In the world of Hypercars, where mind-bending power figures and eye-watering price tags have become par for the course, it’s easy to become desensitised. But the McLaren W1 arrives with the singular mission of reminding us all what true supercar mastery looks like.

It’s not just about numbers, although make no mistake, the W1 numbers are huge, it’s about a deep, visceral connection between man and machine. With the W1, McLaren has achieved that elusive blend of ferocious performance and pure driving pleasure.

Domaine Evremond, the result of a unique collaboration between Champagne Taittinger, historic wine merchant Hatch Mansfield, and close friends, has reached a significant milestone with the official opening of its winery in Chilham, Kent. The event, attended by Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Edinburgh, marks a pivotal moment for English sparkling wine, and it’s a development I’ve followed with particular interest.

As a lifelong night owl, one of my all-time hotel pet peeves is the often relatively early time that breakfast finishes, which can have you dragging yourself out of bed after a late night out and hot-stepping it to the last slot unkempt and bleary-eyed, sometimes missing out by a matter of minutes or even seconds if the staff member at the lectern is particularly officious. 

I recently had the privilege of spending a day at Villa Margon, the beautiful heart of Ferrari Trento wines, located just an hour’s drive from the culturally rich city of Verona. Renowned for its Roman-era Arena di Verona, Verona is still a venue for operas and concerts, and its connection to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. While my previous visits had been centred around cycling along the scenic routes of Lake Garda, this trip was all about the wines of Ferrari Trento. 

People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you made them feel."- Maya Angelou.

Our bullet-nosed deutsche-Bahn ICE train, silently glided under the arching glass and steel canopy defining Frankfurt Central Station, leaving the city of Goethe and skyscrapers behind. The train interplayed and intertwined with the ‘Main River’, vaguely following its meandering path until the steep-sided ‘Steinwein’ (stone) vineyards signified we had arrived at the Franconian city of Würzburg.

Engine:

At the heart of the Triumph Tiger 1200 GT Pro is a retuned version of the Speed Triple's 1160cc triple-cylinder engine. While it delivers a slightly more modest 148bhp @ 9,000rpm and 130 Nm torque, it remains the most powerful shaft-driven adventure bike on the market. 

So, we took the eco-friendly electric Audi Q8 e-tron SUV mountain biking in the Surrey Hills. The tracks there are amazing, maintained by hordes of unsung workers who landscape the hills for downhill descents—quite illegally but with great skill. Afterwards, we toured Norwich for a little history and culture. We're not just muscle-bound jocks, you know.

To get a proper sense of what Florence has to offer four days is what I’d suggest. To get away in a successful manner I need to change climate, language, culture and, perhaps most vitally, to change centuries. The secret, I find, is to surrender, to be transported in time, to sharpen my eyes and train myself to look, look and look again at all the detail and refinery. It’s so edifying and so reviving of my spirits. How life-affirming to appreciate the artistic skill of Florence’s forebears. 

Torabhaig

The Torabhaig distillery on Skye never ceases to excite me. As you may have read previously, I have tasted all the releases of their Legacy series and loved each one. However, I had never had the opportunity to taste their distillery exclusives - until now. This changed at the wonderful Merchant House in London, where Neil Macleod hosted a small group of us.