I visited Portugal four times last year, and that probably wasn’t enough. It’s such a great country, and the wine scene has never been better. I will be back in…
Icon wines at The Sampler, including Latour 82, La Chapelle 78 and Ygay 59
Each year The Sampler put some high-end ‘icon’ wines on their enomatic machines. It’s a real highlight tasting through them, and this year was no exception. The highlights included the…
How Port wine is made, in pictures
The Douro Valley in northern Portugal is the home of Port, a famous fortified wine style. The region is one of the most beautiful in the world, with steeply…
How Port wine is made: a film from the 2016 vintage
By Jamie Goode and Treve Ring (Gismondi on Wine) In mid-September, we visited the Douro Valley in Portugal during harvest. We spent quite a bit of time chatting with the…
Day 2, in Madeira
Day 2 of our Madeira visit began in the new Blandy’s cellars, which are located near the main Port, just past the airport. They’ve been moving most of their production…
In Madeira with Blandy’s
I’m in Madeira. It’s my first time on the island. It’s quite a beautiful place. The reason? To find out about Madeira wine, with the island’s largest producer, Blandy’s. Day…
Lunch with Dirk Niepoort at Trinity, Clapham
Last week we had a wonderful lunch at Trinity Restaurant in Clapham Old Town, with Dirk Niepoort and his wines. Trinity is a great place, and Adam Byatt had prepared…
Vinhão: red Vinho Verde
I love red Vinho Verde. It’s just so distinctive and different. Usually (but not always) it’s made from a single variety, Vinhão. This has a thick skin, and the result…
The New Douro Tasting 2016
So, today: the New Douro Tasting at the gritty Vinyl Factory in Soho. I went and tasted widely. I’d just been in the Douro with the Douro Boys, so I…