I try to be a helpful sort of guy. Now that I have climbed the first few rungs of the wine writing ladder, I’m occasionally asked for advice about how…
Testalonga King of Grapes: precise elegance or ‘cranberry flavoured wheat beer’?
I was thrilled by this. It’s the latest red from Craig Hawkins in the Swartland, and it has been a bit controversial in the wine press. Andrew Jefford, normally a…
Le Clos de la Févrie Muscadet 2013
Normally, I find it hard to get too excited about Muscadet. But I’m beginning to change my mind. On a recent trip to Canada I tried a Melon de Bourgogne…
The amazing Dry River Pinot Noir 2012
I am a Dry River fan. The wines – produced in small quantities and hard to obtain – have all the makings of a cult winery’s offerings, but they are…
Reasons to be optimistic
I was originally going to write today about things in the world of wine that worried me. For example, I’m anxious that wine shouldn’t be so expensive that normal people…
Four very fine Rieslings: Germany, Italy and New Zealand
It seems to be a bit of a season for Riesling. Here are notes from four bottles tried a while back which I have found in a notebook, and feel…
Culmina Unicus, a Gruner Veltliner from British Columbia, Canada
On my visit to the Okanagan Valley, it was nice to meet Donald Triggs (above) and taste a few of his wines. One stood out immediately as being particularly interesting: it was…
Two from the Swartland: Mullineux and Testalonga
Two lovely South African wines recently enjoyed. The first, quite conventional: the 2012 vintage of the fabulous Mullineux Syrah. While I love their Granite and Schist bottlings (I haven’t yet…
Influence Wines Riesling 2012 Finger Lakes
This is the first wine I have tried from the Finger Lakes region in New York State. They are a network of long, finger-like lakes just south of Lake Ontario,…