Henry Jeffreys

A worthwhile watch, and it's available on Youtube (link in article).

A tribute to Peter Hall A legend of English wine died on Wednesday at 82. I didn't know him well but loved the unique wines he made at Breaky Bottom in Sussex and was fortunate to meet him a few times.

I have just heard some really sad news that Peter Hall from Breaky Bottom, one of England's greatest winemakers, has just died. Wrote a little thing on the great man here: henryjeffreys.substack.com/p/a-tribute-...

Ah well, sorry to disappoint.

Chateau Chunder revisited "It used to be double tequilas that could prise off the pants of sheilas but now they won't give it away, no way!, for less than a large chardonnay."

Wrote a thing about the brilliant doc on from Chateau Chunder. Despite only being from 2012, it seems like it comes from another age. henryjeffreys.substack.com/p/chateau-ch...

Book review – Angels' Visits

I am delighted to have been asked to write for Jancis Robinson's website. First up a review of a classic book on Zinfandel: Angels' Visits by David Darlington. www.jancisrobinson.com/articles/boo...

The dawn of the post-literate society And the end of civilisation

Something not at all extremely depressing jmarriott.substack.com/p/the-dawn-o...

I am watching it now!

Sunday Drinking: 28 September Water sommeliers, K-Pop Demon Hunters and subscriber news. Plus some wine recommendations.

Upsetting the vibrant water sommelier community, K-Pop Demon Hunters and subscriber news. Plus some wine recommendations. henryjeffreys.substack.com/p/sunday-dri...

Drinking port, fox hunting, voting Conservative.

Coravin sceptic Is the world's cleverest wine gadget an answer to a problem that doesn't exist?

There's no such thing as leftover wine, at least not for British drinkers. henryjeffreys.substack.com/p/coravin-sc...

Hell is a wine list Wine lists give me the fear. I can still recall the prickle of adrenaline when my father handed me the leather-bound menu when I was in my early twenties because I had started working for a wine merch...

Why less choice is better on a wine list. www.spectator.co.uk/article/hell...

I was in Tokay a couple of months ago!

“at 6am we were bundled into a transit van along with a motley crew of Romanians, Syrian refugees and students, and put to work on the treacherous slate slopes picking Riesling on a cold, damp October morning. For six hours. I don't think I have ever worked so hard in my life.”

Thank you for sharing!

Worth reading on wine and labour availability.

Listening now thanks, that lady really has the podcast vocal fry voice, doesn't she?

How Booze Built Britain - Chelsea Heritage Quarter Join award-winning drinks writer Henry Jeffreys for a spirited exploration of how alcohol has shaped, mirrored and even made history.

Londoners! I'm doing the Chelsea History Festival on Wednesday 24 September at 6pm. Please come! chelseaheritagequarter.co.uk/chf/how-booz...

The great grape picking crisis Henry Jeffreys explores how labour shortages, migration policies and mechanisation are reshaping the harvest.

With death and scandals in Champagne and immigration raids in California, is there a global grape picking crisis? www.internationalwinechallenge.com/Canopy-Artic...

Thanks Richard!

"It's like pinot noir but with more alcohol" is a really useful observation. I'm a fully signed-up grenache-lover.

In praise of grenache It’s like pinot noir but with more alcohol. What’s not to like?

Wrote a thing on International Grenache Day and especially this incredible Tavel I had recently. henryjeffreys.substack.com/p/in-praise-...

I don't find it very funny, is probably the main problem, but the acting is great and it grew on me the second time I watched it.

That's a wonderfully windy American headline - proper NYT stuff.

Ok!

Sideways at 21 "Quaffable though far from transcendent"?

Wrote a thing about Sideways which turns 21 this year. How does it hold up? henryjeffreys.substack.com/p/sideways-a...

This was a great trip down memory lane, pints of Dogbolter at the Feast & Firkin (we called it the Beast of Burden) in Leeds.

Very useful to give you a crash course in say Bordeaux or Portugal, not going to have the nattiest flavour of the month. Would be very handy in a restaurant. Outside West Europe and US probably less so.

Hugh Johnson’s Pocket Wine Book 2026 Or why in the age of AI and algorithms, books written by knowledgeable, witty people are more vital than ever.

Google sends users to irrelevant adverts and utterly pointless AI which means that really good old-fashioned books are more useful than ever. henryjeffreys.substack.com/p/hugh-johns...

Britain’s elite bacchanalia | Fred Sculthorp | The Critic Magazine Once, Financial Times man sat astride the globe without really having to explain himself. His was a world so arcane and procedural in its stratospheric dullness — with its sovereign debt markets…

"On the slopes of Kenwood House, like a routed medieval army at rest, were scores of wealthy pensioners in colourful attire, snoozing off a German wine tasting session." thecritic.co.uk/britains-eli...