Italian wine blog - Wine90 written by Sarah Newton

Oddero Barolo – The toast of London town

I’ll be the one to admit it. Despite the glamour of spitting in public, the purple-stained teeth plus a light, but constant, dull headache, wine tastings are just run-of-the-mill affairs. Here’s how it goes 99% of the time. You exchange pleasantries with the winemaker, taste through their wines, swirly swirl, sniffy sniff, chewy chew, spitty spit,…

The wines of Bergerac 2018

Ask any British child of the ’80’s what springs to mind upon hearing the word “Bergerac” and they’ll immediately venture vintage cars, the channels islands and the oh-so-dishy John Nettles. However, this week London’s WSET school hosted a Wines of Bergerac 2-hour tutorial and thus this child of the 80’s has some new, tastier associations. I already…

My top 10 Bordeaux wines

At the back end of September 2018 I spent 10 days in the Bordeaux region enjoying their harvest heat wave as the thermometer topped 30°c daily. What’s an Italian wine blogger doing in Bordeaux? I was in Bordeaux expanding my wine horizons beyond Italian wine as I’m currently a WSET diploma student and as such, need…

Wine bars in Temple Bar Dublin

How on earth did I get to be exploring the wine bars in Temple Bar, Dublin? Well, isn’t it funny how you can wake up expecting the day to go one way and then life throws you a curve ball and you end up dry heaving in Liverpool? What, that isn’t a relatable analogy? #notsorry….

Les Crêtes Chardonnay Cuvée Bois 2015

Nestled in the Italian Alps between the French and Swiss border lies the tiny Alpine wine making region of the Valle d’Aosta. The largest wine making fish in this smallest of vinous ponds is internationally acclaimed producer, Les Crêtes. Until recently most of this acclaim was directed at their flagship wine the Chardonnay Cuvée Bois….

Wines of Umbria 2018 – Tre Bicchiere Awards

A quick question for you. Do you ever wonder what you’d choose as your specialist subject if invited to be a contestant on Mastermind? Well I do. Deliberating this question has been a source of personal angst for years. However, after much soul searching I can say with absolute certainty, my specialist subject would be…

Wine Society Chilean Wine Tasting 2018

Who loves themselves some Chilean wine? I know I do. That’s why I was excited to attend the Wine Society Chilean Wine Tasting in London this week. Wine Society bashes are always lustrous affairs, part down to wine, part down to venue. For this event, the Society chose London’s Merchant Taylors’ Hall as a venue…

Wine and Vegan Food Pairing

So you’ve finally become a vegan? And now you’re looking for wine and vegan food pairing information? Congratulations! Ethically and morally you’ve just won some much needed Good Place points. You may now enjoy an eternity of not being poked in the buttocks by Satan. Before dancing in your own ticker tape parade, take note, …

British Airways Club World Wines

A review of British Airways Club World wines – or lack of them…

Valpolicella Ripasso DOC – Supermarket Review 2018

Would a wine by any other name would taste so sweet? I doubt it, as Valpolicella benefits from a special production method that allows the wines to pack a fruity punch. We review the UK supermarket’s Valpolicella Ripasso offerings.

Camino de Santiago wines

It’s Easter Sunday 2018, four years since I learned everything I ever care to learn about Compeed®, cat-holes and threading blisters and proudly completed my first pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostella. This long walk covers 800kms from Saint Jean Pied de Port in the foothills of the French Pyrenees to Santiago de Compostella in north west…

Casale del Giglio – The Kings of Lazio

Don’t tell anyone, but I have a secret crush on Casale del Giglio. A nostalgic, romantic soft-spot for the wines I first came to know as affordable local Lazio wines sold at Lo Zio d’America, my local wine store when I lived in Rome. In the following years I’d come to learn that these are…