Energy and Wine
May the force be in your wine and with you I talk about energy existing in the wines that I like a lot. And note the absence of energy in…
100 Great Natural Wines: Spain
This is a series profiling the producers on our list who make natural wines. Within this series we will be highlighting some of the extraordinary and rare bottles and vintages that…
100 Great Natural Wines: Loire – Part Three
This is a series profiling the producers on our list who make natural wines. Within this series we will be highlighting some of the extraordinary and rare bottles and vintages that…
Phantoms of the Armagnac
The Aurensan vineyard – a family venture run by father Bernard and his two daughters, Sophie and Caroline, spreads over five hectares of land in the Tenareze region of Armagnac…
Love and Wine in the Time of Coronavirus: Part Five
July The Summer looks out from her brazen tower, Through the flashing bars of July. Francis Thompson, A Corymbus for Autumn Throughout the early period of lockdown, time had seemed…
The Unalternative Wine Glossary: I
Here is a lexicon of definitions of key wine words. The definitions are not intended to be scientifically objective and, in many cases, will be somewhat simplistic. Some will describe…
Doug Decants: Ancre Hill Wines, Monmouthshire
Is there more to life than Welsh Albarino? Yes, Welsh still and sparkling wines also. Ancre Hill Estates, owned by Richard and Joy Morris, comprises two vineyard sites on the…
100 Great Natural Wines: Loire – Part Two
This is a series profiling the producers on our list who make natural wines. Within this series we will be highlighting some of the extraordinary and rare bottles and vintages that…
The Alternative Natural Wine Manifesto: Part Two
Part One of The Alternative Wine Manifesto can be found here. I wrote the manifesto below in 2008. A lot of natural wine has flowed underneath the bridge since then.…
Doug decants: Agricola Biodinamica Vaira
Fattoria di Vaira is one of the largest biodynamic farms in Italy, with more than 500 hectares, 40 of which are planted to vines. Here in Petacciato (Campobasso), they cultivate…