I love the packaging of the First Drop wines. The labels seem to resonate with the wines. And while I’m all for elegance, sometimes it’s great to have full-flavoured Aussie…
Syrah in South Africa, a film with some leading wine growers
The third and final of my varietally focused films interviewing leading South African wine growers focuses on Syrah. I love Syrah, and it is slowly but surely beginning to do…
Côte Rôtie, one of my great passions
I often get asked the impossible question. What is your favourite wine? For a wine professional, you can’t really afford to have a favourite. Let’s face it, the world of…
A really good New Zealand Syrah, tasted on video
One of those funny clip things where I taste a wine on video. In this case it is the rather good Legacy Series Syrah 2009 from Vidal in New Zealand’s…
Another lovely Kiwi Syrah, at an affordable price
Following on from yesterday’s plug for Trinity Hill’s rather tasty Syrah, here’s another lovely Kiwi Syrah, this time at a nicely affordable price. Villa Maria Private Bin Syrah 2009 Hawkes Bay,…
A superb New Zealand Syrah
New Zealand reds are exciting. They’re getting better all the time. I caught this Trinity Hill Syrah – a wine I actually bought with my own money (shock!) – in…
Syrah and Serine
I have just written up the wines of Eric Texier, who is doing some really interesting work in the northern Rhone. For me, his two best wines are both made…
Mullineux Schist and Granite 2010
Swartland-based Mullineux is one of the most respected of the new wave of South African wine estates, and in the 2012 Platter Guide they achieved a remarkable clean sweep of…
Northern Rhone series 26, Jean-Luc Colombo Les Fees Brunes Crozes 2009
Cornas-based winegrower and negociant Jean-Luc Colombo divides opinion. To some, he’s too modern – and I have had mixed experiences with his wines, finding some a little oak influenced, and…