Simon J Woolf
@simonjwoolf.com
Writer, author & presenter. Lover of handmade beverages, food, coffee & electronic music.
Books: Amber Revolution (2018, 2021), Foot Trodden (2021) (with Ryan Opaz)
Subscribe to my weekly newsletter: https://themorningclaret.com/
Brit living in NL.
Books: Amber Revolution (2018, 2021), Foot Trodden (2021) (with Ryan Opaz)
Subscribe to my weekly newsletter: https://themorningclaret.com/
Brit living in NL.
If you ever needed proof that China is an authoritarian country.....
December 2, 2025 at 11:05 AM
If you ever needed proof that China is an authoritarian country.....
Wow! I feel that this, made by Sühring restaurant in Bangkok, could have given the prizewinner a run for their money:
When they brought it to the table, I thought it was a fake - just an ornament to illustrate the origin of the dish. Then they sliced it and served it to us. OMG.
When they brought it to the table, I thought it was a fake - just an ornament to illustrate the origin of the dish. Then they sliced it and served it to us. OMG.
December 2, 2025 at 11:02 AM
Wow! I feel that this, made by Sühring restaurant in Bangkok, could have given the prizewinner a run for their money:
When they brought it to the table, I thought it was a fake - just an ornament to illustrate the origin of the dish. Then they sliced it and served it to us. OMG.
When they brought it to the table, I thought it was a fake - just an ornament to illustrate the origin of the dish. Then they sliced it and served it to us. OMG.
"The people who make our lives more difficult don't arrive on rubber dinghies, they arrive on private jets"
Ross Creer MSP on BBC Debate Night.
Applies everywhere, not just the UK.
Ross Creer MSP on BBC Debate Night.
Applies everywhere, not just the UK.
October 14, 2025 at 9:42 AM
"The people who make our lives more difficult don't arrive on rubber dinghies, they arrive on private jets"
Ross Creer MSP on BBC Debate Night.
Applies everywhere, not just the UK.
Ross Creer MSP on BBC Debate Night.
Applies everywhere, not just the UK.
It's my montage showing queen foot treading grapes 😂
September 3, 2025 at 4:00 PM
It's my montage showing queen foot treading grapes 😂
A slightly snarky guide to Amsterdam's natural wine scene, with my off-piste favourites and a survival guide if you really want to do battle with the hipsters.
Second half of the piece is for paying subscribers. It'll only cost you €5 to become one of them!
themorningclaret.com/p/amsterdam-...
Second half of the piece is for paying subscribers. It'll only cost you €5 to become one of them!
themorningclaret.com/p/amsterdam-...
August 14, 2025 at 3:00 PM
A slightly snarky guide to Amsterdam's natural wine scene, with my off-piste favourites and a survival guide if you really want to do battle with the hipsters.
Second half of the piece is for paying subscribers. It'll only cost you €5 to become one of them!
themorningclaret.com/p/amsterdam-...
Second half of the piece is for paying subscribers. It'll only cost you €5 to become one of them!
themorningclaret.com/p/amsterdam-...
Not sure about AI? Here's how to stop search engines from showing you AI answers in preference to actual web sites.
Google: use www.udm14.com (performs google search with the option &udm=14)
Better yet, change your default search engine to DuckDuckGo and don't forget to tweak this setting:
Google: use www.udm14.com (performs google search with the option &udm=14)
Better yet, change your default search engine to DuckDuckGo and don't forget to tweak this setting:
August 11, 2025 at 3:00 PM
Not sure about AI? Here's how to stop search engines from showing you AI answers in preference to actual web sites.
Google: use www.udm14.com (performs google search with the option &udm=14)
Better yet, change your default search engine to DuckDuckGo and don't forget to tweak this setting:
Google: use www.udm14.com (performs google search with the option &udm=14)
Better yet, change your default search engine to DuckDuckGo and don't forget to tweak this setting:
Gulp Hablo is a budget priced Spanish orange wine that's been selling like hot cakes and ruffling a few feathers in the natural wine world.
I took a look at what it's all about.
themorningclaret.com/p/gulp-hablo...
I took a look at what it's all about.
themorningclaret.com/p/gulp-hablo...
July 4, 2025 at 11:47 AM
Gulp Hablo is a budget priced Spanish orange wine that's been selling like hot cakes and ruffling a few feathers in the natural wine world.
I took a look at what it's all about.
themorningclaret.com/p/gulp-hablo...
I took a look at what it's all about.
themorningclaret.com/p/gulp-hablo...
What is it about French Wine?
Why and how one European nation has dominated the wine world for centuries.
Is it time for a change?
themorningclaret.com/p/what-is-it...
Why and how one European nation has dominated the wine world for centuries.
Is it time for a change?
themorningclaret.com/p/what-is-it...
June 25, 2025 at 2:30 PM
What is it about French Wine?
Why and how one European nation has dominated the wine world for centuries.
Is it time for a change?
themorningclaret.com/p/what-is-it...
Why and how one European nation has dominated the wine world for centuries.
Is it time for a change?
themorningclaret.com/p/what-is-it...
I fundamentally don't believe they do. I've always held it's a philosophy not a style.
At the same time (as I wrote in this piece), if a wine tastes squeaky clean and simple/monothematic, one might cast aspersions as to its "naturalness" and ponder how much intervention there was.
At the same time (as I wrote in this piece), if a wine tastes squeaky clean and simple/monothematic, one might cast aspersions as to its "naturalness" and ponder how much intervention there was.
June 20, 2025 at 9:03 AM
I fundamentally don't believe they do. I've always held it's a philosophy not a style.
At the same time (as I wrote in this piece), if a wine tastes squeaky clean and simple/monothematic, one might cast aspersions as to its "naturalness" and ponder how much intervention there was.
At the same time (as I wrote in this piece), if a wine tastes squeaky clean and simple/monothematic, one might cast aspersions as to its "naturalness" and ponder how much intervention there was.
Are these the world's cheapest natural wines?
I review three new releases from Romanian giant @cramelerecaseu.bsky.social (finally a winery that's actually on here!)
Together with thoughts about how natural (or not) they are.
themorningclaret.com/p/cramele-re...
I review three new releases from Romanian giant @cramelerecaseu.bsky.social (finally a winery that's actually on here!)
Together with thoughts about how natural (or not) they are.
themorningclaret.com/p/cramele-re...
June 19, 2025 at 1:59 PM
Are these the world's cheapest natural wines?
I review three new releases from Romanian giant @cramelerecaseu.bsky.social (finally a winery that's actually on here!)
Together with thoughts about how natural (or not) they are.
themorningclaret.com/p/cramele-re...
I review three new releases from Romanian giant @cramelerecaseu.bsky.social (finally a winery that's actually on here!)
Together with thoughts about how natural (or not) they are.
themorningclaret.com/p/cramele-re...
Really impressed with Lonely Planet - wanted the latest edition of their Greek islands guide & my local bookshop didn't have it.
Ordered direct from their site, arrived the next day w free shipping. Seems they have a distribution centre in NL.
I've boycotted Amazon for years so this was a big win.
Ordered direct from their site, arrived the next day w free shipping. Seems they have a distribution centre in NL.
I've boycotted Amazon for years so this was a big win.
June 19, 2025 at 12:48 PM
Really impressed with Lonely Planet - wanted the latest edition of their Greek islands guide & my local bookshop didn't have it.
Ordered direct from their site, arrived the next day w free shipping. Seems they have a distribution centre in NL.
I've boycotted Amazon for years so this was a big win.
Ordered direct from their site, arrived the next day w free shipping. Seems they have a distribution centre in NL.
I've boycotted Amazon for years so this was a big win.
A lot of people have a romantic idea about family businesses in wine.
Alex Zahel is not one of those people. He and his wife Hilary gave me a full and frank interview about his painful exit from his family winery, and their new negoce project.
themorningclaret.com/p/austrian-f...
#biodynamic
Alex Zahel is not one of those people. He and his wife Hilary gave me a full and frank interview about his painful exit from his family winery, and their new negoce project.
themorningclaret.com/p/austrian-f...
#biodynamic
May 29, 2025 at 9:04 AM
A lot of people have a romantic idea about family businesses in wine.
Alex Zahel is not one of those people. He and his wife Hilary gave me a full and frank interview about his painful exit from his family winery, and their new negoce project.
themorningclaret.com/p/austrian-f...
#biodynamic
Alex Zahel is not one of those people. He and his wife Hilary gave me a full and frank interview about his painful exit from his family winery, and their new negoce project.
themorningclaret.com/p/austrian-f...
#biodynamic
On the eve of one of Europe's biggest fairs dedicated to Central European wines, I dug into the term a little and tried to figure out what it means and how it really relates to wine.
themorningclaret.com/p/the-empire...
themorningclaret.com/p/the-empire...
May 15, 2025 at 3:37 PM
On the eve of one of Europe's biggest fairs dedicated to Central European wines, I dug into the term a little and tried to figure out what it means and how it really relates to wine.
themorningclaret.com/p/the-empire...
themorningclaret.com/p/the-empire...
Got it. I've come up with a formula that will auto-generate the score.
April 17, 2025 at 3:44 PM
Got it. I've come up with a formula that will auto-generate the score.
Yes I still love Bordeaux. And I explain why in this guide, where we review 37 organic, biodynamic, low-intervention reds.
No there aren't any scores.
Yes you have to pay. I worked like crazy to bring you this guide.
themorningclaret.com/p/tmc-guide-...
No there aren't any scores.
Yes you have to pay. I worked like crazy to bring you this guide.
themorningclaret.com/p/tmc-guide-...
March 21, 2025 at 1:54 PM
Yes I still love Bordeaux. And I explain why in this guide, where we review 37 organic, biodynamic, low-intervention reds.
No there aren't any scores.
Yes you have to pay. I worked like crazy to bring you this guide.
themorningclaret.com/p/tmc-guide-...
No there aren't any scores.
Yes you have to pay. I worked like crazy to bring you this guide.
themorningclaret.com/p/tmc-guide-...
I was thinking about the published sub-title.
March 7, 2025 at 2:45 PM
I was thinking about the published sub-title.
Both parts of themorningclaret.com 's first ever wine guide are now online!
We blind tasted through 44 orange wines from Collio (= every producer & nearly every orange currently made in the region).
Read our faves, recommendations & tasting notes here:
themorningclaret.com/p/tmc-guide-...
We blind tasted through 44 orange wines from Collio (= every producer & nearly every orange currently made in the region).
Read our faves, recommendations & tasting notes here:
themorningclaret.com/p/tmc-guide-...
February 28, 2025 at 4:10 PM
Both parts of themorningclaret.com 's first ever wine guide are now online!
We blind tasted through 44 orange wines from Collio (= every producer & nearly every orange currently made in the region).
Read our faves, recommendations & tasting notes here:
themorningclaret.com/p/tmc-guide-...
We blind tasted through 44 orange wines from Collio (= every producer & nearly every orange currently made in the region).
Read our faves, recommendations & tasting notes here:
themorningclaret.com/p/tmc-guide-...
Joking apart, I was recently mentioned (with other international wine ppl) in Air Serbia's onboard magazine (oh the glamour). The article (abt a big wine fair we were all attending) was in Serbian & English.
In the Serbian version they respelt our names phonetically to read well in Serbian.
In the Serbian version they respelt our names phonetically to read well in Serbian.
January 16, 2025 at 2:16 PM
Joking apart, I was recently mentioned (with other international wine ppl) in Air Serbia's onboard magazine (oh the glamour). The article (abt a big wine fair we were all attending) was in Serbian & English.
In the Serbian version they respelt our names phonetically to read well in Serbian.
In the Serbian version they respelt our names phonetically to read well in Serbian.
Started watching Black Doves on Netflix, and my first thought (apart from that it's really very good) is how much of modern drama revolves around the (mobile) phone.
Every few minutes someone has to answer their phone, and that's how the story advances.
This is the modern way.
Every few minutes someone has to answer their phone, and that's how the story advances.
This is the modern way.
January 7, 2025 at 4:30 PM
Started watching Black Doves on Netflix, and my first thought (apart from that it's really very good) is how much of modern drama revolves around the (mobile) phone.
Every few minutes someone has to answer their phone, and that's how the story advances.
This is the modern way.
Every few minutes someone has to answer their phone, and that's how the story advances.
This is the modern way.
Two of the most stunning bottles I enjoyed over Christmas. The Tondonia reserve 07 opened wonderfully over the course of an hour to reveal so much beautiful fruit.
Bellene 10, wow, so fresh, aromatic and pure but with proper grunt and structure underpinning the fruit. Sensational.
Bellene 10, wow, so fresh, aromatic and pure but with proper grunt and structure underpinning the fruit. Sensational.
December 30, 2024 at 11:31 AM
Two of the most stunning bottles I enjoyed over Christmas. The Tondonia reserve 07 opened wonderfully over the course of an hour to reveal so much beautiful fruit.
Bellene 10, wow, so fresh, aromatic and pure but with proper grunt and structure underpinning the fruit. Sensational.
Bellene 10, wow, so fresh, aromatic and pure but with proper grunt and structure underpinning the fruit. Sensational.
Even by my standards, this was an insane blind tasting selection for one evening:
Château Palmer 2004, Radikon Ribolla Gialla 1998, and a 2022 orange natural wine from Korea!
Château Palmer 2004, Radikon Ribolla Gialla 1998, and a 2022 orange natural wine from Korea!
December 2, 2024 at 4:12 PM
Even by my standards, this was an insane blind tasting selection for one evening:
Château Palmer 2004, Radikon Ribolla Gialla 1998, and a 2022 orange natural wine from Korea!
Château Palmer 2004, Radikon Ribolla Gialla 1998, and a 2022 orange natural wine from Korea!
Well, that's the blue bird of yore aka the Excrement gone from my life.
(Archive downloaded, account "deactivated" which seems the only way to delete it)
Onward!
(Archive downloaded, account "deactivated" which seems the only way to delete it)
Onward!
November 26, 2024 at 8:26 AM
Well, that's the blue bird of yore aka the Excrement gone from my life.
(Archive downloaded, account "deactivated" which seems the only way to delete it)
Onward!
(Archive downloaded, account "deactivated" which seems the only way to delete it)
Onward!
Enjoying a cold sunny day in Belgrade
November 24, 2024 at 12:33 PM
Enjoying a cold sunny day in Belgrade