Tasting the Gaja family’s best wines, a journey through time and space from Piedmont to Montalcino and Etna. By Susan Hulme MW Susan Hulme MW takes advantage of a rare opportunity to join Angelo, Gaia, and Giovanni Gaja to taste some of the family’s most significant wines. “Angelo is always ahead of time. He doesn’t… Read More »
An incredible amount of wine is crafted under the general Côtes du Rhône designation. To put it into perspective, around 167 million bottles were produced in 2022 alone. While a significant portion of this production might be considered average at best, a small percentage truly stands above and surpasses the criteria of the designation. The… Read More »
This is an impressive example of English Pinot Noir, sourced from a unique vineyard in the Crouch Valley, which is frequented by many top-notch winemakers. This wine stands as a fitting tribute to one of the founder owners of the vineyard, Roy Martin, who tragically passed away last year. It’s the creation of renowned winemaker… Read More »
Website: https://www.giantstepswine.com.au/ The Yarra Valley winery, Giant Steps, embarks on a new journey as it recently came under the ownership of Jackson Family Wines. As of 2021, Melanie Chester directs their winemaking and viticulture processes. The establishment of the winery can be traced back to Phil Sexton in the late 1990s. Known for his entrepreneurial… Read More »
Extensive testing led the research team to identify the material known as sulphur dioxide (SO2) as the main offender. It’s commonly employed by winemakers as an antioxidant and antimicrobial and doesn’t present any problems when the wine is kept in glass bottles. But, when in contact with aluminium cans, the behaviour of SO2 changes, potentially… Read More »
A wine lover’s guide to the classic French duck dish. By Joanna Simon Joanna Simon explores the history and preparation of confit de canard, before picking out the best wines to drink with this classic dish from South West France. “In some ways confit is less a recipe than a way of life.” So wrote… Read More »
The 2021 vintage brought a sigh of relief to winemakers on the ‘authentic’ Sonoma Coast. This year saw an impressive recovery from the tragic and deadly 2020, besought by wildfires and a sweeping pandemic. Exceptional concentration, bountiful yields, and near-perfect clusters collectively contributed to the joyful conclusion of 2021. The phenomenon of a third straight… Read More »
Website: https://alegrevalganon.com/ These Alegre Valagñón wines left me blown away. The winery started in 2014, and it’s owned by a husband and wife-duo, Oscar Alegre and Eva Valagñón. They were initially agricultural engineers who fell in love while studying the art of winemaking in Italy. Their winery is nestled west of Haro, near the Obarenes… Read More »
Tony Edwards’ conscientious new book takes aim at the Prohibitionist turn in public health messaging on alcohol. By Dr Erik Skovenborg Dr Erik Skovenborg reviews The Very Good News about Wineby Tony Edwards. The small size of The Very Good News about Wine belies the sheer volume of information to be found on its 171… Read More »
An ‘electronic tongue’ exceeded human perception in a test examining early detection of deterioration or flaws in white wine, according to researchers in a recently conducted study. In an experiment conducted at Washington State University (WSU), it was found that the e-tongue could identify certain microbial presence within a week of contamination – this was… Read More »