Waspish Americans to me: "Why are you so obsessed with the USA, David? What's it got to do with you?" Trump (or any number of racist American conservatives):

So true. It’s just less likely to go undiagnosed now, which is a good thing.

Things might get better, apparently, because vibes. A classic of the genre. www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2025/09/why-...

Nice to see that people voting with their feet can make such a difference. I hope this will encourage others to be more proactive.

Yes, the parallels with the rise of Hitler and the Nazis are very striking, including the complacency and reluctance to see the danger until too late.

For any of you that live within the SE London area, I will be holding a BS-busting, drink-it-your-way, build your whisky confidence tasting. Pairings. Blind drams. Fun. Esp for those new to whisky or suffering from Dunning-Kruger effect. Hit the link below. www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/welcome-to...

US free speech update: www.bbc.com/news/article...

Canada, Australia and the UK all announce recognition of a Palestinian state today. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Hands up who thought that voting for fascism, the suspension of the rule of law and free speech, taking medicine & science back to the Middle Ages, masked men disappearing people off the streets and deportation without due process might herald a period of embarrassed silence from their US friends?

Corbyn, Sultana et al are squabbling over whose party "Your Party" really is. I doubt if the Green Party will be much troubled by these rampant narcissists. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

This is plainly ridiculous and we need to look again at the whole approach to guaranteeing provenance and quality control that is less damaging to our environment. It would be nice if more people wrote about this. But I fear they will just keep weighing bottles.

The environmental impact of the wine trade's glass use is a complex issue requiring an understanding of wine legislation, fraud prevention, logistics and consumer perception. Some prefer to weigh bottles. But that seems rather performative. I have issues... thedrunkencyclist.com/2025/09/17/m...

The environmental impact of the wine trade's glass use is a complex issue requiring an understanding of wine legislation, fraud prevention, logistics and consumer perception. Some prefer to weigh bottles. But that seems rather performative. I have issues... thedrunkencyclist.com/2025/09/17/m...

"It's like pinot noir but with more alcohol" is a really useful observation. I'm a fully signed-up grenache-lover.

I thought I had passed all the exams so how am I just hearing about the Monster of Wine qualification?

Yes, this really struck home.

It’s not taking longer. It’s just taking people longer to realise it’s already happened, helped by the fact that he and his party were voted in by outright majority in elections for all three branches of government, something Hitler could have only dreamed of.

“As for wine, Mitch says there’s been a lack of innovation.” And there it is. (The article is surprisingly vague on the mathematics)

Interesting. Lots of life sciences innovation in London (seems to be a gift article for now)

Any UK people still using Twitter are supporting a deranged oligarch who wants to bring US fascism to this country. There’s no excuse for the damage you are helping to enable.

Free speech latest:

Laugh-out-loud funny.

It’s difficult to feel anything but hopelessness about the future of the US, with its extreme levels of gun violence, unbridgeable political divide, suspension of habeas corpus & lack of free speech. I have found it an endlessly fascinating country to visit but I’m not sure I will ever go back now.

Not a great year to be paid in US dollars. Oh well.

I’ve never felt so disheartened. My small business means everything to me and I want to keep going. Please have a look at my website. Buy things, commission me or repost. www.gailmyerscough.co.uk Thank you.

'They'll forget about you, too' prosecco warns gin buff.ly/2PeJcHy

He specifies the exact spirit brands but when it comes to wine it's just "Red" and "White" - pretty much like any music venue bar list in London today, in fact.

I have never seen a convincing answer to this question. Why are wine critics different to book, restaurant, theatre or music critics?

I can

This is the Washington DC. The US has already fallen to fascism. The UK needs to wake up quickly if it’s going to avoid going the same way.

Interesting news from Bordeaux.

Perennial loss-maker BrewDog losing even more. I can’t sympathise with businesses that don’t pay a living wage. www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2025/08/near...

Formulaic article with a litany of bad news and a couple of fairytales about diversity and sustainability. www.wine-searcher.com/m/2025/08/wi...

I like this approach from sommeliers.

My Concise Guide To Food And Drink Matching: drink what you like and eat what you like, when you like. If you like.

“Thinking about, talking about, writing about, and – God help us – actually attempting food and wine pairing is the single greatest waste of time and energy in the entire world of wine.” Well said, Alder. It’s also massively self-defeating.

Some good wine business news: harpers.co.uk/news/fullsto...

Despite the fact that we can’t succinctly explain the phenomenon, does not mean the phenomenon doesn’t exist. “Minerality” is linked to reduction and ultimately longevity.

Ping! Email in with news of Christian Seely and AXA's new acquisition, Platt Vineyard on the West Sonoma Coast. Bet that'll be good

Europe’s top universities are only found in countries not invaded by fascist Germany: the UK and Switzerland. There’s a warning from history for the United States.

Yes, spray-painting “no genocide” on a synagogue is clearly an anti-semitic act and the fact that people are unsure on this question just highlights how endemic anti-semitism is.

Bad apples in England’s cider industry.

There aren't many checks and balances available when a nation votes democratically for fascism. There are none at all if that nation already has a highly-politicised judiciary and a deferential press. I wonder when the US will next have a free and fair election. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Having said this, I think fine dining's long-term reliance on wine more than food to deliver margin is no longer a viable business model, given today's price transparency, how the wine trade itself is finding it so tough to make a profit on wine and the signs of declining consumption.

Met a bit of a legend at Uptown Festival yesterday evening.

Great perspective on London corkage rates. I hadn’t thought of this (although I never think to take my own wine to a restaurant anyway).

If Bordeaux hadn’t spent the past 30 years marketing oceans of mediocre swill, producers might not be selling below cost. Maybe the CIVB could address the issue rather than coming up with infantile “awards”. Utterly pathetic as ever.

This is appalling. Rachel is one of my dear friends and a good egg who just wants to do her funny show. This is just naked antisemitism. It’s not even pretending to be anything else.

There is no context - none at all - that justifies the deliberate, calculated starvation of children. #Gaza Credit: Anatolu/Getty Images

But who is ultimately employing these exploited workers? It’s the Champagne houses, who hide behind dodgy agencies. Unless they are named and held accountable, this just looks like whitewashing.