There’s a well known phenomenon in the world of wine that so far has been unexplained. It’s the way that as sweet wines age, they taste less sweet. If you…
Randall’s grand plan: 10 000 new grape varieties
Randall Grahm is at it again. The Willy Wonka of the wine world has a new plan. No, it’s not global domination. Rather, it’s the creation of 10 000 new…
Artificial intelligence, perception and wine
I’m on the road again. This time visiting Washington State wineries. Did you know that Washington State is the USA’s second largest wine state, with 20 000 hectares of vines,…
On raw tasting ability: is there a Messi of wine tasting?
As a Manchester City fan, it was a little uncomfortable watching last night’s game against Barcelona. The Catalans were much the better team, and had it not been for the…
The perfect wine critic, and assigning confidence to scores
Yesterday I tasted 62 different Brunellos from the 2010 vintage. I wrote short tasting notes, and gave each wine a score. But it’s quite a task tasting 62 wines like…
In action: the video from my talk on minerals and terroir in Barcelona
So the video of my talk from the Wine and Culinary Forum (nice review of the forum here from top Canadian wine journo Treve Ring) is finally live and posted…
The effect of herbicides on soil structure
I’m just preparing a presentation I’m giving in the Netherlands tomorrow, and I came across two pictures I took in the vineyards at Waterkloof in Stellenbosch, South Africa. The first…
The Perfect Meal, with Professor Charles Spence
I’ve just written up the launch of Professor Charles Spence’s new book, The Perfect Meal. It’s a really good book that examines how science can help us understand what it…
Comparing the same wine sealed with cork and screwcap
The closure debate has moved on quite a bit since the days when it was practically pitched warfare between the screwcap advocates (mainly Australia and New Zealand) and those who…