The Winery San Dona of Chianti of Toscane

There’s a reason why heavily-applied perfume ranks highly on most wine lovers’ list of pet peeves. It overpowers your senses, conceals aromas and distorts your perception of a wine. In professional tastings and wine exams the wearing of perfume is banned, if not thoroughly frowned upon. You just don’t do it. What then, if we applied the same logic to music, controlling the sounds we hear, or don’t hear, while tasting wine? There’s no doubt that a chaotic environment can clog your synapses, makin ...

Every year the hospitality industry holds its breath as the revised line up of the Michelin Guide is announced. A star won – or lost – is often a pivotal moment in the consolidation of a venue’s name and the reputation of the chef, sommelier and restaurateurs behind it. Yesterday, February 16th, the Michelin Stars were unveiled for this year’s Michelin Great Britain & Ireland Guide, with 19 restaurants having been newly awarded a star, bringing the total number of one starred restaurants in ...

The entrepreneur, vintner and art collector was surrounded by family when he passed away at the age of 86. Hess was born in Switzerland back in 1936, and he inherited a brewery close to Bern from his father. He learned the brewing tradition as an apprentice in Bavaria, and he pioneered a successful new method for producing non-alcoholic beers. Hess sold the brewery and reinvested the proceeds in a mineral spring in Vals, a village close to the Italian border. He turned Valser into Switzerland’s ...