New Zealand syrah takes the stage
Despite the UK’s love affair with Marlborough sauvignon blanc, New Zealand is no one-trick pony. Now its syrah looks fair to set the wine world alight.
Canberra District – shiraz shining
Shiraz from around Canberra is proving to be a little gem, alongside its other jewel, riesling. The region has long had its icon wine, Clonakilla Shiraz/Viognier, Langton’s listed since 2005, coming from the oldest vineyard and winery in Canberra District, and others are aspiring to greater things.
Australian regional pinot noir – Phil Sexton and Martin Spedding
At the Australia Trade tasting in January, Phil Sexton of Giant Steps/Innocent Bystander in the Yarra Valley, and Martin Spedding of Ten Minutes By Tractor in Mornington Peninsula, argued a strong case for an expression of place in Australian pinot noirs from the three regions of Mornington Peninsula, Yarra Valley and Tasmania.
Ten minutes with Louisa Rose
When Negociants UK put on their ‘icon tasting’ in London in November 2010, their chief winemaker, the highly respected and supremely talented Louisa Rose, came over from Australia to be at the tasting. She answered a few questions for me.
'The zen purity of koshu'
Koshu is the name of a wine and a grape variety indigenous to Japan. Jancis Robinson MW delivered a masterclass on the subject in January 2011.
Orange Terroirists
Orange region terroir – a booklet crammed with all the useful information and data to make a serious wine student’s eyes water
Orange – the new black?
The Orange region is the only geographical indication (GI) in Australia to be defined by altitude – contiguous land above 600m around the extinct volcano that dominates the skyline, Mount Canobolas, at 1,396m.
Beechworth, Victoria, a Langton’s 2010 trilogy
Tucked away in north east Victoria, 40 miles from Rutherglen, famed for its world class stickies, but a million miles from it stylistically, lies the small, unassuming region of Beechworth.
Canberra District – riesling rising
Canberra seems to get a bum rap from Aussies who don’t live there, but the capital has a strongly emerging wine region.
Outsiders view of the Languedoc
The Mediterranean south is France’s biggest vineyard area, and one of the country’s most exciting wine-producing regions. So much so that over the past couple of decades folk from all over the world have been relocating to the south and following their vinous dreams.
