Veraison – the stage in grape phenology where the berries change colour and the skins soften – is occurring at last with my Pinot Noir vines. I’ve deliberately chosen this…
Clarence de Haut Brion 2007
This is the second wine of Chateau Haut-Brion, which prior to this vintage was labelled ‘Bahans de Haut-Brion’. At around £40 a bottle, it isn’t cheap. It sort of delivers,…
Video: tasting Burgundy, with a hint of reduction
Three wines from Burgundy tasted, with some comments on ‘good’ reduction.
Descriptors on the mind
Describing wine in words is quite a difficult task. It’s certainly one of the challenges for wine writers. Just listing descriptors isn’t all that helpful. No matter how exotic they…
Heida: a brilliant Savignin from Switzerland
Swiss wines rock. I tasted a lot on a visit in 2006 (write up here) and was really impressed. Of course, in the UK we don’t see all that many…
A pair of Mad Dogs – Shiraz and Sangiovese from the Barossa
I first reviewed the Mad Dog wines, made by Barossa grape grower Matthew Munzberg, some time ago. Here I’m taking a look at the latest releases, which are just fantastic….
At the cricket
I’m at the Oval – it’s the test match, England v Pakistan, first day. Shame not to see more people here. Ticket prices should be lower, I guess. Anyway, it’s…
MANA – a natural wine coalition from New Zealand’s Marlborough region
Very interesting development in New Zealand’s Marlborough region. I’s a coalition of Marlborough wine growers, called MANA, for Marlborough Natural Winegrowers. The five producers involved are Fromm, Herzog, Huia, Seresin…
A beautiful, affordable natural wine
Natural wines are often expensive, but frequently worth it. Here’s one that’s fantastic, and affordable. I can’t find it on the Oddbins website, so it may be a case of…