Les Caves de Pyrene

Les Caves and Bordeaux (yes, Bordeaux), and the wines of Chateau Bel Air Marquis d’Aligre

by blog on May 27, 2020

It may be said that nothing in the world is charming unless it be achieved at some trouble. If it rained ’64 Léoville – which I regard as the most divine of nectars – I feel sure I should never raise it to my lips. –Ayala’s Angel, Anthony Trollope The words Bordeaux and Les Caves de […]

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Decanting: Kindeli Wines, by Alex Craighead

by blog on May 22, 2020

Alex Craighead and Josefina Venturino are establishing a reputation in the natural wine world. They have settled on a new vineyard located in Upper Moutere in Nelson. This particular vineyard has been certified organic since 1997 and as such is one of the oldest organic vineyards in New Zealand. Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer, […]

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100 Great Natural Wines: South West France

May 18, 2020

This is a series profiling the producers on our list who make natural wines. Within this series I will be highlighting some of the extraordinary and rare bottles and vintages that have helped to shape our appreciation of natural wines over the years. Previous posts from our 100 Great Natural Wines series: Intro Austria Jura […]

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Burgenland: Creating a New History. Part Two

May 12, 2020

Read Part One of our tour of Burgenland, Austria, where we cover the history, terroirs, typical grapes grown and grower Judith Beck! Michael Andert Michael Andert was born into a large family and grew up on a farm with mixed agriculture, livestock and viticulture and learned to respect his family, his animals and the associated […]

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The Rise of the French Melonators

May 12, 2020

It’s May. If you’ve had the day from hell then, assuming that your fishmonger – if you have one –is still oyster-roystering, then deck those natives with the wine from shell par excellence, namely, the friskiest of frisky Muscadet. This is a shout-out to native grapes, and the lesser-lauded Melon, in particular, a variety that […]

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Burgenland: Creating a New History. Part One

April 28, 2020

Burgenland lies around 35 minutes’ drive south east of Vienna and is divided into three broad regions: Neusiedlersee, Leithaberg and Mittelburgenland. We spent most of our recent trip in the former DAC region, visiting growers in the towns of Gols, Illmitz and Pamhagen. Grapes from these regions here benefit from the close proximity of Lake […]

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Decanting: Domaine de L’Achillée wines, Alsace

April 28, 2020

The Dietrich family has farmed land in Alsace since 1600 (mostly in this village of Scherwiller but also in an adjacent village). In the past, the family farm used to be run on the basis of polyculture, however the family now concentrate on growing vines and other fruit. In 1999 Yves converted the estate to […]

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The New Age of Natural: An overview of natty wine today

April 15, 2020

To some followers of natural wines, espousing a natural wine credo is an assertion of cultural identity. Natural wine has become synonymous with caring about the environment, and valuing provenance and authenticity (another buzzword). By positioning itself against the corporate, the industrial and the nakedly commercial imperative, the artisan nature of the winemaking enterprise has […]

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