Chablis is one of those regions where the soils are to the fore in discussions about the wine, but they are not the only factor determining the characteristics of the…
Could we smell better? Much better?
Do we have only very limited access to the sensory information that we are receiving all the time? As a wine taster, I’m particularly intrigued that my senses are capable…
Tasting Climate Change, in Montréal: the impact of warming on wine
Yesterday was the Tasting Climate Change conference https://www.tastingclimatechange.com/en/ , organized by Michelle Bouffard and held in Montréal, Canada. It was a half-day event looking at the impact of climate change…
What determines your taste? Why I disagree with Tim Hanni
Tim Hanni MW has become well known in the wine trade for his work on separating people into different groups according to their taste preferences. He has some interesting things…
Is elevated atmospheric CO2 to blame for rising alcohol levels in wine?
Lisa Perrotti-Brown of the Wine Advocate recently published an article that caused quite a stir on the Internets. Lisa begins by saying that that the rise in alcohol levels in…
One of the weaknesses of the growing degree day concept, and similar climatic indices
I remember back in my old job, when we had a scientific conference on the nature of intelligence. It’s a topic you approach with caution. Nature versus nurture? Genetics versus…
José Vouillamoz on grape varieties, at MUST 2017
It was great to hear José Vouillamoz present at MUST. He’s a plant scientist with a special interest in grape varieties, and this was the subject of his talk. He…
Are we potentially much better at smelling than we realise? The curious case of androstenone
Androstenone is a smelly steroidal compound produced by pigs that is described as sweaty, urinous, and musky by those who can smell it. Depending on the version of the OR7D4…
Time to leave the biodynamic calendar behind? Wine tastes the same on fruit and root days
There’s been a lot of talk about the biodynamic calendar in the wine trade. At wine tastings, it’s not unusual for tasters to start muttering that the wines aren’t showing…