Did some blind tasting with friends last night, followed by drinking. Some interesting bottles. Angiolino Maule Masieri 2017 Veneto, Italy This is Garganega from volcanic soil, wild fermented. Very low…
Communicating climate change: the role of the wine industry in changing people’s minds
Facts don’t change people’s minds. It’s really annoying, but it’s true. We like to think that if we marshal enough evidence, that eventually the weight of evidence will prove irresistible…
South African Syrah: blind tasting nine of the best
Chris Groenewald was in town, bringing nine South African Syrahs with him. So a crowd of us gathered over lunch at The Drapers Arms to taste and drink. These are…
Two interesting South Africans: Reyneke Reserve 2012 and Hanneli R 2013
Two very interesting South African wines to report on here. The first is from one of my favourite producers, Reyneke. They are one of just three biodynamic wineries in the…
Two Kiwi Chardonnays: Elephant Hill and Corofin
New Zealand is famous for Sauvignon, famous for Pinot Noir, but not yet famous enough for Chardonnay. Well, at least that’s what I think. It’s a grape variety capable of…
Privileged access
Last week I was in Bordeaux with a small group, and as well as tasting through most of the top 2017s, we visited a couple of prestigious Châteaux, and got…
Ayunta: lovely wines from Etna, Sicily
Etna, in Sicily, is a special place for wine. And Ayunta is an exciting project in the region. I caught up with the man behind Ayunto, Filippo Mansion, to find…
Selection des Vignerons 2015 Moulin-à-Vent, Beaujolais
Really impressed with this, a wine selected by the vignerons of Moulin-à-Vent. Ageworthy Gamay from the warm 2015 vintage. Selection des Vignerons 2015 Moulin-à-Vent, Beaujolais, France This was selected blind…
Nagano region, Japan (12) Takayashiro Farm
I visited Takayashiro Farm with the president of the company, Ko Takehada, and the winemaker Kenjiro Ikeda. It’s based in Nagano city. Ko Takehada previously worked for a subsidiary company of…