This is an interesting red from the lesser known Spanish region of Arribes, on the international Douro with Portugal sitting over the river. In fact, if you head further into…
Controversialist: judgements of quality in wine
One of the issues about wine that really interests me is this: who gets to decide what is good? This touches on aesthetics, and also definitions of quality, and there…
A brilliant value Garnacha from Navarra
Garnacha, aka Grenache, is a variety that can tend to soupy lushness when it’s grown in warm climates. Here, in Spain’s Navarra, from old vines, it has produced a really…
Visiting Elim, a distinctly cool South African region
The last leg of my South African adventure saw me heading south, to the southernmost tip of Africa itself. The Elim wine region is just 20 km from Agulhas, and…
South Africa, the final day
The last day of my South African trip. How I wish I could have stayed for longer. Last night it was a wine dinner at the home of Dave Johnson…
Dinner at Pierneef La Motte
Had a nice dinner last night at Pierneef La Motte, a new high-end restaurant in Franschhoek. It was a jolly crowd (pictured above, from left) – Michael Langenhoven (assistant winemaker,…
Day 3, South Africa – the Elgin marvels
My first visit to Elgin! One of the goals of this trip is to visit regions that previously I’d missed – Elgin, Elim, Hemel-en-Aarde. So it was off to Iona…
South Africa, day 2 – the Sauvignon seminar
It has been a really good day. Today was the SBIG seminar, and it was really well attended. The great and the good of the South African wine-making community gathered,…
South Africa, day 1
So I managed to sleep through most of the flight from London to Cape Town. I was helped by a pair of eye shades and some ear plugs, the first…