Doug Decants: Big Salt Orange Rosé, Ovum Wines
A rose that is an orange by any other name Ovum Wines (John and Ksenija House) is dedicated to producing Riesling & Gewurztraminer (& Muscat) from single sites in Oregon and…
The Obligatory Rosé Article
Beyond the pinky and perky cliché It’s August, and I’ve forgotten to rehash my ORA (Obligatory Rosé Article). This year with sweltersville coming at us from all sides, it would…
Doug Decants: Rosé Natur, Bianka & Daniel Schmitt
The Schmitt winery has been in the family for over 230 years with Bianka and Daniel working their 16 hectares for the last decade. They work in full biodynamics which…
Ficheing for Information
What do you want to know about wine? Most of our customers want us to send them technical notes (known as fiche techniques). In its starkest form, an FT is…
Spotlight on: The Wines of Bruno Duchêne
Luna module Bruno Duchêne hails from the Loire Valley, where his family had a thriving business selling farm machinery. Before starting his career as a winemaker, he was a wild…
What’s the deal with… varietalisation?
Think of a grape variety and you will probably envision it in its most basic iteration. Gamay? Think bubblegum and fruit pastilles. Malbec? Think chocolate. Chardonnay? Think warm buttered toast.…
Epiphany and the Creative Impulse
Epiphanies, as I have written before, tend to coalesce around a single moment. It may be a moment in the immediate present that is so deeply moving, so sensorily involving,…
Doug Decants: Le Mat du Raisin, Cascina degli Ulivi, Piemonte
Ilaria Romano (née Bellotti) has taken over the running of this estate and the wines are as brilliant and energetic as ever. The white wines stood out at this year’s…
In Praise of Pinot: Rhapsody in Burgundy
Yeah strawberries… not the cheese Pinot Noir? Hardest game in the world, as Archie from The Fast Show might have opined. Or opinoted. Pinot Noir, the eternal seductress, that most…
U.S. and them
Christmas comes but once a year, but with shipping delays, US wines seem to arrive every other year. On a wing and a prayer rather than a ship. Rarer than…