Yesterday I took part in a session for LCBO (Liquor Control Board of Ontario) product consultants, focusing on Ontario wines. This was held in Niagara-on-the-Lake, in the vineyards (we started…
A major award for I Taste Red
I’m so thrilled that I Taste Red, my latest book, has just won an a major award. Last night, at the Louis Roederer International Wine Writers’ Awards, it was successful…
Judging the Wines of Argentina Awards 2017
For the last week I have been in Mendoza, Argentina. This is the heart of Argentina’s wine industry, and it is by far the largest region, with 156 000 hectares…
Dinner at Edy’s with some great people and wines, including some Argentine stars
Had a lovely dinner last night at Edy del Popolo’s place, along with Sebastien Zuccardi (winemaker), Paz Levinson (sommelier), David Bonomi (winemaker and partner of Edy in Per Se) and…
Visiting the stunning monastery vineyard in Gualtallary, Mendoza, Argentina
Edgardo (Edy) del Popolo and Davi Bonomi took Paz Levinson and I out to see their Monasterio vineyard, high in Gualtallary, in the Uco Valley. Here, at 1500 metres…
Visiting the CARO winery in Mendoza, Argentina
CARO is the joint project between Eric de Rothschild (Lafite) and Nicolas Catena. Lafite had already begun a joint venture in Chile (Los Vascos) when Baron Eric met Nicolas, and…
The wines of Luis Pato, Bairrada star
Luis Pato is perhaps the most famous face in Bairrada, even though he’s had a bit of a love-hate relationship with the regional authorities, that led him for a time…
The wines of Quinta das Bágeiras, Bairrada
Mário Sérgio’s Quinta das Bágeiras is one of the leading wineries in Bairrada. He created the domaine in 1989 from 12 hectares of vines he got from his grandfather, and…
Adding features: why the bolt-on approach to growth rarely works in wine
Recently I was driving a hire car. Back in the day, cars used to have radios, and perhaps a cassette player. Then there were a few knobs to control the…