Syrah in France
Syrah is France’s third most planted black grape variety (after merlot and grenache). And there’s more in the Languedoc and Roussillon than there is in the Rhône valley, though it’s the latter region that claims the variety as its own, and more specifically the northern Rhône, where syrah reaches one its apogees.
Coasts and cuisine in South African currents
The South African wine industry may be 350 years old, but it’s the freshness of the last decade that’s getting folk excited as producers carve out a new coastal identity for the 21st century.
Hugh Johnson’s Wine Companion
Compelling companion to wine, written by the honorable Hugh, with significant updating by they skilled scribe, Stephen Brook.
Minimum pricing
Minimum pricing would affect all consumers of alcoholic drinks, including responsible ones. Government-funded research found those heaviest drinkers, most in need of help, are likely to be least influenced by rising prices.
Altitude-acclaimed wines from pre-Alpine Alto Adige
Nestled into the early foothills of the Alps, lies Italy’s most northerly wine region, with the Dolomites as dramatic backdrop. The region’s wines reflect the cooler, northern, more aromatic location.
South African sauvignon blanc
South Africa’s vineyards are moving towards both the Atlantic and Indian Ocean coasts, and the variety mainly being planted in these cooler regions is sauvignon blanc.
Heiligenstein and primary rock
Austria’s Heiligenstein vineyard is arguably the country’s most famed vineyard. It, and primary rock, are only ever spoken of in the same breath.
Louis Roederer 2002 and Cristal mini-vertical
Earlier this month, Cristal bling came to town with a tasting seminar of Louis Roederer’s 2002 vintage champagnes, and a mini-vertical of their prestige cuvee Cristal, lead by Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon, the company’s executive vice president and group winemaker.
Grüner veltliner
Grüner veltliner is Austria’s flagship white grape variety, the best of which have beaten Burgundian chardonnays in blind tasting assessments of quality.
Chips with everything?
Bits of viticulture and winemaking stuff explained.
