Celebrated Burgundy producer Domaine Leflaive have switched away from natural cork to DIAM for all their wines, beginning with the soon-to-be released 2014 vintage. I was alterted to this news…
Canada versus New Zealand: two top Pinot Noirs from 2011 compared, and a lesson learned
Three nights ago I opened this pair of Pinots, both from the 2011 vintage. They’re wines that I’d cellared. The first is the Te Muna Road Pinot from Craggy Range,…
Terroir: the rumours of its death have been greatly exaggerated
There’s a very interesting article on Jancis Robinson.com today, in which she reports on a recent Institute of Masters of Wine (IMW) seminar on mineralogy. It deals with some very…
Gamay focus 22: Château de Durette Morgon ‘Hommage’ 2014 Beaujolais
The Belgian Beaujolais? This wine is from Château Durette, based in Régnié-Durette. In 2006 this was bought by Belgian Jean Joly. He got together some friends from Liège who purchased…
The remarkable Deconstructed wines of Richard Kershaw, Elgin, South Africa
Richard Kershaw is a British ex-pat and MW who has been making his own wines out of Elgin for a few years now. Previously he was winemaker at Mulderbosch. Richard…
Elgin Ridge, a biodynamic pioneer in South Africa’s Elgin region
Brian and Marion Smith are biodynamic pioneers in the Elgin Valley, with their Elgin Ridge wine estate. I visited them for a look around the vineyards with vineyard manager Taurai…
Inside the Cité du Vin, Bordeaux
The Cité du Vin is a major new tourist attraction in Bordeaux. I visited and spent a couple of hours looking around. Here’s a short film of the visit: It’s…
Tapas crawling in Logroño, Rioja
I’m in Rioja, on a short trip with Vintae, a dynamic wine company looking to make authentic wines across several Spanish wine regions. They’re working with organics, marginal vineyards, forgotten…
Viña Tondonia Reserva 2004
This is a lovely wine. Lopez de Heredia is an ultratradtional winery in Rioja, with no concessions made to modernity. I really like their wines, which show lovely complexity, made…