Diary of a Wine Week
Monday: I have just tried a white wine with so much alcohol that it practically cauterised my tongue and dissolved my taste buds. From a grape variety one might associate…
Is Pet Nat Officially Boring? (spoiler alert, no it’s not!)
To Pet Nat or To Pet Not Pet Nat is now indubitably a genre. Ten to fifteen years ago, you could reel off all the practitioners of this winemaking style…
Focus On: Vale da Capucha
Lisbonny-bonny wines Vale da Capucha was started on the family property by Pedro Marques and Afonso Fernandes Marques within the Torres Vedras DOC, 45 minutes northwest of Lisbon, a mere…
Wine and Humility
Wine and humility. Is this some sort of new delicious pairing combo like Sauternes and Roquefort or Savennières and salmon? Which red would accompany the humblest of pies? Or is…
Autumn Drops: A Series of Les Caves Tastings
What’s in a tasting name or theme? Even to talk about the tasting seasons seems to scoff at the evidence of climate change. Spring can spring during the so-called winter…
Doug decants: The wines of Hervé Souhaut, Domaine Romaneaux-Destezet, Northern Rhône
As the 2022s have just landed, it is a good moment to reacquaint ourselves with these classic Northern Rhône wines. A word about Hervé’s wines. I would describe them as…
What to write about natural wine
The brief history, the culture, the arguments and the current state of play in the U.K. I was directed by a friend recently to an article describing the nature…
Doug Decants: Domaine Luneau-Papin’s Muscadet Vera Cruz
“Stumbling on melons as I pass…” ~ The Garden by Andy Marvell (1621-78) You can eat an oyster now all year round without fear of gastro-intestinal reprisal. You could always…
Nuggetorials 5: A squint at wine trends
Trendzilla ~ An Instagram post featuring nigella seeds, acai berries and a perfectly framed bottle of Gut Oggau Theodora. --The Real Alternative Wine Glossary ~ Vol 2 "A trend is…
What’s the fuss about duty?
The trade has been rightly chattering about the upcoming duty rises. For those of you who may have been hibernating since December 22nd 2022, the government in its wisdom have…