by Caspar Bowes

Having been recently quoted in brief in the European Wall Street Journal on the subject of scoring wine (here) I thought I might elucidate and lay out my thoughts in more detail.It is abundantly clear that a vast number of factors govern the way we taste wine, from barometric pressure to, well, a gl…

Vast pompom chandelier and window in the tasting room at AngélusAs ever, I'd left the toughest till last. The Right Bank day is onerous both in terms of the quantity of samples one has to taste and the number of short journeys one has to undertake to get between the tastings and the châ…

I headed off to La Mission Haut Brion mid-morning fully realising that my timing would make me early for my appointment there, but also mindful of the fact that a solo taster such as myself can often wangle an off-the-cuff slot at the drop of a hat. So it was that, in short order, I found myself bef…

Substituting a roof for a snowy slope: a St Bernard at LamarqueMy third day in Bordeaux has dawned bright: a pleasant change from the dank clouds that have overhung the region since my arrival. There will be better opportunities for photography today, I feel.Yesterday saw continued frenetic activity…

I have completed day one. I must say that I am pretty much tuckered out. A late flight from Gatwick; a long wait at an Avis car hire desk; a belated bedside light snuffing out at gone midnight: all have contrived to make my current state one of physical depletion.There's most likely a touch of menta…