I’m just on the way home from Lisbon. I’ve spent today consulting for a major Alentejo winery that changed hands a while back. The new owner is smart enough to…
Sylvain Pataille, master of Marsannay
Over the last 15 years Sylvain Pataille has built up his domaine from scratch. He first made wine in 1999, while he was still employed in an enology laboratory in…
A Chenin Blanc seminar at Texsom
Patrick Cappiello and Pascaline Lepeltier presented this Chenin tasting at Texsom. ‘I deeply believe that Chenin is the best white grape in the world,’ says Pascaline, a very highly regarded…
Kutch-Dury: the inaugural Chardonnay from Jamie Kutch is a stunner
I’m quite a fan of the wines of Jamie Kutch. This is the first release of his Chardonnay and he has completely nailed it. It will be hard to find,…
The Riesling Rendezvous 2016, Seattle, Washington State
Three days in Seattle. So much Riesling! The fifth annual Riesling Rendezvous was in town, and I attended it for the first time. Riesling is a grape that has had…
Riesling Rendezvous: why analytical data don’t tell us much about the taste of Riesling
I’m at the Riesling Rendezvous conference in Seattle, Washington State. Held every three years, it’s an in-depth dive into this most distinctive of white wine grapes. It began on Sunday…
In the Okanagan, BC, Canada: Laughing Stock and Bella
The last couple of visits in the Okanagan were really interesting. The first was at Laughing Stock Vineyards on the Naramata Bench. Cynthia and David Enns (above) were financial people…
In South Africa: the Mullineux new releases
I visited the new tasting room at the Leeu Collection in Franschhoek, to taste through the new releases of the Mullineux wines. It’s a lovely space, with glass windows looking…
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….