Bordeaux wine tourism, part 3 – the left bank
The Médoc – Bordeaux’s left bank – is a largely unprepossessing landscape made beautiful and dramatic by pristine row upon row of vines, carpeting the grounds of classic and charming châteaux. And it is remarkably recently that this most traditional of wine regions has begun to embrace wine tourists.
Guide to wine tasting – part 1
Part one of an eight part guide to wine tasting, written for France magazine. This month is sparkling wines.
Sonoma strikes for coolness
Sonoma, in California, made its cool climate case at a recent seminar in London, showing mostly pinot noirs with two chardonnays, a couple of classic grape varieties associated with cool climate viticulture.
Syrah/shiraz from around the world – a blind tasting
Every few months I organise a themed tasting seminar for a group of local business people. We taste blind and discuss the wines.
Cool climate Australia
Australia is finding its cooler climate cool-spots. This piece explores the reality and busts some of the myths.
Winkler's climate regions
Amerine and Winkler classified five winemaking regions in California. Their classification still form the bedrock of viticultural climatic data, though various refinements have subsequently been made by others.
Weingut Liebfrauenstift
The vineyard with the dubious reputation of giving birth to the German export phenomenon of Liebfraumilch is again building its reputation for top quality, aiming for VDP status.
German pinot noir, emerging excellence
The recent emergence of German pinot noir (spätburgunder) on the world stage was revisited with this tasting seminar, held at Staatsdomäne Assmansshausen in Rüdesheim, Germany, in late September 2009, as part of a Master of Wine visit to the region.
Bordeaux and climate change: whites
Four top Bordeaux producers recently got together in London to discuss climate change and the Bordeaux paradigm over the past 20 years. The news is not great for white wines.
Viña Casa Silva: Veritable Carmenère Specialist
Carmenère specialist Viña Casa Silva, in conjunction with research institutions in Chile and Germany, is researching the best carmenère clones to make better quality wine.
