Very impressed by this affordable sweet wine from South Africa. It’s remarkable value for money. Nuy Red Muskadel NV South Africa 16% alcohol. This is something a bit different: an old-fashioned fortified…
Stunning wines from Alvaro Palacios
I have just written up the remarkable wines of Alvaro Palacios (and other family members): Alvaro Palacios, Priorat Descendientes de J Palacios, Bierzo Palacios Remondo, Rioja The top wines from…
More thoughts on selection, and does ageability require compromise?
I posted a couple of days ago about hyperselection, and whether or not this was a good thing in red winemaking. At lunch yesterday I had a discussion with Elizabeth…
Hyperselection: is it a good thing?
The idea of selecting grapes for quality isn’t a new one. It can be done in the vineyard (choosing which grapes to pick, or going through before harvest and getting…
Marcel Deiss Engelgarten
I love the wines of Alsace, and one of the leading producers in the region is Marcel Deiss. He takes an interesting approach. For the lesser terroirs, he makes varietal…
More from Belgrade, Serbia
Just back from Belgrade, where I have been having a lot of fun judging wines, eating, drinking and staying up too late. On Friday, we judged 160 wines; on…
In Serbia judging wine
I’m in Serbia. It is my first time here, and I’ve come to act as a judge in the Serbian wine awards competition Great Serbian Wine Tasting 2013, which is…
Sainsbury’s ends fake ‘half price’ wine offers, for now
For more than three years I have been complaining about the fake half price wine offers in supermarkets. See here, here and here. What’s wrong with a deal? Nothing, it’s…
Are we making too much of grape varieties?
Has the case for grape varieties been overstated? Do we make too much of them? Andrew Jefford thinks so. Writing in his latest blog for Decanter he argues that: Too…