Doug Decants: A trio of Kiwis, Rare Rosé, & The Pyrenees Go to Austria
A rosé is not just for Midsummer’s Eve... 3 perky pinks for all year and all time I don’t know why rosé is always viewed as the Molly Ringwald of…
Real Wine Fair videos: Arianna Occhipinti
In the ten years since starting her own label, Arianna Occhipinti and her unforgettable Sicilian wines have come to represent a new generation of wine growers; those focused on natural…
Letter to and from America: Part Five – Natural Wine in…Vermont?!
The project known as La Garagista Farm + Winery began in 2010. In essence Deirdre Heekin and Caleb Barber farm three parcels of co-planted, alpine varietals that are horticultural crosses…
Letter to and from America: Part Four
Portlandia Oregon has a youthful wine culture that is largely in thrall to certain commercial imperatives. Pinot Noir still rules; the local wine industry wants Brand Oregon to be closely…
Letter to and from America: Part Three
New Kids on the Block The Rymesters Megan and Ryan Glaab met in Australia working as seasonal cellar hands at Torbreck Winery. They quickly fell in love and got married.…
Letter to and from America: Part Two
A long drive awaited us on our second full day in Cali but we had oodles of time to burn, a hungry Mustang to eat up the mileage and some…
Doug Decants: Pet Natty Spats
It is a truth universally acknowledged that the moment anyone even mentions the words “summer” and “rosé” in the same sentence then the heavens inevitablu open and decant merrily on…
Letter to and from America: Part One
From LA to Los Alamos to Paso Robles Lo-Fi Wines to AmByth Estate We flew into LA Airport aka the stale prince of hell air with its long and long-suffering…
Real Wine Fair Videos: Elena Panaleoni, La Stoppa
Watch Elena at the Real Wine Fair 2016 talk what 'real wine' means to her: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hESPTBqwtPw&feature=youtu.be And here's a bit about La Stoppa: Elena Pantaleoni’s father, a printer, bought the property…
Real Wine Fair Videos: John Wurdeman of Pheasant’s Tears
It was, as always, a pleasure to have John Wurdeman at the Real Wine Fair 2016. In addition to pouring his soulful wines, John and a few of his fellow…
Real Wine Fair videos: Tom Lubbe of Domaine Matassa
"How does a New Zealander who grew up in South Africa end up starting an iconoclastic estate in the Roussillon?" says Tom Lubbe's U.S. importer Louis-Dressner on their website. "This…
Doug Decants:
Matassa Cuvée Alexandria from Tom Lubbe, a true beauty of a flaming sunset of a desert island wine. From the Muscat of Alexandria, a synonym of which is Tottenham Park Muscat.…
Orange-boom and the irresistible rise of skin contact wines
Speaking of orange, the new film Skin Contact by Bottled Films features our very own Sir Wregg along with several of our growers. Watch the preview and head to Bottled Films's…
Going to the Real Wine Fair this Sunday? Plan ahead!
Plan ahead to save money and ensure you get the most out of your time at the fair! Are you a member of the PUBLIC? Purchase tickets online until 6pm Saturday 16th…
Seminal Seminars: The latest word on the spoken words
Throughout The Real Wine Fair, we will be holding a series of seminars & masterclasses from several guest speakers. Due to their popularity in previous years, spaces will be allocated…
Why you should be at the Real Wine Fair
2 WEEKS TO GO… SO MANY REASONS TO COME TO THE REAL WINE FAIR: Try a wine made from a blend of 400 grape varieties Meet a former punk…
The Real Alternative Wine Glossary: P (part one)
Paarl - Pink, Pretty In Paarl – Comes before wines in South Africa. Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh – A quasi-masonic ritual observed in Gascon restaurants whereby you will only be able…
A Digression Concerning Snobbery
During the time of the year that people would like to re-invent themselves, some thoughts about what Donald Rumsfeld might call the certain uncertainties of the biz we are in.…
Doug Decants: Rhone, South Africa, & Northwest USA
Domaine des Miquettes - Saint-Joviality Domaine des Miquettes was created by Paul Estève and Chrystelle Vareille in 2003 in the village of Cheminas, a small village located on the high…
The Real Alternative Wine Glossary: O
Oak - Oyster Oak - I’m getting oak with plummy overtones I’m getting screwed on alimony --Frasier Oaked (pejorative) - eye of oak newt; essence of vanillin toad. Can be…
Recaredo: Cava not Cava
For almost a century, Recaredo has maintained a firm commitment: to produce terroir wines that reflect the landscapes of the Alt Penedès as honestly and transparently as possible. They make only…
The Real Alternative Wine Glossary: N
Nacarat to Numerology Nacarat – Bright orange-red colour, useful to have for tasting notes and the name of an occasional wine from Claude Courtois. Nagyburgundi – Hungarian synonym for…
That thing we like
I’ve argued on these pages and elsewhere that it is trite to bandy loaded terms such as “natural”, “conventional” and “movement” willy-nilly as in “natural wine movement” and to have…
The Yeaster Bunny Bounces In, and more of Doug’s Decants
Oregon Ovum Wines: Back to the Egg Ever till now When men were fond I smiled and wondered how. --Angelo, Measure for Measure Perceived as a truly noble grape that…
Marks-Schism
Every time I am invited on a tasting panel I vow that it will be my last foray into the world of jangling and wrangling. Although this vow will doubtless…
Les Caves New(ish) Release Tasting
Last week we uncorked a few bottles in the basement of Terroirs and put together a rough tasting called New & Recent Releases. As the clunky title suggests this was…
Wines of Austria Round Table Discussion
I was honoured to be invited by The Drinks Business to offer my tuppence hap’orth of half-baked opinions about more niche Austrian wines, or life beyond Gruner, as it might…
Doug Decants: California, Jurancon, Georgia + more!
Vale da Capucha Branco: Composed of 92% Fernão Pires (which is not a cross of Fernando Torres and Robert Pires) and 8% Arinto, hails from Atlantic country in Lisboa, a…
The Real Alternative Wine Glossary: M (Part One)
Macabeo - Myths Macabeo – The Scottish grape. Maceration – Describes the process of drinking wine from lunch through to dinner without a break. Sardonic maceration is when drinking leads…
The Real Wine Fair: Welcome to Flavour Country
Every wine event has its own unique feeling, one animated by the energy of those exhibiting feeding off the moods of those coming to taste. The wines are the further…
Doug’s Decants
Keep your eyes on the wines: 2014 Vin de France, Melonix, Jo Landron This is Melon ++. Melon as in Muscadet. But with a natural malolactic and no sulphur added.…
Small is beautiful…and occasionally annoying
Smart-Allocation Wines “Teach a parrot the terms "supply and demand" and you've got an economist.” Thomas Carlyle When demand starts to exceed supply in any walk of life the value…
Chatting with: Sylvie Augereau
Sylvie Augereau is one of France's most prolific wine writers and is a passionate spokesperson for natural wine. Sylvie is the founder of La Dive Bouteille, heralded as the world's largest annual natural wine…
Aussie Awesomesauce
Throw another turkey on the barbie, pin back thy lugs ye figjams and mollydookers cos we’re stoked to announce some serious new true blue grog as we swiftly decant our…
I predict a quiet riot: Forecasting 2016
There is a saying that even a stopped clock tells the right time twice a day. Trends, by definition, are rootless and transient, yet wine commentators are often falling over…
Out with the old: Les Caves de P’s 2015
Viennese Swirl In with the Austrians. We began the year with a tasting focusing on some new Austrian agencies being the Styrian wines of Andreas Tscheppe, Sepp Muster and Franz…