There’s a really interesting article on the BBC News site discussing why rain smells so good. The smell of rain hitting the ground releases a smell that has been dubbed…
Harvest at Gabrielskloof, pressing Grenache Gris and barrel work
With four different producers working in the same cellar space, there’s always plenty going on at Gabrielskloof, especially because I’m here right in the peak period of harvest. Here are…
Three Vermentinos
I’m quite a fan of the Vermentino grape variety, also known as Rolle in Provence. It makes white wines with character and freshness from warm climates. These wines are all…
Some profound(?) thoughts prompted by this Loire trip
Terroir is a creative act between people and a place. Terroir only exists in the context of a wine, and wine is a creative act as a winegrower seeks to…
Making Provence rosé
Rosé is a technical wine. This past few days I’ve been quizzing winemakers on just how they go about making it. Here’s a short introduction to making rosé wines, and…
At Noble Rot with the IPOB crowd, drinking Raveneau and Chave
On Tuesday evening I was back to Noble Rot, for dinner with the In Pursuit of Balance crowd: Raj Parr, Jamie Kutch, Jasmine Hirsch, Steve Matthiason, Mark Andrew and Totte…
The Barry Smith interview: what is the nature of wine perception, and is wine flavour objective?
Professor Barry Smith (above) is an academic philosopher with a particular interest in flavour. A keen wine geek, he organized the first symposium on wine and philosophy back in 2004,…
Does extended maceration obscure terroir?
Does extended maceration, to the extent that occurs in many amphora or orange wines, obscure or trump site and grape variety? This was a really good question that I was…
Natural wine: a fad or here to stay?
This is the text of a talk I am giving today in Lisbon. It’s titled: ‘natural wine: a fad or here to stay?’ Historical context Some historical context. Consider wine…