Starting day one of the Giro di Toscana, it felt as though I’d consumed a litre of wine and managed fewer than five hours sleep… and that was because both were true. Best assembled with a clear head Although the ride began from the Maremma’s famed Tenuta Fertuna this morning, I had arrived with the 11 other cyclists in time for dinner the day before, allowing Paolo, the head winemaker, to treat us to a long and lavish evening complete with large servings of white Sangiovese – that’s right, a vino bianco called Droppelo made from Tuscany’s most famous red grape (it’s pressed very gently...

Allegra Antinori, co-owner and vice president of Marchesi Antinori in Italy, reveals her favourite place for red Burgundy by the glass and why she believes “the British are some of the most sophisticated people when it comes to wine”. 1. What is your favourite restaurant in London? Macellaio in South Kensington – a fantastic place for meat, plus I like the concept and the atmosphere very much. 2. Where is your favourite wine offering in London and what would be your go-to first glass of wine when you get there? Hedonism has an incredible selection on the shelves but, by the glass, the choice...

Nearly half of the retail stores operated by Oddbins’ parent company European Food Brokers Retail Ltd were unprofitable and have already been shut db has learnt, as reports circulate that the company may be rescued out of administration by its former owners. As the news broke this morning that the administrators of UK wine merchant Oddbins are in advanced  talks’ with Walsall-based European Food Broker Ltd’s (EFBL) owner Rajinder Chatha to acquire some of the businesses retail outlets, documents filed at companies house indicated that store closures were higher than previously thought,...

Auberon Waugh’s famous anthology on wine, with instructions for humiliating stingy hosts and matching German Riesling with pot, is to be republished for the first time in many years. Featuring ‘Bron’ Waugh’s intermittent and frequently humorous writings on wine that featured in publications such as Tatler, The Spectator and Harper’s and Queen, the wit and wisdom of the writing is now considered a classic text (if no longer entirely very current when it comes to styles and regions). Among Waugh’s various witticisms is the advice that, “…hosts that skimp on their wine should be exposed,...

Bonhams’ next fine wine sale in London next month will be headlined by wines from one of Burgundy’s most high-profile labels – Henri Jayer. Six magnums of the late winemaker’s 1996 Vosne-Romanée Cros Parantoux, valued at £85,000 – £100,000, will be offered in London on 4 July. Bonhams global director of Fine Wine, Richard Harvey MW, said: “This is one of the most iconic and sought-after wines of Burgundy, from a vineyard replanted by Henry Jayer after World War II.  Jayer retired in 1995 but retained a barrel of the wine, bottled under his label, until 2001, which makes this case of magnums...

The Connaught Hotel’s two Michelin-starred restaurant is to close for two months from this July for an extensive refurbishment. The venue, helmed by Hélène Darroze will serve its final guests on Sunday 14 July before closing for “full refurbishment and modernisation”. The restaurant, which is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year, is having its main dining room redesigned but will also add a new chef’s table and a dedicated Armagnac room for pre and post-dinner drinks and private events. Led by French design house Pierre Yovanovitch Architecture d’Intérieur, the restaurant will reopen...