This week while I was in McMinnville I had a chance to taste through the Eyrie range with Jason Lett. Back in the mid-1960s Jason’s dad, David, planted the first…
Some wine folk, Oregon and beyond, snapped this week
I’m leaving Oregon tonight after a very successful International Pinot Noir Celebration (IPNC). Over the course of the last four days, at the celebration and also today in Portland, I…
Blending Pinot Noir clones
During the International Pinot Noir Celebration in Oregon, one of the events is a vineyard visit. The delegates are split into groups and each visits a different vineyard. Our group…
Tasting the debut (2000) wines from Quinta de Chocapalha, Lisboa, Portugal
It was a real treat to try the first two wines made from this domaine. Back in 2002 I attended a dinner in the Douro at which several winemakers gathered…
i4C – more interesting Chardonnays from Canada and beyond
Here are some more notes on Chardonnays tasted at the International Cool Climate Chardonnay Symposium (i4C). Many are from Ontario, but there are also wines from other parts of Canada,…
i4C cool climate Chardonnay conference, some highlights
If you are going to have a conference on a single white grape variety, from a drinking point of view, Chardonnay is probably the best choice. Over the weekend at…
i4C school of cool part 2, winemaking and Chardonnay
Earlier I reported on session 1 of School of Cool, part of the 2017 international cool climate Chardonnay celebration here in Niagara, Canada. Session 2 delved into winemaking decisions with…
i4C School of Cool, part 1: the influence of soil on the flavour of Chardonnay
The opening event of the Cool Climate Chardonnay Celebration (i4C), School of Cool, kicked off with a session on soil. Dr Paul Anamosa began the session talking about the impact…
Quinta do Noval Vintage Port 2015
Quinta do Noval have lately become known for what the English wine trade describe quaintly as ‘eccentric’ declarations. They released a vintage Port in 2013, for example. Now they’ve released…