For the last week I have been on holiday in France. A cousin’s wedding in Vouharte, in the Charente, gave us the perfect opportunity to get together as an extended…
So restaurant wine lists are too trendy?
So restaurant wine lists are too trendy? Sommeliers guilty of forcing their esoteric tastes on punters? Should restaurants give their customers what they’d like, rather than what they should like?…
Visiting Cognac producer Les Grands Pateurs
So, I’m on holiday with my extended family in the Charente, attending a family wedding tomorrow. It’s not wine country, really – although a few wines are made here, the…
The lovely Antikythera Pinot Noir 2011 Antica Terra
One of the most exciting wines of my Oregon trip was also one of the last. It was at Antica Terra with the fabulous Maggie Harrison, on a day in…
Erni’s remarkable dry Riesling
One of the star wines at this year’s IPNC was actually a dry Riesling. Erni Loosen popped by the table I was at with a remarkable dry Riesling, aged for…
Two cool wines from the Okanagan, Canada: Riesling and Syrah
Tried these rather lovely wines from the Okanagan Valley in Canada, and thought they deserved a write-up, even though they might be hard to find. You heard it here folks:…
Two from Champagne Savart
Fred Savart’s Champagnes are the real deal. His elevage is in a mixture of oak and now concrete, and the production here consists of small volume, terroir focused wines. I’ve…
Bochis Francesco Langhe Barbera – remarkable value from Piedmont
So enjoyed this wine. It’s a Piedmont Barbera aged for four months in large botti, from limestone soils at 420-460 m. Bochis Francesco Langhe Barbera Dogliano 2012 Piedmont, Italy 13%…
Research suggests fruit flies could be responsible for wine’s pleasant aromas
Could fruit flies be responsible for the nice smell of most wines? This is a really interesting idea suggested by a research paper just published in scientific journal Ecology Letters….