Reviewing wine properly – throw the cork away

The great American food critic AJ Liebling wrote in his memoir Between Meals, "The primary requisite for writing well about food is a good appetite. Without this, it is impossible to accumulate, within the allotted span, enough experience of eating to have anything worth setting down." Damn right. Sipping, swirling and spitting may have its place in wine shows, but around here, it can fuck right off.

There will be no blind tasting on this blog! I'll spit the odd sample at formal tastings only to ensure I get invited back but most reviews and recommendations you find will be based on a bottle of wine with dinner, or at least a couple of glasses.

It's my commitment to you to throw away the cork on as many bottles as possible, because I know if you love wine like me – you'll be trying to do the same.

Of course, Liebling died at 59 riddled with gout from his years of excessive eating and drinking. Guess I'd better just subscribe to the David Brent mantra: "Live fast, die old."