2017 in pictures (2)

Carrying on the review of my year in Pictures, we’re beginning part 2 in late March:

And late March is Prowein time. It’s a hectic but fun few days in Dusseldorf. Pictured here is Daniel Niepoort showing off one of the Rieslings that he’s making with Philip Kettern in the Mosel.

Also spotted at Prowein: Eben Sadie, Peter-Allen Finlayson and Chris Mullineux

And Philippe Pacalet!

April: time to head to South Africa again. Here I’m with Chris Alheit and Franco Laurens

And John Seccombe of Thorne and Daughters

And Andrea and Chris Mullineux

In the Kaimansgaat vineyard drinking a Pinot Noir it produced from Peter-Allan Finlayson’s Crystallum

Stellenbosch

Then it was off to the Loire Valley, for a visit to the Centre Loire appellations of Sancerre, Pouilly Fumé, Montlouis, Reuilly and Quincy. The warm weather had caused early budding, and later in the month there were to be horrible frosts

Kimmeridgean limestone! Lots of little fossil oyster shells. They take their soils seriously in the Centre Loire, and rightly so.

Chavignol

The world’s flintiest vineyard, Pouilly Fumé

April is International Wine Challenge for two weeks. Always a special time with so many good fellow judges. Pictured is Oz Clarke, fellow co-chair and general legend.

April: the fab Real Wine Fair. Here’s Doug Wregg interviewing Michel Tolmer, author of Mimi, Fifi and Gouglou.

Drinking Georgian Orange wine with Emily Harman, Real Wine Fair.

Californian real wine: Matthew Rorick of Forlorn Hope

In early May I was off to Napa, California, for the Jackson Family Wine conference: pictured here with the fab Gilian Handelman and Josh Greene (Wine and Spirits magazine)

In May I had an epic trip to the Loire with grape witches Nicole and Krysta, and sommelier Lexi. We visited lots of people, and began the trip in London, then Paris (where we kidnapped our server at the Clown Bar), and then all the way through the Loire.

Sancerre

In the cellar with Jacky Blot, Montlouis

May: a trip to Amsterdam to lecture students and sommeliers.

June saw the Union des Gens de Metier tasting at Salisbury House in London. Some serious producers attended, including Jean-Marc Roulot, winegrower (and actor) from Meursault.

June also saw the first edition of MUST: fermenting ideas, which took place in Cascais in Lisbon. A lot of good people there. I was speaking on Natural Wine.

June: off to Nova Scotia, Canada. Judging the WineAlign National Wine Awards, speaking at the Atlantic Wine Forum, and visiting some of the producers who are making some really interesting wines in this new cool-climate area.

We had an epic evening of lobsters and folk dancing at Benjamin Bridge

The team at Lightfoot and Wolfville, one of the top producers in Nova Scotia

Then it was off to New Zealand. As well as speaking at the Organics conference in Marlborough, I took a few days away with Natalie in Golden Bay. It was stunning.

July began in Portugal, for a celebration of the vineyards of Lisboa (Lisbon Family Vineyards), held at Quinta de Sant’Ana. It was a fun couple of days.