Archive

“I had that Bertrand Russell in the back of my cab once. So I asked him, “Well, Mr Russell, what’s it all about?” And do you know - he couldn’t…

In the aftermath of any large tasting part of you wants to crunch facts and figures – publicise the nitty-gritty stats detailing how many people sailed through the doors, how…

Walker Bay - Wurzer Walker Bay – A place where fairly pedestrian South African wines originate. Wax… capsules were designed to annoy sommeliers Welschriesling – Or Rhyl-sling as they call…

“I am a possibilist. I believe that humanity is master of its own fate... Before we can change direction, we have to question many of the assumptions underlying our current…

VA to Voudomato VA – Unstable wines with volatile acidity are said to go VA VA VA Boom! Valpol – A.K.A. Little Red Corvina. The simplest, fruitiest style of Valpolicella.…

Love Tilly Devine is one of the best wine bars in Australia. There, I said it. It's the kind of place you want to linger in well into the wee…

Let us listen to three voices. If you ask one type of man, "What does a novel do?" he will reply placidly: "Well - I don't know - it seems…

The timing of The Real Wine Fair may not be propitious for our growers and winemakers in the southern hemisphere as they will be toiling deep amongst the vines or…

I was privileged to be invited to take part in a tasting (followed by a “round table” discussion) of natural wines at The World of Fine Wine. There comes a…

Try a wine made from a blend of 400 grape varieties Meet a former punk musician turned winemaker Taste a wine made from a wild vineyard in Chile Discover a…

Language is a process of free creation; its laws and principles are fixed, but the manner in which the principles of generation are used is free and infinitely varied. Even…

--Christina Pickard When something works well the first time, repeating it isn't an easy feat. The follow up album after a band's massively successful first release all too often fails…

There are perceptible stirrings of “real wine life” in the hidden parts of Spain and Portugal. Consider these countries with their wine heritages, mosaic of terroirs, range of climates and…

Italian growers have once again turned out in grandi numeri for The Real Wine Fair. From the foothills of the Alps to the cusp of Africa, from Piemonte to Sicilia,…

A Brief Perspective The Real Wine Revolution – no shots were fired, no-one is bleeding, a few professional carpers have taken umbrage and harrumphed off into the distance complaining about…

The Loire is the beating heart of the natural wine movement in France, where strong traditional values rub amiable shoulders with teasing iconoclasm. We are pleased to welcome back some…

They order things differently in Swartland Lammershoek is situated in the Aprilskloof Valley of the Paardeberg The soil is decomposed granite, very sandy in places They have 60 head of…

Ubiety -Uva Ubiety – Whereness. An obscure alternative for terroir. Ubiquitous – Lists of top ten or top twenty wines, glossaries… Ugni-corn Wines –Far from mythical, these are thin white…

De Martino family and Les Caves de Pyrène are teaming up to put on a special event, “Looking Back, Moving Forward”, celebrating the 80th anniversary of this Chilean winery and demonstrate the creative…

Terroir -- Typicity Terroir - I refer you to my monograph etc. etc. One of my favourite quotes from Trollope is the pithy aphorism: “Land is about the only thing that…

One of the oldest family-owned wineries in Chile, De Martino will be celebrating its 80th birthday in 2014. To mark this milestone they will be holding a special event on…

Supporting growers who respect the environment, who seek alternatives to chemicals, who exalt terroir and expression of fruit, who cherish the culture and particularity of their regions and uphold local…

A famous wine writer will announce with due solemnity that natural wine is an irrelevance, a busted flush, a little fad that no-one will talk about or be interested in…

*Let’s stop putting wine on a pedestal. *Let’s avoid using words like icon and iconic. Not only are they clichés, but they have come to mean unaffordable (and highly sought…

...a year of many highlights. A massive thanks to our customers, those have kept faith in us and supported us in the last twelve months. And thanks to all who…

Manny: This is a farmyard of wine... Bernard: It's like looking into the eye of a duck... Manny: And sucking all the fluid from its beak. What is life in…

--There is a trend to highlight countries that have been making wine for several millennia and branding them “interesting new wine territories”, for the simple reason that a few key…

 Table Wine - Terraces Table Wine – Traditionally, a wine that could drink you under the table, but now a badge of honour in every country where the grower/winemaker would…

Les Caves de Pyrène has been down on the funny farms looking for crazy juice. The expression same-old, same-old simply does not figure in our lexicon as we sleuth out…

Spraying – Vineyard managers who expostulate with contempt when they see a biodynamic farmed, their spittle is said to burn the very leaves off the canopy. Spumante – The inevitable…

It’s back! Time’s winged chariot has released its handbrake and once again we are hurtling towards the festival of wine, food and antic merriment known as The Real Wine Fair.…

Les Caves de Pyrène Piemonte Portfolio Tasting @ Dalla Terra Nebarcettos (and others) Piemonte is a region that bequeaths regal expectations, the result of a proud tradition of vine-growing and…

Riojas--Ruwer Riojas – People who are feeling a surfeit of Tempanillo are said to be “off their Riojas.” Riparia – Those growers in the States who gravitate to Vitis Vinifera…

The second lot of wine truisms may be true (or not), but they will never be as shockingly true (or false) as the first lot.  (Oscar Wilde – not) --Good…

Racines - Rkatsiteli Racines – the name of a famous wine bar in Paris, plus a cuvée from the inimitable Claude Courtois. From people who give hoots about roots. Racking Off…

Quaggling - Qwerty Quaggling quaddler – An inveterate grumbling critic who literally quivers with asperity when the words “natural” and “wine” are juxtaposed in a single sentence. Quahogs, Stuffed –…

-Weather influences what you drink more than the recommendations of wine commentators or bloggers -The overuse of technology in winemaking has resulted the exaltation of clinical mediocrity -Wine journalism tends…

Pinotage--PX Pinotage – Someone who can’t stand Pinotage (and there are many) is said to have a Pinotage allergy. Pinotage 2 – Pinot in its dotage. Pinotphilia - The strange…

And we continue to wax lyrical about Chenin Blanc in its many guises... A versatile food wine…(caution: tummy rumbles may occur) Chenin can be drunk with so many things. The…

“I’d give my goddam soul for a glass of Vouvray.” --Jack Torrance This supremely versatile and noble Loire grape makes all styles from petillant and sparkling to bleach-bone dry, tender,…

Domaine Jean-François Ganevat - Fanfan garners more fans “To say that his grapes are spun into gold would not be far from the truth; they are entirely otherworldly.” -Kermit Lynch…

Following on from part 1 of our Terroir Series, part 2 covers concept of 'minerality' in wine: “Mystification is simple; clarity is the hardest thing of all.” --Julian Barnes, Flaubert's…

Do you believe in terroir? Is it something to believe in? Or is it as vague and questionable as The Great Pumpkin, The Loch Ness Monster and The Moral Rectitude…