There’s an excellent article in the Financial Review by Max Allen discussing whether or not Australian winemakers should be able to use the name Prosecco. It used to be common…
Four German Rieslings of note
Just tasted these four. I love Riesling. S. A. Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr ‘Devon’ Riesling Trocken Grosses Gewächs 2010 Mosel, Germany 12.5% alcohol, 8.8 g/l sugar, 8.6 g/l acid. This is…
Who judges the wine judges? And how can we increase judge diversity?
Wine judging is tough. This week and next it’s International Wine Challenge judging, which will keep me and quite a lot of other people busy. I guess if you are…
Raventós i Blanc Textures de Pedra Blanc de Negres 2013
This is a single vineyard wine from Raventós i Blanc. It’s Cava, but labelled as Conca del Rui Anoia because they were disappointed by the quality standards of most Cava…
La Rioja Alta Gran Reserva 890 Selección Especial 2005
The top wine of La Rioja Alta. It’s a blend of 95% Tempranillo, 3% Graciano and 2% Mazuelo, and the wine spends 6 years in barrel with 10 rackings (transferring…
Eduardo Chadwick, Decanter Man of the Year 2018
It was a pleasure to head to the Lanesborough last night for a dinner in honour of Eduardo Chadwick, Decanter Man of the Year 2018. The Decanter Man/Woman of the…
On hope, for wine businesses, for people
It’s amazing how much bravery a little hope can inspire. But take away hope – make someone feel trapped and hopeless – and they then become cautious and fearful. Many…
The wines of Envinate, one of Spain’s most exciting producers
Envinate is a really exciting project from Spain, focusing on making terroir-transparent wines from mainly Atlantic-influenced regions. It began in 2008 with four friends who’d studied enology together in Alicante:…
Clos Cibonne: geeky, iconic Provence rosé from the Tibouren grape
Clos Cibonne is alternative Provence. Now I’m a big fan of Provence Rosé, which is one of the wine world’s great success stories. But it’s not really a geek wine,…