This was my second visit with a winery that I’d classify as Nagano’s best at the moment. Domaine Sogga, also known as Obusé Winery, is based in Obusé and is…
Nagano region, Japan (13) Saint Cousair
We arrived at St Cousair just before sunset on a crisp winter’s day. This is a winery with a view, perched on the top of a hill. There’s an interesting…
Some highlights from the Waitrose press tasting
I’ve just spent two afternoons tasting through the range of Waitrose, a UK-based supermarket. The range is varied and some of the buying is quite brave and imaginative, especially when…
Gaia Wild Ferment Assyrtiko 2018 Santorini, Greece
Santorini, the well known Greek island, is famous for its Assyrtiko wines, made from vines grown with one of the most distinctive viticultural methods out there (the Santorini ‘kouloura’). This…
Robert Parker retires
It has been announced today that the world’s most famous wine critic has retired. The critic in question, Robert Parker, pretty much invented the genre, and was the first to…
Shadow work
As humans, we are all mixed. Most of us want to be good, but occasionally we aren’t, even though we may be trying our best to do the right thing….
Working for free
Lots of chat at the moment, both in the wine world and also the wider world, about working for free. We live in the intern culture. We get offered gigs…
#gogamaygo: the rising star of Gamay from Ontario
As part of Toronto’s Terroir Symposium I was asked to lead a tasting of Ontario Gamay. It was titled by the hashtag that Canadian Dr Janet Dorozynski came up with…
Tasting appassimento-style wines from Niagara, Canada
This tasting at the Terroir symposium in Toronto was led by Elsa Macdonald, and it focused on the topic of her MW dissertation: appassimento-style wines from Canada’s Niagara peninsula. These…