One of the main challenges in this northerly, continental region is spring frosts. These still cause considerable losses from time to time, and the 2016 and 2017 vintages were affected….
Chablis (4) the Balade Gourmande (film)
Sunday was the Balade Gourmande in Chablis. It changes village each year, and this time the location was Maligny. The idea is that 600 people walk around the vineyards, stopping…
Chablis (2) the soils
Chablis is one of those regions where the soils are to the fore in discussions about the wine, but they are not the only factor determining the characteristics of the…
Chablis (1) an overview
I’m in Chablis, and it’s very exciting, because this is my first time here. I know: I should have been here before, but even though it’s slightly embarrassing, it’s a…
Eisenberg, Austria: home to elegant Blaufränkisch
I met up with Christoph Wachter, who heads up the Eisenberg DAC group, to taste some wines from the region. The focus of the tasting was on a new initiative:…
Blind tasting exam, MW style: what’s it like?
Yesterday. I joined in a tasting session with two MW students who were doing a test practical paper. I’ve never done a tasting like this before, and to be honest,…
Is UK sparkling wine heading for a glut?
An article in the Guardian yesterday reported on how last year Brits drank a record 4 million bottles of English sparkling wine a year (aside: actually, I should probably call…
Two natural Italian wines from The English Winemaker
These two wines are made by Matt Gregory, wine merchant turned winemaker who has adopted the name ‘The English Winemaker’. I met him in Christchurch last year when I was…
Choosing a red wine list for Ramada hotels
Towards the end of last year, one of the fun jobs I had was working with the Ramada hotel chain to produce a red wine list. The idea was to…