I have been judging wines at Tranche 1 of the International Wine Challenge this week. The idea is, for the first time, to split judging into two sessions: the customary…
Some lovely wines at The Sampler
The Sampler is such a great wine merchant. I spent some time at the South Kensington store this evening tasting wines from their enomatic machines. You don’t need to spend…
A brilliantly affordable sweet South African
Very impressed by this affordable sweet wine from South Africa. It’s remarkable value for money. Nuy Red Muskadel NV South Africa 16% alcohol. This is something a bit different: an old-fashioned fortified…
Stunning wines from Alvaro Palacios
I have just written up the remarkable wines of Alvaro Palacios (and other family members): Alvaro Palacios, Priorat Descendientes de J Palacios, Bierzo Palacios Remondo, Rioja The top wines from…
More thoughts on selection, and does ageability require compromise?
I posted a couple of days ago about hyperselection, and whether or not this was a good thing in red winemaking. At lunch yesterday I had a discussion with Elizabeth…
Hyperselection: is it a good thing?
The idea of selecting grapes for quality isn’t a new one. It can be done in the vineyard (choosing which grapes to pick, or going through before harvest and getting…
Marcel Deiss Engelgarten
I love the wines of Alsace, and one of the leading producers in the region is Marcel Deiss. He takes an interesting approach. For the lesser terroirs, he makes varietal…
More from Belgrade, Serbia
Just back from Belgrade, where I have been having a lot of fun judging wines, eating, drinking and staying up too late. On Friday, we judged 160 wines; on…
In Serbia judging wine
I’m in Serbia. It is my first time here, and I’ve come to act as a judge in the Serbian wine awards competition Great Serbian Wine Tasting 2013, which is…