HOUSE NOTES
Notes from 105 Piccadilly, Mayfair.
Our editorial wing and candle-lit corner of conversation. This is where the cork comes out and the stories begin to breathe: dispatches from dinner tables, conversations on travel, taste, art, and the odd beautiful mistake along the way. Think of it as the after-hours lounge of House of Decant — and everyone is welcome.
149 articles
- Insights
The Balvenie: A Whisky Lover's Pilgrimage
A profile of The Balvenie: the five rare crafts still kept at Dufftown, the invention of cask finishing, and the expressions worth seeking out.
- Insights
Nikka: Japan's Finest, and Its Most Romantic Origin Story
A profile of Nikka: Masataka Taketsuru's Scottish apprenticeship and marriage, the Yoichi and Miyagikyo distilleries, and the whiskies to start with.
- Insights
Moet & Chandon: The World's Most Famous Champagne
A profile of Moet & Chandon: the largest Champagne house, its Epernay cellars, the Grand Vintage philosophy, and the late-disgorged Collection releases.
- Insights
Louis Roederer: The Family Behind Cristal
A profile of Louis Roederer: family-owned since 1776, the estate-grown philosophy behind its wines, the story of Cristal, and where to start in the range.
- Insights
Laurent-Perrier: The House That Bet on Rosé
A profile of Laurent-Perrier: the Tours-sur-Marne house that made maceration rosé respectable, championed zero-dosage Champagne, and built Grand Siècle by refusing to pick a single vintage.
- Events
Five Macallans. Seventy Years. One Night.
Five bottles, one distillery and more than seventy years between the earliest spirit and the night we open it. A five-course dinner at the House on 29 September.
- Advice
Chablis: Burgundy's Crisp, Mineral Other Half
A guide to Chablis: why this northern Burgundy Chardonnay tastes of wet stone, the Petit-Chablis-to-Grand-Cru ladder, and why oysters are the point.
- Insights
Mourvèdre: The Mediterranean's Best-Kept Secret
Mourvèdre is the Mediterranean's best-kept secret, a grape so fundamentally interesting that it shouldn't work as a supporting player. Yet it does, brilliantly, in blends. Finding pure Mourvèdre is like discovering you've been walking past treasure your entire life.
- Insights
Syrah: One Grape, Two Personalities, Infinite Possibilities
The same grape, split across a world. In Burgundy they call it Syrah; in Australia, Shiraz. One sends you into the arms of pepper and earth, the other wraps you in plump berry warmth. Both are endlessly, maddeningly brilliant.
- Advice
Australian Wine: From Barossa Shiraz to Hunter Valley Semillon
A guide to Australian wine: powerhouse Barossa Shiraz, the age-defying secret of Hunter Valley Semillon, and the cool-climate side few expect.
- Advice
Oregon Wine: Pinot Noir Country (and Proud of It)
A guide to Oregon wine: why the cool Willamette Valley became a Pinot Noir haven, its small-scale ethos, and the whites worth trying too.
- Advice
Chilean Wine: Big Value, Bigger Ambitions
A guide to Chilean wine: the vineyard paradise between Andes and Pacific, the lost Bordeaux grape Carmenere, and the premium side worth discovering.