Doug decants: Etnella Villa Petrosa, Sicily
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…
Putting the swig in a gig: Comedy and Wine
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…
Doug Decants: Two Unrelated Adas
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…
All you needed to know about Qvevri but were afraid to ask
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…
100 Great Natural Wines: Austria
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…
100 Great Natural Wines: An Introduction
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…
Doug decants: Continental Platter Semillon
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,…
Topping up the Georgians
It is a truth universally acknowledged that we’ve had a love affair with Georgia for the past few years, and over a decade ago became one of the first companies…
Doug decants: The Wines of Domaine des Cavarodes
Over the years, many of our wineries in the Jura region have acquired quasi-cult status. It is not something that we care about, because we play the wine rather than…
Thoughts for the New Year on Biodynamics and Natural Wine
I was recently in Austria and met and talked to a lot of growers who have become clear about how biodynamics is positively shaping their wines. Of course, winemaking plays…