The Not-At-All-Real Real Wine Fair Awards
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…
2019 Real Wine Fair Thoughts
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…
The Real Wine Fair: So Much More Than A Wine Tasting
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…
How To Organise A Successful Wine Fair
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,…
Amber Wines and ASMR
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…
Another Fine Unicorn: Gringet “Le Feu”, Domaine Belluard – Haute-Savoie
A wine may be rare because it is made in tiny quantities. Or because it is a one-off cuvee, perhaps one necessitated by the nature of a vintage. Or an…
Portuguese Wonders at The Real Wine Fair
There are always amazing discoveries to be made at the Real Wine Fair. The 2019 Fair features some wines from Portugal that are definitely worth the detour. Herdade do Cebolal is…
Ugly Ducklings into Swans: A Real Wine Event at Solent Cellar
Every year, I am kindly invited by Heather and Simon of Solent Cellarto do a tasting masterclass at their cosy wine shop in Lymington in conjunction with Real Wine Month. This year…
Pet-ting Zoo
A Pet Nat (short for pétillant naturel) is a sparkling wine from a single vintage that undergoes a single fermentation. The wine ferments with its own yeast in tank or…
Doug Decants: The Wines of Mauricio Gonzalez Carraro
Mauricio Gonzalez Carraro is part of the Asociación de Productores de Vino Campesino de Chile, organized by natural wine advocate and sommelier Macarena Lladser. Their group of four all practise within…