Exploring Roussillon, Part 7: Château Nadal Hainaut

Château Nadal Hainaut is an organic wine estate in France’s Roussillon region, producing wines from its own vineyards. The estate’s winemaker, Pauline Nadal, is the sixth generation of her family to work there. Pauline trained in fine arts in London and is also a ceramicist. She sees winemaking as a hands-on creative practice, describing it… Read More »

Quinta da Pegadinha: A Refreshing Taste of Vinho Verde

A small family farm in the southern part of Vinho Verde, Quinta da Pegadinha sits on the Cávado River, about 15 kilometres from the ocean. Its six hectares of vineyards share the farm with six hectares of pasture for cows and sheep. The family also makes cheese. Winemaker Felipe Lemos describes the farm’s approach as… Read More »

Laurent-Perrier at A Wong: A Study in Contrast and Complexity

Unlike Japan, a major market for Laurent-Perrier’s Grand Siècle, China is not an important market for the Champagne house. “The Chinese don’t like fizz, they don’t like cold, and they don’t like acidity,” said Lucie Pereyre de Nonancourt, Grand Siècle ambassador and a member of the family that owns the company. She made the observation… Read More »

Gen Z Wine Challenge: Meet Taela, 23

Taela, 23, lives in Fremantle, Western Australia, where she works as a bartender at craft brewery Little Creatures. She spends much of her time recommending beer, but is keen to learn more about wine and what makes certain styles appeal to her. Her usual choice is a fresh, crisp white—often New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. For… Read More »

Conjuring Constance: A Magical Escape in the Maldives

Nearly ten years after visiting Constance Hotels & Resorts in Mauritius, I returned to explore two of the group’s Maldivian resorts: Constance Moofushi and Constance Halaveli. Both are celebrated for their wine lists, and the visit offered a chance to see not only what guests experience, but also the work behind the scenes. After a… Read More »

Rioja Centennial Celebration 2026: A Century of Plenitude

A three-day celebration in Logroño and Briones brought Rioja’s centenary year to a close, gathering more than 70 international delegates alongside guests from across Spain. Winery visits, extensive tastings and a grand dinner at the Vivanco Museum of Wine Culture showcased a region whose wines now span a striking range of styles and origins. The… Read More »

Book Review: *Wine: A Global History* by Kathleen Burk

Kathleen Burk’s Wine: A Global History (Profile Books, October 2026) is an ambitious, 600-plus-page account tracing wine’s story across eight millennia. Burk, a professor emerita of modern and contemporary history at University College London, brings both academic experience and a longstanding interest in wine to the project. The book opens chronologically, then moves into regional… Read More »