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Probe into ‘Organic Wine Fraud’ Results in Asset Seizure

Specialist financial police in Brindisi, south-east Italy, seized assets worth more than €520,000 (£440,000) as part of the organic wine fraud probe, at the request of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Naples. It’s a case that involves suspected misuse of European Union (EU) agriculture funds made available to support a wine producer’s conversion… Read More »

Exploring Marlborough’s Zephyr: An Insight into Ben Glover’s Unique Approach

Website: https://zephyrwine.com/about.htm Ben Glover earned his renown as a winemaker while employed at Wither Hills under Brent Marris, and subsequently at Mud House. This experience served as the perfect foundation for establishing his own family winemaking venture, Zephyr. Prior to stepping into the world of winemaking, the Glovers were dairy farmers in Marlborough. They sold… Read More »

Exploring Priorat: A Panoramic and Visceral Journey Through Place

Ethos Priorat by Elizabeth Hecker—a book that takes the reader to the heart of the Catalan wine region. By David Williams Elizabeth Hecker’s Ethos Priorat is a labor of love filled with evocative words and pictures, says David Williams. The idea that a wine can have a sense of place is, if not entirely uncontroversial,… Read More »

Comparative Review: 2014 and 2015 Champagne, A Study in Contrast

Comparing two Champagne vintages that are in many ways polar opposites. By Essi Avellan MW. How do the wines of a vintage produced in “classic” conditions compare to those from a year more in keeping with the new, warmer normal in Champagne? Essi Avellan MW is joined by Simon Field MW and Tom Hewson for… Read More »

Andrew Shaw Joins Ambitious Coterie Holdings as New Wine Director

Coterie Holdings has appointed Andrew Shaw as its wine director less than two months after it also announced the acquisition of specialist importer Hallgarten & Novum Wines. Shaw, who is set to take up the new role at the beginning of March, was most recently head of trading for beers, wines and spirits at Marks… Read More »

Exploring the Highlights of Champagne Piper-Heidsieck Cuvée Brut NV

This isn’t a life-altering bubbly, but it’s a finely crafted Champagne at a reasonable price. I’m presently savoring it in an airport lounge, as are several others. Champagne Piper-Heidsieck Cuvée Brut NV FranceIncludes 12% alcohol. This consists of 50% Pinot Noir, 30% Pinot Meunier, and 20% Champagne, sourced from 240 partner growers and over 100… Read More »

Exploring Les Deux Cols: A Tale of Two and a Half Irishmen

How a group of three Dublin-based wine lovers started a rising-star Rhône vineyard. By Raymond Blake Raymond Blake on the romance and reality of Les Deux Cols, a collaboration that began in Dublin and is now producing increasingly refined wines in the Rhône Valley. Much has been written about the strong Irish wine connections to… Read More »