Not reneging on the idea of terroir
I have been flailing around about what to write about recently until I read a thread on a well-known wine educator’s page. It was a classic lemon-sucking post, pooh-poohing the…
Doug Decants: La Palazzetta, Montalcino
The 18-hectare family run winery and vineyards are situated on the south-eastern edge of the Montalcino appellation in the tiny village of Castelnuovo dell’ Abate. Flavio Fanti is a traditionalist…
Ticking Approval Boxes
As I raise the glass of wine to my lips, I am listening to a verbal picture being painted by a friend of mine of a young female vigneronne…
Introducing: The Hearach, A Single Malt from The Isle of Harris
The Hearach is the first, historic single malt whisky from the Isle of Harris, as the distilling traditions lost during the Pabbay clearances of the 1840s have been revived. Every…
Doug Decants ~ The Wines of Dominio del Urogallo
Bangers from Cangas Fran Asencio is the man behind Dominio del Urogallo, a domain of old vines, complex soils and steep slopes, in the cooler climate of an Atlantic-influenced region.…
Rowing Forward: Tasting Natural Wine vs. Conventional Wine
This is a short addendum to the piece "Why Rowing Back is Not an Option", written earlier this year, which expresses how the growth of natural wine has revitalised the…
Meet The Contenders For Wines of 2024
It may be flaming June, but it is not bloody flaming. By the time this blog emerges (unlike the sun), it will probably be soggy July. That’s me tempting the…
A Q&A with Heidi Nam Knudsen of A Thousand Decisions
Heidi has been a close friend of Les Caves de Pyrene and The Real Wine Fair (as well as other small progressive natural wine merchants) for several years. She was…
Doug Decants ~ Walgate Wines, Rye, East Sussex
Walgate Wines (a.k.a. Ben Walgate) are committed to producing some of the finest wines in England. Ben is making good on this ambitious pledge. A slow and respectful winemaking process…
Read All About It: Amazing feedback for the Real Wine Fair 2024
We were overwhelmed with positive feedback of the Real Wine Fair, which took place on 28-29th April 2024 at Tobacco Dock in London. Here is just a small sampling of…