Behind the Back Label with Craig Hawkins

by blog on February 18, 2020

  What’s behind a label? Quite a lot, on occasion. Some vignerons put that extra effort into the design creating a memorable brand identity. There’s often a story or a coded message on the front, an image that may relate to the vineyard, or the region, or something allegorical or philosophical that has influenced the […]

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Around the New World in 80 (-56) Wines

by blog on February 18, 2020

When we talk about the New World we don’t think about Christopher Columbus and Captain Cook and all those would-be circumnavigatory dudes looking to open trade routes new, but countries which have espoused a more modern approach to winemaking and wine marketing. Some points of difference are contrived. Wine is wine, after all. What you […]

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100 Great Natural Wines: Savoie

February 14, 2020

Previous posts from our 100 Great Natural Wines series: Intro Austria Savoie-Faire   LE FEU Dominique Belluard Gringet rock The village of Ayze is a little commune in the Haute-Savoie situated in the heart of the valley of the Arve between Geneva and Chamonix Mont-Blanc. Vineyards have been established here since the 13th century. The […]

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Doug decants: Etnella Villa Petrosa, Sicily

February 14, 2020

Davide Bentivegna, Etnella‘s founder, having worked for the German company Siemens, left his position to follow his dream to make wine. He had no previous experience or inherited land, so all had to be created from scratch. From day one, Davide wanted to focus on organic farming and natural wine making. Everything kicked off in […]

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Putting the swig in a gig: Comedy and Wine

February 14, 2020

A friend said a wine he tried recently was bitter and not properly fermented. Sounds like sour grapes to me. A friend of mine cooks by making up a recipe and adding a German white wine. It’s an add hock approach to cooking. I used to have a dog who liked red wine. He was […]

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Doug Decants: Two Unrelated Adas

February 4, 2020

I met a blogger from an antique land Who said: `Two nasty unlabelled bottles of oakjuice Stand on the table. Near them, at the bar, Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown, And wrinkled lips, and droop limp-wristed hand, Tell that its owner well those fashions read Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless […]

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All you needed to know about Qvevri but were afraid to ask

February 3, 2020

Having just received a tranche of Georgian wines it seems timely to remind ourselves what makes these wines unique. Often when we talk about wine we focus – quite rightly – on the vineyard and the terroir. Winemaking is sometimes construed as the scientific means of getting the liquid into the bottle in good shape. […]

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100 Great Natural Wines: Austria

February 3, 2020

What constitutes a great wine is always a subjective judgement. Each individual arrives at their own very singular list of best—or favourite—wines. It may that one transformative bottle that you had at a special moment; it opened your eyes, your palate, your heart and your mind, to new possibilities and wonderful aroma and flavour sensations. […]

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100 Great Natural Wines: An Introduction

January 21, 2020

There comes a time when you start to believe that the best bottles of wine in your life may well be behind you. This is not a morbid realisation, but an acknowledgement that part of the charm of one’s wine education is the many taste-epiphanies that combine to form our respective wine philosophies and that […]

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Doug decants: Continental Platter Semillon

January 20, 2020

I’m getting itchy palms. This denotes a new chirpsome, cheapsome wine with impeccable winemaking credentials. The Ozzies call Sauvignon Sav or Savvy B, and make Semillon rhyme with chameleon. Sem, usually harvested early as per Hunter Valley, can be the lean green ugly-duckling-machine that metamorphoses into a form of swan with time and may convey […]

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