American wit and comedian Groucho Marx famously once said “I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member”. For many years, this maxim has characterized my aversion to joining a wine club. I’ve preferred being an outlier, more comfortable grazing across different merchants and independent suppliers; from Passione Vino to Majestic … Continue reading Join The Club
There can’t be many national anthems that pay tribute to the wine of their homeland but, such is the reverence Hungarians attach to their most famous wine, Tokaji, that it is rightly celebrated in their patriotic hymn Tokaji is chiefly made from the Furmint grape (it may also include its stablemate Hárslevelü) but can even … Continue reading Power Hungary
Passione = Passion: a compelling desire for someone or something; enthusiastic enjoyment of an interest or activity; intense emotion compelling action. How appropriate that the name of London’s finest enoteca is also the perfect noun to describe its founder and leading light Luca Dusi. Fuseblower knows you love getting out there and finding the latest … Continue reading Passione Italiana
I’d be surprised if you hadn’t come across the names of Russell Norman or Polpo but, in case you’ve been living in a caravan in Wales for the last 10 years, here is a brief, potted biog. Russell is the indefatigable restaurateur (and former chef) behind the popular Italian eaterie, an atmospheric, buzzy version of a Venetian … Continue reading The Doge of Soho
When Fuseblower was a young rake gadding about the East End he became a fan of London based gangster movies. One such flick: “The Long Good Friday”, particularly caught his interest. In this definitive London tough-guy film, which you should feel obligated today to rewatch instead of working, Bob Hoskins and Helen Mirren are dealing … Continue reading Steak Acclaim
I want you to close your eyes – ok, so not right this minute (I’ll tell you when!) – and conjure up this vision… You’re sitting at a beachside ristorante. You’ve just despatched your aperitivo, Acquasale, (a pimped up Apulian bruschetta, featuring the local Collina di Brindisi DOP extra-virgin olive oil) you have Antipasti di … Continue reading Calafuria Dreamin’
At the same time as Justin Bieber was making his debut at St Joseph’s Maternity Hospital in London, Ontario, some 3,600 miles away Patrick McGrath MW was hatching a plan – together with a small alliance of wine estates – to launch a wine agency that better represented select, family-owned, wine companies. The 3 apostles, … Continue reading Tonight We’re Going To Party Like It’s 1994!
Not a typical Saturday for Fuseblower by any means but, in the company of @londonfare, it gave me the chance to explore some of the great venues in Bermondsey that I’ve hankered after visiting for ages. There was also the small matter of a football match in between all the browsing and sluicing but it … Continue reading I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles
When Fuseblower was a young lad growing up in Kent his chief pursuits were fishing for perch and tench in the River Stour, watching the Cowdrey brothers demolish opposition bowlers at the St Lawrence County Cricket Ground, messing about in dinghies off Pegwell Bay, and doing his military training in Hougham Woods (ok so it … Continue reading Côte de Kent
When I think of Saint-Tropez I am put in mind of Gunter Sachs (playboy extraordinaire) cascading Brigitte Bardot with a hundred red roses, from a helicopter, as he hovered over her villa – during their courtship; artists like Signac, Matisse and Bonnard painting in the limpid light of the peninsula (as evinced by the Bonnard … Continue reading Just A Minuty
