Lisa Perrotti-Brown of the Wine Advocate recently published an article that caused quite a stir on the Internets. Lisa begins by saying that that the rise in alcohol levels in…
Tasting the icons and Pizarras wines from Errazuriz with Francisco Baettig
Yesterday I met with Errazuriz winemaker Francisco Baettig, tasting some new releases. He’s the man behind the ‘icon’ wines of Errazuriz owner Eduardo Chadwick, and also the new venture in…
New releases from urban winery Ldn Cru, Gavin’s last
Yesterday afternoon I met with winemaker Gavin Monery, to taste through the new wines from urban winery Ldn Cru, plus the previous vintage. It was Gavin’s last tasting, but he…
Quinta da Romaneira Vintage Port 2015
I’ve been enjoying this wine over the last few evenings. It’s a superb expression of a very fine year in the Douro, the 2015 from Quinta da Romaneira. I have…
Moët et Chandon Grand Vintage 2009 and Grand Vintage Rosé 2009
Tasted the latest vintage releases from Moët, the 2009s. This was a season that starred badly, with lots of rain. But this all cleared by mid-July, and the rest of…
On wine prices: the’ve risen a lot, but this isn’t all bad
The wine world is a lot more interesting now than when I first started drinking wine in earnest back in the mid-1990s. At the same time, the prices for fine…
English Sparkling Wine 2017: my new report
Today I launch my English Sparkling Wine Report 2017. There’s been a lot of interest in the progress of English sparkling wine over recent years, and I have been busy…
Celebrating the Gourmet Traveller Wine Winemaker of the Year awards in Adelaide
Twenty years ago, Clare Valley Riesling genius Jeffrey Grosset was the first recipient of the Gourmet Traveller Wine Winemaker of the Year award. That was back in 1998. And on…
Visiting Wirra Wirra, McLaren Vale
Wirra Wirra is one of those wineries that we sometimes take for granted. They’ve been there for (seemingly) ever, making good wines in reasonable quantities, but don’t often get the…