Saint-Amour is the most northerly and the second smallest of the Beaujolais crus, and 115 growers farm its 308 hectares. The soils here are a bit different: the region’s granite…
Two lovely Sancerres from Jolivet
Sauvignon Blanc isn’t a boring grape. It is capable of greatness. Here are two lovely Loire Sauvignons from Pascal Jolivet. Jolivet has 70 acres in Sancerre and Pouilly Fume, and…
In Madrid, day 2
I’m on my way home now after an enjoyable couple of days in Madrid. Last night we went out for some fun. We started off in the Mercado de San…
A Tempranillo from Oregon: Abacela South East Block
One of the judges this week at the ML Wine competition is Earl Jones, who owns the Abacela winery in southern Oregon. He’s an interesting chap: he came to wine…
In Madrid for the ML Wines competition
So I find myself in Madrid. It’s a little chillier than London, which caught me out a bit. But it is a nice place to spend a few days. I…
Marlborough: boom, bust, and boom again
Boom and bust. Then boom again. That has been the recent story of Marlborough. The commercial success of Marlborough Sauvignon led to a massive increase in plantings throughout the late…
Zind 2010, a lovely Chardonnay-based wine from Alsace
I love Zind Humbrecht’s wines, as you can see from this write-up of the 2010s when I visited Olivier Humbrecht at his winery. One of the more unusual of the…
Learning to love Nebbiolo: Mascarello, Giuseppe e Figlio
In my quest for Nebbiolo to love, I came across two rather gorgeous bottles from Giuseppe Mascarello. This is one of those producers with a reputation for making mostly sublime…
At the New Douro tasting, with some of Portugal’s finest
Today’s New Douro tasting was remarkable. Five new producers have joined the ND fold, so the tasting expanded to take in two rooms at the Portuguese Ambassador’s residence in Belgrave…