Taittinger make some very nice wines. I’ve particularly enjoyed their NV of late, which always shows well in blind tastings. They have a sizeable vineyard holding of 288 hectares, which helps…
In the Douro (4) Vallado
Our final day in the Douro Valley began at Quinta do Vallado. As well as being a very good wine estate, Vallado also have one of the best hotels in…
B Vintners: an exciting ‘vine exploration’ winery from South Africa
B Vintners is a collaboration between cousins Gavin Bruwer and Bruwer Raats. They describe it as a ‘vine exploration company’, and the aim is to tell the story of the…
A delicious Koshu from Japan: Grace Kayagutake 2013
Koshu is a Japanese grape variety. It produces large bunches of pink-skinned grapes, which are used to make white wine. Often it’s quite neutral, but here’s one that has some…
Some lovely affordable bottles from the Co-operative
Tasted at the Co-op press tasting on Tuesday. Some nice affordable wines, and one slightly pricier bottle. Trapiche Pure Malbec 2014 Uco valley, Mendoza, Argentina 14% alcohol. This unoaked Malbec…
Ermita del Conde Albillo Centenario 2013
This is a superb, affordable Spanish white, made from a centenarian high-altitude (900 m) vineyard just outside (to the north east of) the Ribera del Duero DO. It’s made from…
Changing views on ripeness in South Africa: a welcome development
One thing that my tastings at Cape Wine has reinforced, is something that I have believed for a while. It’s that it is possible – even in quite warm climates…
South African Chenin Blanc: some highlights from the Cape Wine beach party
These are some of the highlights from the Chenin Blanc beach party at Cape Wine, which I caught on Monday afternoon. It’s great that Chenin Blanc is now fully recognized…
In South Africa, day 1
I’m in South Africa, again. No great hardship: I love this country. I arrived on Saturday, and as usual, I’ve found little time to write blog posts, so this will…