How has the B-word impacted that? Do you now getting a hefty tax bill when your order arrives?
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Ken - I would also look out for some good regional wine merchants who offer a well chosen sellection from Burgundy - a few I know well Bell McCraith (Bristol ) Ellis Wharton (Cornwall) Thorne Wines (Cambridge) Amps (Oundle) come to mind - London Slurp are excellant
I am drinking (more than I should) Cru Beajolais at the moment
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Hi - I’m planning a trip with some friends in late spring, basing ourselves in Beaune. Do you have any specific recommendations for tastings (either shop based or vineyards) and restaurants? Thanks.
Hi, here are some of the places we visited. Please note we excluded Grand Cru wines because they were too expensive. We stayed in the 1er Cru wines.
Caves
Domaines Jean Chartron - Puligny Montrachet
Thomas Morey - Chassagne Montrachet
Domaines Gille - Nuit St. Georges
Roux Père et Fils - St. Aubin
Volnay- Christophe Vaudoisey
Restaurant Simon Flagey-Echézeaux. Seems to have changed hands?
Gite near St. Aubin. don‘t remember the address.
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In theory, since local VAT has not been charged in the country of origin, Portugal, then both UK import duty and VAT are payable.
In practice, having only ever ordered one case at a time, I’ve never been asked for payment of any duties.
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Antz, many thanks…
@anon17458420, many thanks!!!
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Interesting.
Generally it seems very hit and miss. Possibly dependent on the courier
Very pleasant Tasmanian sauvignon blanc - Bream Creek is one of Tasmania’s oldest vineyards and produces some excellent whites.
Wife and I have spent the day, in rather humid weather, finishing organising our garage how we want it so everything has a home - we felt we fully deserved to quaff a bottle of this
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Thanks.
Not the best Muscadet ever, but should pair well with the thermonuclear thai beef green curry being prepped 
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It’s quite warm here in Wellington NZ. Son has just brought in freshly caught Kahawai fish from coast which we will have as a cerviche.
Also 8 luxurious abalone(Paua), prised off the rocks last night stir fried with chilli, kaffir lime and spring onion.
So, what better than some 2012 wines
Grasshopper Rock Pinot noir
Translucent brown colour. In plate liquorice and Forrest floor. Very smooth
Gavignet aligote
Good and basic. Greatly helped by some crème de cassis
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Set a place I’ll be there in a few minutes. 
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Bring some Long Jetty prawns! Happy new year!
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Might that be a blind tasting where Madam gets to choose the competition? And even if not, might Madam not be that little bit familiar with her own wine… she’d have to be superbly inept not to recognise it, surely?
I’m only familiar with blinding in the context of drug RCTs, but it’s astonishing the lengths they have to go to to be truly double blind. Even for measuring things as objective as tumour response.
Not at all. Wines were chosen by the Union des Grand Crus Classés (well it was all the GCCs in fact, although not all the second wines).
If Cynthia had recognised her own wine, that would have been a remarkable achievement in itself.
Neither of us thought that her own wine was the best of them all (which is hardly surprising given the relative prices).
That some of these producers are willing to taste blind with/in front of journalists is a great testament to their integrity, and something that would have been unheard of twenty years ago. They have nothing to gain but lots to lose (from the angle you present anyway), but in fact their seeing what others are doing without knowledge of which is which is improving the standard of the wines across the board.
*Philippe Blanc (Beychevelle) did likewise with the St Juliens, as did the team at Lynch Bages with the Pauillacs (including Jean Michel Cazes). The mere idea of such grandees tasting blind with journalists once upon a time would have been unthinkable. It’s a great development.
And it’s a wine tasting, not a drugs trial. It could easily have been cheated, in the sense that she could have know which was hers. Maybe she did. But then I would have ignored her (politely of course) - which is what I endeavour to do at the (numerous) top Châteaux who decline to take part in blind tastings.
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I cooked roast beef for lunch today and had this very nice (and reasonably priced IIRC) 2012 Chilean Syrah from Errazuriz to accompany.
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2 restarants I use in Beaune
la Ciboulette (FAV) 69 Rue de Lorraine or Le Caveau de Arches 32 Due Maufoux
most of the smaller producers are tasting by appointment only - we work with Chanson who have a new visitor shop Chanson 9 Rue Chanson
enjoy Beaune - lovely town - dont foget the Hospice de Beaune
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