Winemaking is fascinating. Of course, it’s all about the grapes. Once a year you get to harvest them, and the quality of the grapes determines the quality potential of the…
Tasting Climate Change, in Montréal: the impact of warming on wine
Yesterday was the Tasting Climate Change conference https://www.tastingclimatechange.com/en/ , organized by Michelle Bouffard and held in Montréal, Canada. It was a half-day event looking at the impact of climate change…
Catching the tail end of vintage at Norman Hardie, Prince Edward County, Canada
After some fun in Montreal (more to come on this), I headed down to Prince Edward County to catch a couple of days of vintage at Norman Hardie (I was…
Gamay 34, Edmunds St John Bone-Jolly Gamay Noir 2015
This Californian Gamay comes from Barsotti Ranch, a high-altitude (1000 m) vineyard in El Dorado County, with decomposed granite soils. Vines were planted in 2005, but there are also some…
My top wines from the Argentina Wine Awards
I’ve just finished writing up the notes from judging the Argentine Wine Awards in Mendoza last month. These are my personal notes and scores on the wines I liked the…
Two lovely Languedoc wines from Gayda
Had a look at some samples yesterday after getting home from New Zealand, and these two, from Domaine Gayda, stood out. Gayda Figure Libre Chenin Blanc 2015 Pays d’Oc, France…
What determines your taste? Why I disagree with Tim Hanni
Tim Hanni MW has become well known in the wine trade for his work on separating people into different groups according to their taste preferences. He has some interesting things…
Adventures on New Zealand’s West Coast
I’ve always been fascinated by what I’ve heard about New Zealand’s South Island’s West Coast. People have told me that it is incredibly beautiful, remote and sparsely populated, and also…
A couple from Hawke’s Bay: Craggy Range and Sacred Hill
These impressed the other evening. Craggy Range Te Kahu 2014 Gimblett Gravels, Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand 13.5% alcohol. 68% Merlot, 18% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Malbec, 6% Cabernet Franc. This is…