Demolished preconceptions of English wine
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- Published: 10 September 2019 10 September 2019
The annual WineGB (English and Welsh) tasting in London was bursting at the seams with new producers keen to share the liquid fruits of their labour. Taster, SCOTTIE GREGORY, highlights two producers with stars in their eyes.
Cariñena: A hidden Spanish gem
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- Published: 05 September 2019 05 September 2019
Delving deep into the shelves of my local Laithwaite’s merchant in Borough Market, London Bridge, I found a trove of unusual Spanish wines and that evening enjoyed this Marqués de Valdecañas Gran Reserva 2012, Cariñena DO.
Burgundy harvest dates since 1988 jump forward 13 days compared to past 664 years
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- Published: 02 September 2019 02 September 2019
A newly published series of dates of grape harvest covering the past 664 years is the latest line of evidence confirming how unusual the climate of the past 30 years has been. The record shows wine grapes in Burgundy, eastern France, have been picked 13 days earlier on average since 1988 than they were in the previous six centuries, pointing to the region’s hotter and drier climate in recent years.
Douro Valley’s Quinta do Noval acquires neighbour, Quinta do Passadouro
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- Published: 23 August 2019 23 August 2019
It has been a busy year for Douro Valley port and dry wine producer, Quinta do Noval. February saw the release of Noval's dry wine range in London, and in the summer, Managing Director Christian Seely joined the Fladgate Partnership’s Adrian Bridge, and Symington family’s Charles Symington at the Tate Modern to show to the trade the newly declared 2017 vintage.
Now, as the 2019 harvest approaches, Quinta do Noval announces the acquisition of their neighbour, the family-owned, Quinta do Passodouro.
Bordeaux; Grand Cru Classè fatigue and the force of emerging change
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- Published: 01 August 2019 01 August 2019
Tradition makes a mockery of terroir?
At the recent Grand Cru Classé London tasting of 2015-18 vintages, a fellow taster I was talking to vented his frustration, saying, “I can’t be bothered with it. It is a waste of time.” He went on to say that he had spoken to the new winemaker at Chateau [X] asking him what it was like as a trained winemaker to be “unleashed on this classed growth vineyard in Bordeaux?” When the reply came back, “I spent six months learning how to make Chateau [X]”, the die was cast. “It makes a mockery of any type of terroir in Bordeaux!”
New fogging tech can protect vines from frost & heat stress
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- Published: 30 July 2019 30 July 2019
Research has long shown that fog with water droplets of a certain size can significantly reduce, or even entirely prevent, crop damage from frost or excessive heat temperatures. The reason for this is that the individual droplets in the mist cloud reflect the long-wavelength heat radiation that transmits energy from solid objects under these conditions.
Quiet Eyes Spy British wines as national awards spotlight quality
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- Published: 26 July 2019 26 July 2019
I’ve spent the week in Portugal, with interludes talking with many wine savvy people. Building a world view of the warps and wefts of the world of fine wine is a much-loved topic. While opening bottles from across the Alentejo, Douro, Dao, Vinho Verde, Champagne and beyond, our conversation naturally turns to the subject of quality English wines and then (like the taste of last night's garlic in the morning) to our national woes.
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Soave: volcanic wines with elegance and longevity
Sitting inside the ancient castle walls inside the town of Soave, a short drive from Verona in northern Italy, the unique slightly almond aroma of the indigenous grape, Garganega, rises gently from my glass. The castle sprawls up the side of an extinct volcano that gives the region its variant soil structures that mark out the better quality of Soave wines.
An American In Paris; Tanisha Townsend (@GirlMeetsGlass) discusses podcasts, Paris wine bars, & what she's drinking at the moment
Tanisha Townsend decided to move to Paris 4 years ago after regularly passing through the city en route to the world’s most famous vineyards. In fact, it was about 2 years ago at the Printemps de Champagne Bouzy Rouge tasting in Reims that I saw (who we shall now refer to as) GirlMeetsGlass chirpily speaking to her web followers on Snapchat.
Wine tasting in Galicia: The pilgrims search for Albarino
The cathedral in Santiago de Compostela, the final resting place of Saint James, rises out of the landscape, infested with antiquity. The rambling steep streets give way to shafts of dramatic light, emblazoned chapels, and tightly packed tapas bars, dusty, as old novels pressed together in antiquarian bookshops.
Interview: (Re)Defining the Entre-Deux-Mers, climate change & tasting with Stephane Dupuch
Driving into the Entre-Deux-Mers region from the north, the vineyards roll out like a bright green deep-pile carpet across the undulating land. It’s hard not to be excited about tasting wines with so much heritage, as we head to Chateau-Sainte-Marie to meet with 5th generation owner, Stéphane Dupuch.
Wine tasting in northern Catalonia in the foothills of the Pyrenees
It’s been a hot couple of weeks here trekking around northern Catalonia. From the homeland and backdrop to surrealist Salvador Dali’s world to dramatic remnants of the volcano park an hour away, this place is a land of rough-hewn vistas and rustic hospitality.
Talking food and wine & Carluccio's motto: "MOF MOF"
Carluccio's deli and restaurants are a high-street staple, where great flavours in food blend easily with quality wines on the list. Following the death of the charismatic founder, Antonio Carluccio, his spirit lives on in style and philosophy. Nick Breeze talks to Head of International Operations (especially where wine is concerned!), Mike Stocks about wine-list tips, food matching and the great man of "mof mof":
