As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Support us by using our links to Amazon when you shop.

I Bought Some Wines you Recommended Online

by Mark
(USA)

I am English, originally from a place called Bourne End which I'm sure you've probably never heard of, but I've lived for a long time in the United States. I stumbled across your site about six months back and I have followed a number of your wine recommendations ever since.

I really must say that I am highly impressed – every single wine you have suggested has been superb. How do you keep coming up with such good wines and most of them seem to be pretty much unknown? I have looked for some of them in the major wine guides but they don't have much, if anything, about them.

Andrew's reply: You might be amazed to learn that I actually do know Bourne End. I spent a bit of time in Maidenhead when I was younger and visited Bourne End often. There was a pub there I liked although I can't remember the name of it. That was a LONG time ago.

I am very happy you enjoyed the wines. I try to recommend wines I like without the pretence and snobbery that is too much a part of the wine world. If I like a wine I'll feature it regardless of whether some guide tells me it is good or not.

In fact I don't even read those guides. The same goes with Michelin starred restaurants. I avoid anything with stars. Most of the best meals I have ever eaten in my life were at my mother-in-law's place or little tiny family run places who couldn't care less about stars or the latest fads.

How do I find the wines I feature? Basically through drinking a lot of wines and visiting the farms themselves to meet the people involved. It is the same with food – eat enough of it and you'll know what you like. You don't need some overpaid expert to do that for you.

Let me share the secret of my highly skilled way of selecting a wine. The process is as follows...

My wife Maria does the great cooking and I then try the wine. If it goes well with Maria's Italian food I might recommend it. If it doesn't forget it, it's history! Simple as that.

Click here to post comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to Italian Wines.