Monthly Archives: July 2024

The Legacy of Eben Sadie: A Vigneron’s Journey in Winemaking

The South African producer looks back on 20 years of wine growing. By David Williams In the second of a series of extended interviews with leading wine growers marking 20 years of The World of Fine Wine, South Africa’s Eben Sadie tells David Williams about his past two decades of wine growing.   Vignerons’ stories: Katharina Prüm Eben… Read More »

Danbury Ridge: Pioneering a New Viticultural Sub-Region in Essex

Danbury Ridge explored the land because of its unique geological composition. John Atkinson MW, a consultant for Danbury Ridge, observed the quality of the 2020 Essex vintage ‘despite high rainfall’. This led him to investigate the soil properties, initially in collaboration with Lee Jones from the British Geological Survey. Atkinson then created a detailed map… Read More »

Hedges Family Estate La Haute Cuvée 2019: A Gem From Red Mountain, Washington State

Website: https://hedgesfamilyestate.com/ Hedges Family Estate La Haute Cuvée 2019 Red Mountain, Washington State, USA13.5% alcohol. 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3.5% Petit Verdot, 3.5% Merlot; 93% Hedges Estate Vineyard, 7% Magdalena Vineyard. 27 months maturation in oak, 78% new, 76% French, 24% American. Biodynamic. Beautiful aromatics of spice-laden blackcurrant fruit with some tar and gravel notes. The… Read More »

Discover Niagara’s Newest Gem: An Exciting Winery on Dobbin Road

Website: https://dobbinestate.com/ Dobbin is an exciting new winery on the Twenty Mile Bench in Canada’s Niagara region, and it’s based on a special terroir. Back in 2019, Peter Gamble received a call from Wade Dobbin, the owner of the property. Wade mentioned that he had a piece of land with a vineyard on it and… Read More »

Exploring the Mâconnais Region: Spotlight on Domaine Fichet

Website: www.domainefichet.fr Domaine Fichet is one of the most impressive of the Mâconnais domaines I’ve visited. They are based in Igé, a village of 900 people, many of whom make a living from wine. Run by brothers Pierre-Yves (vintage 1965, he looks after viticulture) and Olivier (winemaking), the current domaine was formed in 1988 and… Read More »

The Hefners: How Everything Is Finally Falling Into Place

Margaret Rand on the couple behind one of Virginia’s most impressive wine estates. By Margaret Rand Margaret Rand meets Robert and MeiLi Hefner on their Ramiiisol estate, where they are pursuing a Jeffersonian dream of natural wine through determination, eclectic knowledge, and unconventional wisdom. We have to start somewhere, so why not with the Dallas… Read More »