There’s a great story behind Waipara winery Pegasus Bay, which was the second visit of my New Zealand tour. Back in 1976, Christchurch neurologist Ivan Donaldson had caught the wine…
Q&A on oxygen and wine shipping and bottling
I have just taken some time to answer an email from a TV researcher about wine and oxygen, specifically related to shipping and bottling wine. Because it took a fair…
Some thoughts on Central Otago and the sense of place in wine
As I write I am flying from Queenstown to Christchurch after less than a full day spent in Central Otago, one of the most visually striking wine regions on the…
In New Zealand, day 1, Central Otago
It was hard to get my head round the contrast. One day I’m shivering in a snowy, dark-skied London. The next, I’m sitting on an internal flight crossing the dividing…
Two good, affordable Gruner Veltliners
I have a soft-spot for Gruner Veltliner, the wonderful Austrian white grape variety that the Kiwis are now beginning to plant. Here are two good, affordable examples. The problem with…
Shooting and drinking a fortified Tannat
Spent a great day at a stag do for my buddy Richard today. He’s getting married in a few weeks, and so he gathered a bunch of chums to see…
Coto de Gomariz The Flower and The Bee Sousón
This is such a beautiful, utterly drinkable wine. It’s from Ribeiro, a region in northwest Spain in Galicia, and it is made from the Sousón grape variety, which is the…
Shaw & Smith Shiraz 2010
Met with Michael Hill-Smith today at the shiny new Liberty Wine offices in Clapham, to taste the latest releases of Shaw & Smith. For me, this is one of Australia’s…
Diam Rendezvous, Bordeaux: the influencers in the world of wine
On Friday, I took part in an interesting conference in Bordeaux, organized by closure manufacturer Diam. The audience was a group of Bordeaux wine growers, and the panel consisted of…