Another Rare Unicorn: U.V.A from Panevino

by blog on June 12, 2019

Pull up an armchair and warm your interest in wine at the crackling fire of extreme passion. This is the story of Gianfranco Manca, formerly a baker, who, having taken over his uncle’s bakery made delicious, prize-worthy Sardinian breads, decided to use his yeasty experience to naturally vinify some wines. And never, other than his […]

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Reflecting about Wine Writing

by blog on June 11, 2019

I would like to write in a way that provokes thought without provoking people, and I would like to read writers who have the passion and intellectual clarity (and curiosity) to do the same. I was reflecting on wine writing this week. Each week, in between drinking bottles of deathlessly beautiful wine, I try to […]

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Doug decants: The Wines of Alexandre Bain

June 10, 2019

Biodynamic and natural wines the result of meticulous work Alexandre Bain’s passion for working the land was inspired by his grandfather who was a farmer. At 18 he decided to go to winemaking school in Beaune. He then worked for several different vignerons until he was finally able to buy a few hectares of vines […]

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BYO Podcast full episodes from the Real Wine Fair 2019!

June 4, 2019

BYO Podcast recorded and filmed live at the Real Wine Fair this year! Watch the full line up of growers here and subscribe to the podcast! Christian Binner: Pierre Frick: Will Davenport: Craig Hawkins: Pat Sullivan: Judith Beck: Pedro Marques (Vale da Capucha):

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Bonjour English Wine Week!

May 29, 2019

Some of the most hummingly busy stands at the 2019 Real Wine Fair were the ones hosted by English growers and winemakers. English wine, good English wine, is making waves. Despite the hype in the press about traditional method sparklers, we’ve always been more interested in seeing how still wines perform, or to find wines […]

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The Not-At-All-Real Real Wine Fair Awards

May 28, 2019

A visitor, panic in their eyes, exclaimed to me: “So much wine, so little time!” I felt the same. Two days were not enough. But here are my highlights with a few spoof awards, all with the proviso that I didn’t get near most of the stands. Some were three bodies deep for a good […]

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2019 Real Wine Fair Thoughts

May 21, 2019

I have written about every fair since The Natural Wine Fair in 2011. Sometimes, I am still alight with the afterglow that one gets when one tastes great wines, meets engaged drinkers, and communicates animatedly with dedicated craftsmen and women. Sometimes, I experience that sense of loss one feels when the adrenalin buzz has thoroughly […]

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The Real Wine Fair: So Much More Than A Wine Tasting

April 30, 2019

A bit of grin and bear it, a bit of come and share it You’re welcome, we can spare it – yellow socks Too short to be haughty, too nutty to be naughty Going on 40 – no electric shocks The juice of the carrot, the smile of the parrot A little drop of claret […]

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How To Organise A Successful Wine Fair

April 29, 2019

Have a distinctive theme. Many wine tastings are generic and feel like tasting by numbers, others have too narrow a focus. It is clear that this is an artisan fair, where you will meet farmers, growers and wine producers and taste authentic, low-intervention wine. The important thing is that this tasting is mainly about the […]

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Amber Wines and ASMR

April 25, 2019

I sometimes seek a quality in wine that can only be described as tactility. It is that quality wherein the liquid touches taste-buds in such a way both physically and aromatically that it engenders a sense of total phenolic engagement. Which is why I love to drink skin contact/amber wines. They encourage you to roll […]

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