In this section you will find contact details for some of the many magazines & websites covering wine & food. We will also supply details and mini reviews of books that might be of interest to those visiting our site and we will occasionally report on speciality wine & food tours.
If you have anything that you think might be relevant to this section please send us details and we will consider including it.
Rest of this section being updated.
Laithwaites - tasting dinners & tasting events
One of Hyperion's highly recommended. Laithwaites is ubiquitous - described as one of the world's premier home delivery wine merchants and voted Decanter magazine's Independent Wine Merchant of the Year 2007.
With one click of the mouse you enter the world of wine according to Tony Laithwaite, and his knowledgeable & friendly colleagues. An all embracing and extremely informative site that caters for wine lovers at all levels.
The story started circa 1965 in Bordeaux, progressing to one man & his van, culminating in one of the most efficient and egalitarian wine merchants in the world. It retains the founders' original passion, with extensive background info & leading edge technology. Amongst its many services Laithwaites runs a series of wine tastings and wine dinners across the UK, throughout the year. These have proved an interesting way to try new wines, meet the winemakers and chat with fellow customers.
For dates, admission fee & locations go to:
http://www.laithwaites.co.uk & to about us & events
ThirtyFifty - tastings, courses & corporate events
At Hyperion we recommend a visit to ThirtyFifty if you are interested in private or corporate wine tasting events & courses. The name incidentally refers to the geographical latitudes within which vines grow best.
ThirtyFifty organizes private and corporate wine tasting events in the UK and short courses in London. Wine expert Chris Scott heads up the ThirtyFifty team and produces a weekly wine podcast, The UK Wine Show - a great resource for those in the wine industry as well as wine enthusiasts. ThirtyFifty is also the International Wine Challenge Wine Educator of the Year 2008.
For the full picture, go to:
http://www.thirtyfifty.co.uk
http://www.ukwineshow.co.uk
Books of interest
The story of Patricia Atkinson's heroic struggle to build an eventually successful vineyard form a few hectares of vines near Bergerac, France. It describes her battles against bad vintages & extreme weather.
Described by Jilly Cooper as "beautifully written, like smelling the grapes. It is immensely humane and funny too."
Famed wine writer Malcolm Gluck describes it as "the most striking story of la vrai vie rustique francaise since Peter Mayle's A Year In Provence." At Hyperion we recommend this as an instructive and captivating read.
Available on Amazon
Title: The Ripening Sun
One woman and the creation of a vineyard
Author: Patricia Atkinson
Publisher: Arrow Books
http://www.randomhouse.co.uk
ISBN 0 09 9443163
Hyperion's Michael Fabian writes: This is the compelling tale of the Ryman family - as in the ubiquitous UK stationers - coming to the Dordogne after selling up in the UK, to pursue that oft chased dream of buying a Chateaux & producing a succsesful wine. Patriarch Nick Ryman, with cordonbleu cook wife, Anne & children Hugh, Corrine & Camilla, settled on Chateaux de la Jaubertie, in the heart of the Dordogne.
From taking on a vineyard producing a very modest wine, the Rymans embarked upon a roller coaster of an adventure, embracing a hard fought battle to produce the now highly regarded Jaubertie, with sometimes difficult consequences for the family.
A story of a family determined to pursue a plan & how it dealt with a range of unexpected obstacles. Hyperion has sampled Jaubertie regularly & concurs with the experts that it is an established success.
Available on Amazon
A Vineyard in the Dordogne: How an English Family Made Their Dream of Wine, Good Food and Sunshine Come True
Author: Jeremy Joseph
Publisher: Metro Books London May 2002
ISBN-10: 1843580187 ISBN-13: 978-1843580188