This was my first time in Prosecco country. Prosecco is a phenomenon. It has come from almost nowhere to being one of the most visible of all sparkling wines (selling…
Two lovely wines from Gusbourne, one of England’s top wineries
New releases from Gusbourne, one of the top sparkling wine producers in the UK. Really impressive. Gusbourne Brut Reserve 2015 England 12% alcohol. 53% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay, 7% Pinot…
Prince Edward County, Ontario (4) Hinterland
Hinterland is a sparkling wine specialist. Jonas Newman and Vicki Samaras established their winery in a converted dairy barn that previously was home to 48 cows. In a previous…
Central Otago (13) Akarua
Akarua is an important producer for Central Otago. In a region of small outfits, they are a reasonable size, and of late have been on a vineyard-buying spree. With winemaker…
Nyetimber Blanc de Blancs 2013
I was excited to try this new 2013 Blanc de Blancs from leading English sparkling wine producer Nyetimber, because it is the first vintage to feature wine from their Hampshire…
Vineyards of Hampshire tasting: some of England’s best sparkling wines on show
Last week, the vineyards of Hampshire held a tasting showcasing some of the top sparkling wines from this county. Of course, Hampshire is, as a county, a political boundary and…
Champagne Pommery’s English sparkling wine
This is the first English sparkling wine launched by a Champagne producer. It’s the result of a partnership between Champagne Pommery and Hampshire-based winery Hattingley Valley. The wine is named…
Prosecco Wars: should the Aussies be able to use the name?
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…
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…