Once a skeptic, Tom Stevenson has come to love his home country’s dramatically improved wines. By Tom Stevenson Tom Stevenson tells the story of his conversion to English wine, and picks some of the best bottles he has tasted over the past 12 months. There was a time when I certainly considered all English wine… Read More »
‘I worry about the younger generation,’ Gallica owner and winemaker Rosemary Cakebread confessed. ‘It’s tough for young individuals in Napa to afford a house, much less a vineyard.’ ‘Should you possess any desire to work independently, you’ll require family investments or supporters. Without the incoming generation, we risk losing traditional agriculture.’ She has a point.… Read More »
Fausto José dos Santos Júnior (1903-1975), a notable poet, was born in Aldeia de Cima in the Douro. This niche venture is spearheaded by his grandchild Nuno Santos and Nuno’s wife Gabriela. The Santos family owns vineyards in Douro: The primary source of white vines is a 2.5 ha expanse at 620 m in Aldeia… Read More »
Recently, the newly inaugurated Al Condominio restaurant in the northern Italian city of Verona announced that it will provide ‘a bottle of good wine’ to diners who are willing to temporarily hand over their mobile phones. This is in an effort to facilitate the customers to focus on the pleasure of the food and the… Read More »
Stuart Walton explores the sanguine significance of red wine. By Stuart Walton The color of red wine has suited it since antiquity to be the sustaining metaphor for blood. Not only does its color resemble vital fluid, but the juice itself and its method of extraction, could stand for the life-force of the grapevine. This… Read More »
Eben Sadie has been a frequent topic of my previous writings. He requires little to no introduction. Therefore, instead of a lengthy preamble, I will directly dive into my observations on the latest offerings from South Africa’s most reputed winemaker. Regrettably, his creations sell out within moments of their release. Skerpioen 2022 SwartlandA vineyard, co-planted… Read More »
The story behind the Goring family’s stylish West Sussex sparkling wines. By Margaret Rand Margaret Rand visits a part of the South Downs famed (and nicknamed) for its warm climate, where the Goring family is making fine sparkling wines of tension and generosity on their sustainably managed farm at Wiston Estate. It used to be… Read More »
André Lourenço dedicated a decade and a half to the production of techno wines for others before initializing his own endeavour, where he could manifest wines that epitomized originality and transparency. His base of operations is in Fundão, located in Beira Interior where the climate cycles between hot, dry days and freezing nights during the… Read More »
I paid a visit to Peter-Allan Finlayson at Gabrielskloof in November. His Crystallum wines have a special place in my heart and I never hesitate to try them out whenever I spot them. Gave one recent bottle a taste that provided much enjoyment. Crystallum Peter Max Pinot Noir 2021 Western Cape, South AfricaWith an alcohol… Read More »
Bordeaux’s 2023 vintage is still to be tasted by many journalists and critics, yet there has already been price speculation ahead of an en primeur releases campaign expected to begin in May. ‘Further price increases are off the table,’ said Liv-ex, a global marketplace for the trade, citing market conditions in a new report focusing… Read More »