One of the highlights of judging the Canadian Wine Awards a couple of weeks ago was hanging out with the fellow judges. One of them was sommelier Brad Royale, who…
Ganevat Les Chamois du Paradis 2011, an amazing Jura Chardonnay
Jura wines are becoming increasingly popular, and when you taste bottles like these, it’s not hard to see why. Jean Francois Ganevat is perhaps the most highly regarded producer in…
The remarkable Talinay Vineyard Chardonnay from Tabali, Limari, Chile
A few years ago I visited a remarkable coastal vineyard in Limari, Chile, with active limestone soils. It was Tabali’s Talinay vineyard, and it’s turning out some seriously impressive Chardonnay…
In Canada, day 1, at Pearl Morissette
So I arrived in Canada yesterday afternoon and headed down to Pearl Morissette winery in Jordan, Niagara, where I am staying for a couple of nights. A few friends joined…
A great evening at The Quality Chop House
So Ferran Centelles, super somm from Spain, was in town. Seeing as he treated Richard Hemming, Xavier Rousset and me when we were in San Sebastian last year, we thought…
A perfect day of football and wine
So it was off to Selhurst Park yesterday, the home of Crystal Palace FC. They were playing ‘my’ team, Manchester City, and I’d been kindly invited along by Palace co-chairman…
Some highlights from the New California tasting
Yesterday’s New California tasting, organized by Roberson, was remarkable. So many great wines, with the hallmark being detail, sense of place and balance – traits not always associated with Californian…
Zind 2010, a lovely Chardonnay-based wine from Alsace
I love Zind Humbrecht’s wines, as you can see from this write-up of the 2010s when I visited Olivier Humbrecht at his winery. One of the more unusual of the…
Two superb Chardonnays, Yarra and Burgundy
I was presented with these two wines blind by my brother-in-law Beavington. It was a fascinating challenge: both were clearly serious expressions of Chardonnay (we share an appreciation for great…