Old Pinot Gris for the win

The way we can explore music rabbit warrens instantly gives me great joy. An interview with David Byrne led me down an Eno path, which took me back to Roxy music, which then led me to this Brian Ferry and Todd terje cover of Robert Palmer’s Johnny and Mary. open.spotify.com/track/4DpDrL...

I've eaten swan. It was tasty, but not worth the broken arm

Have you really ever wondered who the big winners are in selling wine? Have you thought to yourself that wine guy/girl must be loaded? Well sorry to destroy that myth but the only big winners in wine in the UK is HMRC and here is why.

Had a brilliant night on Saturday at the Royal Festival Hall. Lisa O’Neill was breathtaking — funny, heartbreaking, joyful. A gig that reminds you exactly why live music matters: storytelling at its finest in the great folk tradition.

The fun part about contact dermatitis from an allergy to sticking plaster glue, is popping the hundreds of tiny blisters with a sharp needle. It's like having bubble-wrap literally in the palm of my hand.

GB News asked me on to discuss the views of Arthur Laffer. We ended up discussing the role of GB News in spreading misinformation and inciting anti-immigrant sentiment. youtu.be/44kozl7GZp0?...

Productive morning

Wine people – just a heads up about a walkaround PIWI tasting at The Wine Cellars in Fulham, London on Weds 18th June 10AM-4PM Curious about fungus-resistant grape varieties (PIWIs) sustainability, or just want to taste some really interesting wines, come along. Let me know if you want a place.

People enjoying a bottle of Bordeaux seems to be filling my timeline at the moment.

The benefits of a much closer relationship with the rest of Europe dwarf any deal with India or Trump. It’s time to get serious with the EU and consign Brexit era dogmas to the dustbin of history. 🇪🇺👍

Still quite gutted this didn’t get the recognition it deserved. It’s my birthday people!! If you need it explaining….

I’m going to have another moan. One of the most intriguing semi finals you could hope for in snooker, and BBC decide to put John Virgo and Shaun Murphy on to jibber jabber all over it like a couple of fools.

Some excellent snooker these past few days. Shame BBC still have certain commentators. Last frame of the Williams Higgins match was almost ruined. "WHERE'S THE CUE BALL......" oh do piss off.

AI art can jump in the sea. Life is beauty

People should stop using AI generated images to illustrate their Substack articles. They look really very bad and reflect badly on the writer. If you feel it’s ok to chuck a sentence into a machine to spit out a bad picture how do we know you haven’t used it to generate the writing too.

So it’s very difficult to do a full set of crunches when Coco thinks it’s a game.

Listen to Lisa O’Neill. If you don’t know already, prepare to be emotionally barged.

What perfect albums came out when you were 16?

I never thought that when I set up a winery one of the things that I would spend most time thinking about would be cardboard boxes.

This afternoon’s soundtrack sorted!

News right now making me think of breaking bad

It’s arrived. Can’t wait to get stuck in. @katiematherkm.bsky.social @pelliclemag.com

It’s arrived. Can’t wait to get stuck in. @katiematherkm.bsky.social @pelliclemag.com

Applying for a personal license using a form downloaded from Gov.uk website. A terribly formatted word document. Really? in 2025? Shoddy. assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/624b1f...

We went to see Mike Leigh's Hard Truths last night and I will be pondering that film for a while. Blistering performances as expected. Very funny at times but also very, very sad. Still working my way through the nuance

I have been gifted a Feinherb Sauvignac from Ammersee, Southern Germany. I'm looking forward to trying it. A completely new wine for me in terms of variety (piwi) and region. I will let you know how it goes.

It seems to me there is some very rushed editing on some very high profile and podcasts.

Trying to get some traction on Bluesky as I move from X any reposts of my pub research /work much appreciated @matthew-wright.bsky.social

I'm currently doing a bit of Champagne knowledge top up to prepare for a FWS class I'm teaching this week. Three episodes from Levi Dalton podcast have done the job. One with the vastly knowledgeable @peterliem.bsky.social , one with David White and lastly Charles Philipponnat. illdrinktothatpod.com

Interesting phenomenon - the time of day it’s acceptable to drink hot malt flavoured milk drinks is getting earlier and earlier. The Ovaltine window is shifting.

Three of the finest words to find at the back of the cupboard when chucking together a quick lunch.

youtube.com/watch?v=dutp... this video explains a lot. To any Hot Ones fans out there who ever wondered why da bomb always gets a bigger reaction Than supposedly hotter sauces. Answer - Da Bomb is way way hotter.

Takes a few seconds to vote. No need to tick boxes or add emails

I wrote a review of A COMPLETE UNKNOWN: the brand new Bob Dylan bio pic. And I guarantee you it is totally unlike any other critique of the film that you are ever going to run in to. merrillmarkoe.substack.com/p/a-complete...

Ahh this is such a right handed app

Thanks Katie! Glad you enjoyed it

I love the way wines (and some beer) can change with age, as a bottle opening being a singular event, both gradually and suddenly. Thinking of doing some new style of content. One off reviews of (maybe too) old Alsace wines and same with old Barley Wines and Imperial Stouts.

Our 2023 Chardonnay clone 95 was featured on Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh. Alan and the guests all enjoyed it!

So this platform is working very efficiently as a ELO earworm generator

So let’s check out Bluesky! I’ll be here posting about my Beare Green Winery wines, giving thoughts on wine and generally faffing about! Here is a picture of some grapes.