Wine

Jan 27, 20234 min read

What makes a wine "vegan"?

What makes a wine vegan? Isn't it just...grapes? Yes - and no. One of the great anomalies of wine is that despite being a food or...

Travel Guide: Planning a Wine Tasting Day in Mornington Peninsula

Sophie Griffiths

Mar 23, 20224 min read

Travel Guide: Planning a Wine Tasting Day in Mornington Peninsula

Only 1.5 hours from Melbourne, Mornington Peninsula is a brilliant option for a day of wine tasting thanks to its compactness, focus and...

Prepping Your Palate & Mind for WSET Diploma Tasting Exams

Sophie Griffiths

Mar 23, 20227 min read

Prepping Your Palate & Mind for WSET Diploma Tasting Exams

How to prepare your palate for Diploma tasting exam - some practical advice and exam-day hacks to help you feel prepared and in control.

A Book Lover's Guide to Wine: Wines As Romantic Icons

Sophie Griffiths

Feb 3, 20222 min read

A Book Lover's Guide to Wine: Wines As Romantic Icons

1. Heathcliff A swarthy, formidable hero of exotic origins; brooding, earthy and untamed. The Lebanese icon has always been produced with...

WSET Diploma: How to survive D3 without losing your mind (completely)

Sophie Griffiths

Sep 13, 202117 min read

WSET Diploma: How to survive D3 without losing your mind (completely)

Updated Oct 2024. If you've come here because you're panicking about the WSET D3 module, I've got you. Take a deep breath and just know,...

Sophie Griffiths

Aug 26, 20217 min read

How to: Choose Your Wedding Wine.

Wine is an integral part of any wedding celebration in our western culture. It also represents one of the biggest variable costs in the...

THAT Baked Feta & Tomato Pasta recipe...

Sophie Griffiths

May 24, 20213 min read

THAT Baked Feta & Tomato Pasta recipe...

For a period of time over February this year, it was impossible to get hold of feta cheese. Did you notice? I certainly did. I had seen...

Women in wine: 5 moments that reshaped wine in 2020

Sophie Griffiths

Mar 7, 202110 min read

Women in wine: 5 moments that reshaped wine in 2020

The last live event that Vignette Wine hosted in 2020, before the pandemic hit, was an #International Women's Day celebration of women...

Sophie Griffiths

Sep 14, 20203 min read

Recipes from Sicily: Pasta alla Norma

A real Sicilian classic, you can barely go wrong with this recipe which is pure, indulgent comfort food. The name comes from the opera...

Recipes from Sicily: Tonno all’Eoliana - Aeolian-style Marinated Tuna with Capers & Fresh Tomato

Sophie Griffiths

Sep 14, 20202 min read

Recipes from Sicily: Tonno all’Eoliana - Aeolian-style Marinated Tuna with Capers & Fresh Tomato

Capers, these spicy, pungent little buds are commonly found in Sicilian cooking, seeing as they are cultivated on the island of...

Recipes from Sicily: Orange & Fennel Sicilian Tuna Ceviche

Sophie Griffiths

Sep 14, 20203 min read

Recipes from Sicily: Orange & Fennel Sicilian Tuna Ceviche

One morning while anchored up in a bay on the island of Vulcano, we were greeted by the sight of a fishing boat offering us to buy some...

7 Ways To Quickly Chill Wine & Keep It Ice Cold

Sophie Griffiths

Aug 11, 20204 min read

7 Ways To Quickly Chill Wine & Keep It Ice Cold

Sacre Bleu! You forgot to put a bottle of wine in the fridge earlier! Here are my tips for cooling wine down pronto...

Sophie Griffiths

Jul 21, 20208 min read

What the hell is natural wine?

EVERYTHING YOU EVER WANTED TO ASK ABOUT NATURAL WINE So now that we've dealt with some of the claims of Cameron Diaz's new Avaline "Clean...

The Genius and The Disingenuity of Cameron Diaz’s new "Clean Wine"

Sophie Griffiths

Jul 21, 20209 min read

The Genius and The Disingenuity of Cameron Diaz’s new "Clean Wine"

Last week Cameron Diaz and her business partner Katherine Power launched a ‘clean’ wine brand: Avaline. “Cameron Diaz and Katherine Power...

But... why ARE there so many fish restaurants by the sea?

Sophie Griffiths

Jul 7, 20207 min read

But... why ARE there so many fish restaurants by the sea?

Why are there so many fish restaurants by the sea? Think about that for a second and you’ll soon feel your knee-jerk response quickly...

Do My Eyes Deceive Me? Gorillas & Naked Emperors

Sophie Griffiths

Jun 30, 20204 min read

Do My Eyes Deceive Me? Gorillas & Naked Emperors

Sensory Self Discovery: The Art of Re-Emergence Sensory deprivation has become the norm these last few months. The sensory overload of...

Father's Day: Clever gift ideas for wine lovers

Sophie Griffiths

Jun 14, 20204 min read

Father's Day: Clever gift ideas for wine lovers

Puzzles, books and (not-naff) wine gadgetry? And not a pair of socks in sight. Here are my recommendations for Dad-worthy Father's Day...

Three African-American Winemakers to know

Sophie Griffiths

Jun 3, 20203 min read

Three African-American Winemakers to know

With everything going on, and conscious of what a white world wine is (#winesowhite) I was moved to do some research into...

Breaky Bottom: England's Most Idyllic Vineyard

Sophie Griffiths

Apr 6, 20206 min read

Breaky Bottom: England's Most Idyllic Vineyard

Breaky Bottom is to blame for converting my nonchalant interest in English fizz into a fully-blown love affair. On a June weekend in...

Sophie Griffiths

Apr 3, 20208 min read

Wine Hippy: Plan a California Road Trip

Planning a drive up the Pacific Coast Highway? Here is my small, but perfectly formed, tried and tested address book for places to add to...