Pasqua Wines Unveils Fifth Edition of Hey French

Sometimes the wine world takes itself a little too seriously. Not so at Pasqua Wines in Verona, who have just released the fifth edition of one of the cheekiest bottles on the market, a wine provocatively titled Hey French: You Could Have Made It But You Didn’t.

Yes, you read that correctly. Somewhere in France a sommelier probably just sighed loudly.

The Verona-based winery unveiled the latest edition of the wine during its annual press conference at the spectacular Museo Archeologico at Teatro Romano, a suitably dramatic setting for a wine that happily pokes the Bordeaux bear.

A Wine That Breaks the Rules

“Hey French” isn’t just about the name. The wine itself is deliberately unconventional.

Instead of following the traditional “one vintage per bottle” rule, Pasqua uses a multi-vintage blending technique more common in Champagne than in still wines. The new edition blends six vintages, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022 and 2024, to create a layered, evolving wine that changes character with every sip.

Think of it as the wine equivalent of a greatest-hits album.

The grapes come from Monte Calvarina, a volcanic hillside vineyard sitting around 500 metres above sea level, giving the wine its distinctive mineral backbone.

After fermentation, the blend spends six to eight months ageing in oak barrels before additional refinement in stainless steel. The result? A white wine with serious complexity but a playful personality.

What Does It Taste Like?

According to the winery, the fifth edition delivers:

Exotic fruit notes

Chamomile and sage aromas

Rose buds on the nose

Almond hints from Garganega grapes

Herbaceous touches from Sauvignon Blanc

A subtle volcanic minerality

In short: the kind of wine that practically demands a second glass.

A Global Hit

The cheeky label hasn’t hurt sales either.

Pasqua reports that global revenue for the wine doubled in 2025, with strong demand from Italy, the United States and, rather amusingly, the United Kingdom

It turns out British wine drinkers quite enjoy a little Franco-Italian rivalry with their dinner.

Wine Meets Art

Pasqua also used the event to highlight its continuing love affair with the arts. The winery is sponsoring Verona’s Estate Teatrale Veronese festival and commissioning a large public art installation by artist CB HOYO at the Teatro Romano.

It’s all part of the winery’s broader cultural programme, which has invested around €6.7 million in artistic projects over the past decade, bringing together wine, creativity and public spaces.

A Bottle With Attitude

Wine is often wrapped in centuries of tradition, rules and whispered tasting notes.

Pasqua’s “Hey French” proves it doesn’t always have to be.

Sometimes the best wine stories start with a wink, a raised eyebrow… and a bottle that basically says:

“We did it our way.”

Edible Book Day: When Literature Meets the Kitchen

Every year on 1 April, food lovers, bakers and bookworms celebrate Edible Book Day, a wonderfully quirky event that combines two great pleasures of life: reading and eating.

Originally inspired by the French gastronome Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, whose famous work The Physiology of Taste explored the relationship between food and culture, the day encourages people to create edible creations inspired by books, authors, or literary characters. 

Think cakes shaped like novels, biscuits decorated with famous quotes, or entire scenes from classic stories recreated in icing and chocolate.

For anyone who enjoys both cooking and reading, it’s the perfect excuse to get creative in the kitchen.

Turning Books into Bakes

The concept is simple: take a book and reinterpret it as something delicious. The results can be as elaborate or as simple as you like.

Some popular ideas include:

“The Great Catsby” cake decorated with feline motifs

Harry Potter butterbeer cupcakes

The Very Hungry Caterpillar fruit platter

Alice in Wonderland tea-party biscuits

At its heart, Edible Book Day is about playful creativity. It’s not just for professional bakers either. Home cooks, families, schools and libraries all join in the fun.

Perfect for Cafés, Bookshops and Libraries

For hospitality venues, this quirky celebration can be a brilliant way to attract customers.

A café could run a literary cake display, where each dessert is inspired by a famous book. A pub might create a themed menu based on classic novels, while a hotel restaurant could host a literary afternoon tea featuring edible “books” made from sponge cake or chocolate.

Bookshops and libraries often take part too, hosting competitions where participants bring their edible creations along for judging. The rules are usually simple: the entry must be entirely edible and clearly inspired by a book or author.

These events are fantastic for families, helping to encourage both reading and creativity in the kitchen.

Easy Edible Book Ideas for Home

If you’d like to celebrate at home, you don’t need complicated baking skills. A few easy ideas include:

A chocolate brownie “book” decorated with icing to resemble a cover

Cupcakes topped with edible paper quotes from favourite novels

Jam sandwiches cut into the shape of stacked books

A sheet cake decorated like an open storybook

Children especially love the chance to turn their favourite stories into food.

A Celebration of Stories and Taste

Edible Book Day reminds us that food and storytelling have always gone hand in hand. Both bring people together, spark conversation and create lasting memories.

Whether you’re recreating a classic novel in cake form, baking literary biscuits, or simply enjoying a good book with a cup of tea and something sweet, it’s a charming celebration of imagination, creativity and the joy of sharing food.

So today, why not pick up a favourite book… and see if you can turn it into something delicious?

Celebrating National Sourdough Bread Day: The Rise of Britain’s Favourite Tangy Loaf

There are few aromas quite as comforting as freshly baked bread, and on National Sourdough Bread Day (1 April) bakers and bread lovers around the world celebrate one of the oldest and most flavourful breads ever created.

Sourdough has enjoyed a remarkable revival in recent years, moving from artisan bakeries into home kitchens across Britain.

What was once considered a specialist craft loaf has become a staple for food lovers who appreciate traditional baking methods, deep flavour, and the simple magic of flour, water, and time.

A Bread With Ancient Roots

Sourdough is believed to be the oldest form of leavened bread, with origins stretching back more than 5,000 years to ancient Egypt. Before commercial yeast was discovered and mass-produced, bakers relied on wild yeast naturally present in flour and the air.

This wild yeast, combined with beneficial bacteria, creates what bakers call a “starter” — a living culture that ferments the dough slowly. The process produces the characteristic tangy flavour, chewy crumb, and beautifully blistered crust that sourdough is famous for.

Unlike fast-rising breads, sourdough rewards patience. Fermentation can take many hours, sometimes overnight, allowing the dough to develop complex flavours that simply cannot be rushed.

Why Sourdough Has Become So Popular

The renewed enthusiasm for sourdough isn’t just about flavour, although that distinctive tang certainly helps. Several factors have driven its modern popularity:

1. Artisan food culture

Consumers increasingly appreciate traditional methods, craft baking, and food with a story behind it.

2. Long fermentation

The slow process can make sourdough easier for some people to digest compared with rapidly produced bread.

3. Simple ingredients

True sourdough contains just flour, water, salt, and a starter, no additives or preservatives.

4. The home baking boom

During lockdowns, many people discovered the joy (and occasional frustration!) of nurturing a sourdough starter and baking their own loaves.

How to Celebrate National Sourdough Bread Day

If you’ve never baked sourdough before, this day is the perfect excuse to explore it. You could:

Visit a local artisan bakery and try a freshly baked sourdough loaf.

Toast thick slices with good butter and sea salt.

Use sourdough for grilled sandwiches, bruschetta, or eggs on toast.

Start your own sourdough starter and begin the rewarding journey of baking at home.

Even a simple slice toasted and topped with honey, jam, or cheese highlights why sourdough has been beloved for centuries.

A Living Tradition

What makes sourdough special is that it’s alive. A well-maintained starter can last for years, even decades, passed between bakers like a culinary heirloom.

Across Britain, small bakeries and enthusiastic home bakers are keeping this ancient tradition thriving, proving that some of the best food innovations aren’t new inventions at all — they’re rediscoveries of techniques that have stood the test of time.

So today, whether you bake your own loaf or pick one up from your favourite bakery, raise a slice to the quiet miracle of flour, water, and wild yeast.

Happy National Sourdough Bread Day.