Fromm is an important winery for Marlborough, because they were one of the first to champion single vineyards in the region. They are also unusual in that in a white…
Dinner at Café Sillon, Lyon, with Ganevat and Dard & Ribo
It was my birthday. And I was in Lyon. And at short notice we managed to get space at the bar at Cafe Sillon, which I’d heard a lot about….
Jurtschitsch Pot des Fleurs Grüner Veltliner ‘Ernte’ 2014 Austria
Amphorae are all the rage, and sometimes – as in this case – the hype around their use is justified. This Pot Des Fleurs is a beautiful wine that has…
Pet Nat focus (1) Kindeli La Lechuza
I’m beginning a series on Pet Nats! This is an interesting style of wine that’s becoming more popular. Also known as Methode Ancestrale, Pet Nat stands for Pétillant Naturel, and…
Neil Ellis Op Sy Moer 2016, a distinctive white bottled with fine lees
Warren Ellis, son of Neil, showed me this wine on a recent trip to South Africa. It’s a blend of Palomino from Piekeneerskloof (450 m, Table Mountain sandstone soils), with…
Two orange wines from Spain
Last night I drank two orange wines from Spain. Both different in style, but both very good. The first, a distinctive Albillo, was on the list at the brill Morito. The…
Gamay Focus 30, Hervé Souhaut La Souteronne
I had this wine twice in two nights at Scotch Bar, Blenheim. It’s from Hervé Souhaut’s Domaine Romaneaux-Destezet, which is based in Arlebosc in the Ardèche, just west of Tain l’Hermitage….
Loire adventure: visiting the remarkable François Saint-Lô
The rain was easing as we arrived for an appointment with François Saint-Lô, but it was still a cold, damp day. Not ideal for tasting wine. There’s nothing fancy about…
Alice Feiring on Natural Wine at Must 2017, Cascais, Portugal
I’m in Estoril (next to Cascais, on the coast, near Lisbon), Portugal, for the inaugural MUST fermenting ideas wine summit. Things kicked off yesterday with a talk by Alice Feiring,…