Spotted in the Douro: wild vines

Now this is terribly geeky: I know. But when I visited Quinta dos Malvedos last September I was delighted to see a wild vine growing in a tree.

This is really interesting to me, because this is the native habitat for the grape vine. Originally, all vines would have been woodland climbers. They are adapted for [...]

So will first growth Margaux soon be using screwcaps?

In short, no.

I have just written up Tuesday’s presentation and tasting on the results from research carried out by Bordeaux first growth Chateau Margaux. This was presented by Paul Pontallier, and he displayed an incredibly open and thoughtful attitude in sharing details of the in-house experiments that have been going on there for a decade.

The [...]

Corked wine, and some dodgy lenticels

Had another corked wine. I say ‘another’, but actually, it’s the first in ages. I wonder whether it’s getting rarer? Or maybe, it’s because many wines I drink are sealed with alternative closures or treated technical corks such as Diam?

Once again, this corked wine has some large, deep lenticels on the wine-facing end. I’ve wondered [...]

'Wines from here will become world famous'

The Brancott Estate earlier today

The title of this blog post – ‘wines from here will be come world famous’ – were the prophetic words uttered by Montana’s Frank Yukich as he put the first vines of the modern era into the ground in Marlborough.

There’s a monument to his achievement at the Brancott Estate. Yukich [...]

Some more thoughts on terroir

Prompted by the discussion that followed my recent post on the taste of terroir, here are a few more thoughts on the subject.

1. Not all sites are created equal
I recently read an article on terroir by Claude and Lydia Bourguignon. They made lots of points, some of them good, some plain patronising and chauvinistic. [...]

How cork is made

Just posted an illustrated guide to how cork is made, on the main wineanorak site - here. It’s a very attractive substance. Such a shame about the existence of cork taint, and also the fact that cork isn’t totally consistent. But when it’s good, it can help wines age magnificently.

In neck closures – natural cork, technical [...]

Video: seven things you should know about terroir in wine

Here’s a film where I ramble on interminably about terroir. Well, actually, it’s my seven key points on this most wonderful of concepts in wine. I hope that you find it useful and entertaining.

The Wiseman ‘Study’ – cheap versus expensive wine

Much has been written about a scientific ‘study’ by psychologist Richard Wiseman which showed that people can’t tell the difference between cheap and expensive wine. (See, for example, this report this report in The Guardian and this report in the Telegaph.)

But, in this world of soundbyte news reporting, it’s just the headline message that is [...]

The remarkable viticulture of Dry River, Martinborough, New Zealand

I have just published an extended write-up of a visit to one of New Zealand’s most exciting producers: Dry River, Martinborough. Here, I want to focus on one aspect of what they do – their viticulture, which is remarkable.

The vineyards are immaculate. A split canopy system called Scott Henry is employed, with both upward and [...]

Closures: Diam's guarantee, and new from Nomacorc

Haven’t mentioned the juicy subject of wine bottle closures around here for a while.

I’m seeing more and more Diams – the technical cork that’s made from fragments of cork cleaned from any contamination by supercritical carbon dioxide. In a new move, I’ve encountered my first Diam (in a Bordeaux white) that guarantees on the cork [...]