I arrived in South Africa yesterday morning. Greeted by a bright, brisk sunny winter’s day, I headed off to Franschhoek. This is the tourist hotspot of the winelands, and with…
Sendiäna, a new wine from Lebanon
Lebanon has a 5000 year history of wine growing. This is a new wine from Caves de Monastere St Jean, which is based in a monastery in the mountains of…
In the Similkameen Valley, BC, Canada
The Similkameen Valley is a peaceful yet dramatic place. Running parallel to the Okanagan, it lacks the lakes, but makes up scenery wise by being hemmed in moodily by mountains….
Rolly Gassman Pinot Blanc 2010 Alsace
Got home from a trip last night to find a box of Alsace wine waiting for me. It’s only a few weeks since my last visit there, which once again…
The remarkable Marqués de Riscal City of Wine
Yesterday I visited one of the world’s most remarkable winery buildings. I had dinner at the Marqués de Riscal ‘City of Wine’. I’d heard about Riscal’s bold architecture, but it’s…
At Contino, Rioja, with winemaker Jesús Madrazo
Contino is an estate-based winery, which is unusual in Rioja. It’s based on a 62 hectare vineyard that is at the beginning of Rioja Alavesa, not far from Logroño. The…
In the Okanagan, BC, Canada: Le Vieux Pin, La Stella, Black Hills and Tinhorn Creek
Severine Pinte is the winemaker behind two high-end Okanagan properties: Le Vieux Pin and La Stella. The former is a Rhône specialist and is currently making some of Canada’s top…
In the Okanagan, BC, Canada: Meyer Family Vineyards, Culmina and CheckMate
Jak and Janice Meyer bought a small vineyard in the Naramata Bench back in 2006. Originally, this was just a hobby vineyard, but in 2008 when Jak started selling the…
Unintended and unexpected consequences
I was at a dinner last night when I heard the news. I really wasn’t expecting the British people to vote to leave the European Union. I was shocked. So,…