Italy Food & Wine: Winery Visit in Chianti, Tuscany

Tuscany. Land of cypress trees, holidaying Englishmen and, of course, Chianti.

There’s a tiny enoteca in the village, selling dusty bottles of local wine, and grappa in clear glass bottles shaped like bulbous ships. Classy, I sniff. To my horror, the boyfriend wants to buy one.

We can drink wine here? I ask the shopkeeper in my halting Italian. There’s light coming through the back of the shop, and I’m wondering if there’s a hidden bar out there – after all, [...]

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San Sebastian – Part II – Guide to Pintxos Bars

For an overview of the sights, a Really Useful map, and how actually to get to San Sebastian, check out Part I – Sun, Sea and Pintxos.

So hang on. We’ve been talking about San Sebastian and I still haven’t mentioned the area’s several multi-Michelin-starred restaurants, dotting the region like a veritable foodie constellation.

That’s because, quite simply, I didn’t go to any.

Not that I [...]

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San Sebastian – Part I – Sun, Sea and Pintxos

If there’s one thing American sitcoms have taught me: theft isn’t really theft if it involves sinfully good, sell-your-soul-for-a-slice cheesecake. And this cheesecake, or torta de queso, is definitely worth a little light criminal behaviour.

We’re in our fifth pintxos bar (pintxos being the local word for tapas) of the evening, brains addled by gastronomic pleasure and the sheer abundance of high-scoring consonants in the Basque language (no word is safe from an x, [...]

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In Brief

Culinary school graduate.
Umami addict.
Wine junkie.
Londoner.
Writer.