Wine
Naughty But Nice
Doctors throughout history have recommended wine for good health
Drunk At The Despatch Box
The pitfalls of addressing the House of Commons while seriously inebriated
The Discreet Charm Of Burgundy
The wine region in the 18th century was a cornucopia of delights but still recognisable as the Burgundy of today
Legends of the Cinque Terre
Why doesn’t the fabled Italian wine praised by Petrarch pass muster today?
The Politics Of The Bottle
The political implications of prosecco versus a pint
Cento Ground
The cento is a sophisticated and demanding poetic form — and best suited to schoolboyish ends
Vines And Virtue
Following Samuel Butler’s footsteps in New Zealand
Private Pleasures
Was Marvell’s muse privately encouraged by drink?
Carpe Vinum
Horace, the great poet of wine
The Mourning After
The effervescent poetry of Herrick’s hangovers
Why Remoaners should back Boris
“Boris, ironically, now offers Remoaners the best chance of a soft Brexit, or at least a sensible one. And to those who want a second referendum—’the people’s vote’—there may even be a chance of that too.”
On the road
“In the summer of 1980, in the grip of some Kerouac-ish fantasy, I opted to hitch-hike from Laredo to New York”
Discovering the Great War of China
A third of a million Chinese labourers helped the Allies defeat the Kaiser, but their huge unsung contribution ended in betrayal