Bordeaux 2010 snapshot
While everyone’s been busy with the en primeurs in Bordeaux, here’s a snapshot from three producers who came to London in March 2010 with a sneak preview of their wines. What these three said is being repeated by the specialist Bordeaux writers after their week of tasting and interviewing – 2010 is looking classically classy.
Ten minutes with … Barbara Tamburini
Barbara Tamburini is a modest and unassuming, yet extremely talented, consultant winemaker in Italy, who has been making wine since 1996.
The coolness of Australian wine
No-one seriously disputes that Tasmania is properly cool climate, but a slightly more confusing picture is emerging on the mainland. And with ‘cool climate’ wines being cool, trendy and of different flavour profile than ‘warm climate’, it’s too easy to let the moniker roll off the tongue without paying due regard to proper climatic data.
IX Selezione dei Vini di Toscana, tasting seminar
Every two years the Tuscans get together for a big wine competition. For this, the ninth Selezione dei Vini di Toscana, judged in November 2010, Jane Hunt MW and oenologist Barbara Tamburini put together ten medal-winning wines for a seminar to highlight what’s happening in Tuscany at the moment.
The Wines of Madeira, Trevor Elliott
Elliott is a wine educator of very long standing, and in this book he brings together many years of specialist knowledge about Madeira.
A sextet of historic Rheingau rieslings
The Rheingau VDP (Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter) rocked into London in early March to promote riesling in their small Rheingau region of Germany, and brought along an historic sextet of riesling to illustrate the point.
Poderi Boscarelli – a 20 year retrospective
As part of the anteprima/en primeur tastings in Tuscany during February 2011, Poderi Boscarelli hosted a 20-year retrospective of their wines.
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.
Guigal and Château d'Ampuis
The Guigal family comes full circle at the Château d’Ampuis, which also houses the company’s cooperage, started in 2003.
Ten minutes with … Bill Downie
Having lived and worked half the year in Burgundy for five years, Bill Downie set up by himself, in Victoria, in 2003, with his first Yarra Valley pinot noir, under the William Downie label.
