Toro, Cono Sur, Don Melchor, Food and wine matching, food blogs, Goodman, Grass-fed beef, Ivo Stoyanov, Maycas del Limari, Merlot, Michael Cox, Oxo Tower, Restaurant Reviews, Robert Giorgione, Roving Sommelier, Sommelier, Sommelier Stories, Steak, Terrunyo, Videos, wine blogs, Wine Reviews, Wine tasting, Wines of Chile, You Tube |
By Robert Giorgione on May 2, 2012
This is a press release from David Cox (Director New Zealand Wine Growers – Europe). Please note that there will NOT be a generic New Zealand Wine Growers at this year’s London International Wine Fair at Excel in Docklands. Visit New Zealand wineries at LIWF 2012 You don’t need to look too far to find a [...]
Posted in Wine Reviews | Tagged An Epicurean Odyssey, Book, Cabernet Sauvignon, Central Otago, Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, David Cox, eBook, Excel, Family of Twelve, Gewurztraminer, Gimblett Gravels, Gisborne, Hawkes Bay, LIWF, London International Wine Fair, London International Wine Trade Fair, Marlborough, Martinborough, Merlot, Nelson, New Zealand, New Zealand Wine Growers, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, riesling, Robert Giorgione, Roving Sommelier, Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah, Waipara, wine blogs, Wine Reviews, Wine tasting |
By Robert Giorgione on March 27, 2012
Have you ever been in one of those situations, whereby you really wanted to ask an important question, but were too afraid to? The wonderful topic of wine clones was being discussed at a wine tasting and I was itching to ask a question. We were at the point of the masterclass going through a line [...]
Posted in Sommelier Stories, Tasting Notes, Wine Reviews | Tagged apluswines, Australia, Australian Wine, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Fraser Gallop, Howard Park, Leeuwin Estate, London International Wine Fair, London International Wine Trade Fair, Margaret River, Robert Giorgione, Roving Sommelier, Sarah Ahmed, Shiraz, Sommelier Stories, Tasting Notes, Voyager Estate, Western Australia, wine blogs, Wine Reviews, Woodlands Estate |
By Robert Giorgione on November 6, 2011
Food and wine matching by Roving Sommelier Here is a hearty recipe, which was given to me by a friend and is a wonderful way to use fresh, seasonal ingredients and paired with an iconic New Zealand red wine. It’s also a kind of dish which is very enjoyable, especially when the weather starts to [...]
Posted in Food and Wine Matching, Recipes, Sommelier Stories, Wine Reviews | Tagged An Epicurean Odyssey, Book, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, eBook, Food and wine matching, food blogs, Les Caves de Pyrene, Merlot, New Zealand, recipe, Recipes, Robert Giorgione, Roving Sommelier, Sommelier Stories, Stonyridge Larose, Venison, wine blogs, Wine Reviews |
By Robert Giorgione on February 13, 2011
Yes, I know exactly what you’re thinking. That’s a bit of a tongue-twister huh? In addition, that’s probably the funny thing about wine though. Once you’ve got past the quaint or exotic sounding names and picturesque labels and actually get your eager nostrils into the glass and sniff, swirl, slurp and taste the wines, perhaps even [...]
Posted in Food and Wine Matching, Sommelier Stories, Tasting Notes, Videos, Wine Reviews | Tagged An Epicurean Odyssey, Australia, Australian Wine, Book, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, eBook, Enotria, Food and wine matching, food blogs, Great Western Wine, Margaret River, Pearl Restaurant, Robert Giorgione, Roving Sommelier, Sommelier Stories, Tasting Notes, Videos, Wilyabrup, wine blogs, Wine Reviews, Wine tasting, Woodlands Estate |
By Robert Giorgione on November 26, 2010
Few names excite Aussie wine enthusiasts as much as Wendouree an ‘old fashioned’ producer whose association with long lived reds is unmatched. Wendouree’s focus is squarely set on grape growing and winemaking, opposing both assertive marketing and self promotion. This point is personified by their traditional bottles, which still display no back label, no contact [...]
Posted in Interviews, Sommelier Stories, Videos, Wine Reviews | Tagged An Epicurean Odyssey, Australia, Australian Wine, Book, Cabernet Sauvignon, eBook, Find Wine, Interviews, Jamie Goode, Malbec, Robert Giorgione, Roving Sommelier, Shiraz, Sommelier Stories, Tasting Notes, Videos, Wendouree, Wine Anorak, wine blogs, Wine Reviews, Wine tasting |
By Robert Giorgione on July 7, 2010
This is the second in my blog posts featuring American wines for American Independence Day. Over the weekend, I had a couple of friends around, including a couple of Americans I knew from my Napa Valley/San Francisco days and a fellow sommelier. We certainly had some fun with plenty to eat and drink guaranteed. On [...]
Posted in Food and Wine Matching, Sommelier Stories, Tasting Notes, Wine Reviews | Tagged An Epicurean Odyssey, Book, Borough Market, Cabernet Sauvignon, California, Chardonnay, Duckhorn, eBook, Food and wine matching, food blogs, Merlot, Napa Valley, Pinot Noir, recipe, Robert Giorgione, Roving Sommelier, Sanford, Sommelier, Sommelier Stories, Sonoma-Cutrer, Syrah, wine blogs, Wine Reviews, Wine tasting |
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