One of the most exciting wines of my Oregon trip was also one of the last. It was at Antica Terra with the fabulous Maggie Harrison, on a day in…
Erni’s remarkable dry Riesling
One of the star wines at this year’s IPNC was actually a dry Riesling. Erni Loosen popped by the table I was at with a remarkable dry Riesling, aged for…
Two cool wines from the Okanagan, Canada: Riesling and Syrah
Tried these rather lovely wines from the Okanagan Valley in Canada, and thought they deserved a write-up, even though they might be hard to find. You heard it here folks:…
Two from Champagne Savart
Fred Savart’s Champagnes are the real deal. His elevage is in a mixture of oak and now concrete, and the production here consists of small volume, terroir focused wines. I’ve…
Bochis Francesco Langhe Barbera – remarkable value from Piedmont
So enjoyed this wine. It’s a Piedmont Barbera aged for four months in large botti, from limestone soils at 420-460 m. Bochis Francesco Langhe Barbera Dogliano 2012 Piedmont, Italy 13%…
Research suggests fruit flies could be responsible for wine’s pleasant aromas
Could fruit flies be responsible for the nice smell of most wines? This is a really interesting idea suggested by a research paper just published in scientific journal Ecology Letters….
Smith & Evans Higher Plot Pinot Chardonnay 2010 Somerset, a new English fizz
Always good to see a new English sparkling wine that’s of top quality. I was really impressed by this. It’s the first crop from a vineyard in Somerset, planted in…
Some wines from a weekend away
Just been away for a weekend with family, staying in a lovely house in Puddletown, Dorset. It wasn’t a wine geeky sort of weekend, so I brought along some good…
Two lovely Loire Chenins
These were two wines I enjoyed at the IPNC Grand Dinner, sandwiched between Pascaline Lepeltier and Rajat Parr. Totally brilliant examples of Chenin Blanc from the Loire. Quite different in…