Winner's Enclosure

You might expect, after more than 2 decades in the business, that Jim Nicholson's zeal for discovering the new in the vinous world might be abating somewhat.

Not a bit of it. The man, and his team, are as obsessive and as crazy about the business of wine as they have ever been, forever chasing around the globe in search of the good, the great and the gorblimey! to be put into a bottle. The secret of Nicholson's success, we reckon, lies in a remark he made to us years back, when he stressed that working with family firms was always a priority for his company. The care and dedication of the winemakers, then, is reflected by Jim and his crew in the form of knowledge, service, and sheer hard work. For this, James Nicholson wine merchants have just been awarded the title of Wine Merchant of the Year 2001-2002 in the International Wine Challenge. This is the 10th year out of the last dozen that Nicholsons have scooped the prize, an awesome achievement. And they mange all of this, by the by, in a stylish shop in way-out-of-the-way Crossgar. There is no detour more worth the taking.

Website: www.jnwine.com

Winner all right

And whilst our sponsor has been garnering prizes, our illustrator has been doing likewise. Stand up and take a bow, Ken Buggy, and his wife Cathleen, who have been awarded a César award by the Good Hotel Guide for their peerless hospitality in the magnificent Buggy's Glencairn Inn. There is nowhere else like it, so get yourself to West Waterford and see what the César is all about.

Website: www.buggysglencairnin.com