Guest Post: On the Abracadabra of Bottling by Hannah Fuellenkemper
--Hannah Fuellenkemper I know that wine is about transformation, but no one warned me about the transformative power of packaging, and how in seconds it could change what had been…
Doug Decants: Recent Orange Additions: Part 1 – France
Although times they-are-a-changing and French vignerons and vigneronnes are cottoning on to making skin-contact wines, there was a time when you would have to search hard to find an amber-hued…
Wines of the Year (so far) – Part One
Doug & Elliott pore over some of their favourites... In an ongoing series, we (Les Cavistes) decant the wines that rocked our respective boats and rolled our barrels in the…
A Humble Alternative to the Top Fifty Vineyards in the World – Part Two.
Read Part One here. A recent report (voted by “experts”) listed the Top Fifty Vineyards in the World. It seemed more about companies with edifice complexes, than anything to do…
Georgian Wine Times Have Returned!
Georgian wines, that is, wines from the Republic of Georgia, have certainly been capturing the hearts and minds of the UK trade over the past few years. For seekers of…
We’ve got a not-so-little-list
As some day it may happen that a vigneron must be found, I've got a little list — I've got a little list Of Georgian growers who bury clay pots…
Latest US Arrivals
The latest batch of US wines to have hit our shores contain some real summer slurpers from Populis and Evan Lewandowski, some new wines from Kelley Fox, Minimus and Martha…
Doug Pores Over: Decanting
Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go —T. S. Eliot It is scientifically proven that aeration through decanting a wine…
Doug Decants: Damejeanne from La Garagista
The project known as La Garagista Farm + Winery began in 2010. In essence, Deirdre and Caleb farm three parcels of co-planted, alpine varietals that are horticultural crosses of vinifera…
Les Caves discovers…Calabria!
Sometimes known as Italy’s toe, and divided from Sicily by the narrow Strait of Messina, Calabria juts out between the Ionian and the Tyrrhenian Seas. Its northern border with Basilicata,…
Book Review: Cultural Insurrection by Jonathan Nossiter
Cultural Insurrection: A Manifesto for the Arts, Agriculture and Natural Wine - Jonathan Nossiter Jonathan Nossiter grew up variously in France, England (where apparently, and unbeknownst to each other, we attended…
A Humble Alternative to the Top Fifty Vineyards in the World
A recent report (voted by “experts”) listed the Top Fifty Vineyards in the World. It seemed more about companies with edifice complexes, than anything to do vineyards, vines, terroir and…
Doug Decants: Continental Platter
Sac à Main Balinais Pinot Noir & Pot à Cab Sav Continental Platter is a partnership between Les Caves de Pyrene and our Australian distribution partners, Puncheon Bottles, born from…
About a Book
Wine is, or should be, a liberating influence. It should inspire us, make us happy, unlock our creativity and passion. Then we write a book about it. Because, as the…
Drinking Outside The Box: The Les Caves de Pyrène Autumn Trade Tasting!
The Les Caves autumn trade tasting will take place in the Hellenic Centre on Paddington Street in Marylebone on Monday 23rd September 2019. Entitled, 'Drinking Outside The Box', it will…
The Obligatory Summer Rosé Article!
Not another rosé article! No, not another rosé article – by this or any other name - to out-frivol the pink drink. Time, wethinks, to put some perspective into the…
New and Forthcoming Arrivals in July!
In the last newsletter, we highlighted some of our most recent additions and forthcoming arrivals. Now the rivers of wine are positively flowing with the Jurassic stuff; at last, we…
Doug Decants: Monte dall’Ora, Vino Nato Disobbediente
When Alessandra and Carlo Venturini first discovered Monte dall’Ora it was love at first sight. As children of farmers, they were excited and challenged by the hard work it was…
What’s the deal with vegan wines?
Vegan wines. A storm in an egg cup? Generally speaking, very few of our wines are fined with gelatine, casein, albumen or isinglass. Either they are not fined at all,…
Doug decants: The Wines of Beckham Estate
Beckham Estate, Oregon USA In 2004, Andrew, a ceramics artist and High School ceramist teacher and his wife Annedria, purchased land on the Parrett Mountain in the Chehalem Mountains AVA near…
Guest Post: Winemaking and What It Really Means
A Personal A to Z by Hannah Fuellenkemper A year ago I moved to France. I was vaguely hoping one day to make wine, when out of the blue turning-thirty got…
New Arrivals from France!
Now is the summer of our replenishment. Looking out the window at the mizzle as I write this, I think summer may be an exaggeration, but the wine coffers will…
Another Rare Unicorn: U.V.A from Panevino
Pull up an armchair and warm your interest in wine at the crackling fire of extreme passion. This is the story of Gianfranco Manca, formerly a baker, who, having taken…
Reflecting about Wine Writing
I would like to write in a way that provokes thought without provoking people, and I would like to read writers who have the passion and intellectual clarity (and curiosity)…
Doug decants: The Wines of Alexandre Bain
Biodynamic and natural wines the result of meticulous work Alexandre Bain’s passion for working the land was inspired by his grandfather who was a farmer. At 18 he decided to…
BYO Podcast full episodes from the Real Wine Fair 2019!
BYO Podcast recorded and filmed live at the Real Wine Fair this year! Watch the full line up of growers here and subscribe to the podcast! Christian Binner: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETDBgpqYmtE Pierre…
Bonjour English Wine Week!
Some of the most hummingly busy stands at the 2019 Real Wine Fair were the ones hosted by English growers and winemakers. English wine, good English wine, is making waves.…
The Not-At-All-Real Real Wine Fair Awards
A visitor, panic in their eyes, exclaimed to me: “So much wine, so little time!” I felt the same. Two days were not enough. But here are my highlights with…
2019 Real Wine Fair Thoughts
I have written about every fair since The Natural Wine Fair in 2011. Sometimes, I am still alight with the afterglow that one gets when one tastes great wines, meets…
The Real Wine Fair: So Much More Than A Wine Tasting
A bit of grin and bear it, a bit of come and share it You're welcome, we can spare it - yellow socks Too short to be haughty, too nutty…
How To Organise A Successful Wine Fair
Have a distinctive theme. Many wine tastings are generic and feel like tasting by numbers, others have too narrow a focus. It is clear that this is an artisan fair,…
Amber Wines and ASMR
I sometimes seek a quality in wine that can only be described as tactility. It is that quality wherein the liquid touches taste-buds in such a way both physically and…
Another Fine Unicorn: Gringet “Le Feu”, Domaine Belluard – Haute-Savoie
A wine may be rare because it is made in tiny quantities. Or because it is a one-off cuvee, perhaps one necessitated by the nature of a vintage. Or an…
Portuguese Wonders at The Real Wine Fair
There are always amazing discoveries to be made at the Real Wine Fair. The 2019 Fair features some wines from Portugal that are definitely worth the detour. Herdade do Cebolal is…
Ugly Ducklings into Swans: A Real Wine Event at Solent Cellar
Every year, I am kindly invited by Heather and Simon of Solent Cellarto do a tasting masterclass at their cosy wine shop in Lymington in conjunction with Real Wine Month. This year…
Pet-ting Zoo
A Pet Nat (short for pétillant naturel) is a sparkling wine from a single vintage that undergoes a single fermentation. The wine ferments with its own yeast in tank or…
Doug Decants: The Wines of Mauricio Gonzalez Carraro
Mauricio Gonzalez Carraro is part of the Asociación de Productores de Vino Campesino de Chile, organized by natural wine advocate and sommelier Macarena Lladser. Their group of four all practise within…
The Autobiography of Les Caves de Pyrene. Chapter Six: Of the Psychology of Tasting, Wine Fairs and Feelings – Part Two
Read Chapter One Parts One, Two and Three Chapter Two Parts One, Two and Three Chapter Three Part One and Two and Three Chapter Four Part One and Two Chapter Five Part One and Two Chapter Six Part One Continued from Part One: 2011 was a watershed for natural…
Doug Decants: Three Chenins from Intellego Wines
Jurgen Gouws worked with Eben Sadie for a vintage in Spain (at Terroir Al Limit in Priorat) and also in South Africa. He did further stints in France (at Matassa…
I Won’t Call Them Unicorns but I will…Thierry Navarre’s Ribeyrenc
Another Unicorn in Our Stable Our spare Ribeyrenc Ribeyrenc, also Rybeyrenc, though grape encyclopaediae will have it under the more prosaic-sounding Aspiran), is a variety that was traditionally grown between…
I won’t call them unicorns but I will…
A new series featuring wines made in tiny quantities (free toy microscope with every bottle). These wines are strictly allocated (alas), so please enquire about availability. As rare as…wings upon…
Doug decants: Jo Landron’s Melonix & Muscadet Amphibolite
“The Melonator” Jo Landron, a graduate of the École d’Agriculture in Briacé, which counts a good number of the leading winemakers of Nantais amongst its alumni, has been ensconced at…
The Autobiography of Les Caves de Pyrene. Chapter Six: Of the Psychology of Tasting, Wine Fairs and Feelings – Part One.
Read Chapter One Parts One, Two and Three Chapter Two Parts One, Two and Three Chapter Three Part One and Two and Three Chapter Four Part One and Two Chapter Five Part One and Two Homer: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just remember if your mother asks, I took you…
The Natural Wine ABCs
A is for additives such as acidification. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it and if it is broke it's the fault of the way the wine is made in…
Doug Decants: Weingut Knauss, Germany
Andi Knauss, who now is in his early thirties, started to work together with his father at their family estate in the Remstal region, east of Stuttgart, in 2004 as…
The Wild Pacific North West: US Wines Back In The Saddle
Ovum Wines: A Critique of Pure Riesling John House and Ksenija Kostic both have day jobs so they're able to take risks with Ovum Wines. For example, they focus solely on…
Doug Decants: The Wines of Valter & Klemen Mlecnik, Slovenia
The Mlecnik 9ha farm, situated in Bukovica at the western end of the Vipava valley near the Italian border, is planted to a mix of Chardonnay, Rebula, Sauvignonasse (ex-Tocai Friulano),…
What is a value for money wine?
If beauty lies in the eye of the beholder so does value for money. We are more likely to appreciate that a hand-crafted wine might represent value, if we know…
Chapter Five: Of Natural Wine Bars. Part Two
Read Chapter One Parts One, Two and Three Chapter Two Parts One, Two and Three Chapter Three Part One and Two and Three Chapter Four Part One and Two Chapter Five Part One Wine diamonds What’s that in the bottle? It looks like slivers of glass.…
Doug Decants: New Single Vineyard Frappatos from Arianna Occhipinti
Arianna Occhipinti works in the vineyards, finding an endless source of inspiration through observation. In particular, during the last few years, she has not only been focused on the splendid…
A Tribute to Gerard Basset OBE
From Gerrard's website: Gerard Basset, one of the world’s greatest wine professionals, passed away yesterday morning surrounded by his family. He had fought a brave battle against cancer of the…
Chatting with: Ben Walgate, Tillingham Wines
2018 was an incredibly busy year for Ben Walgate, winemaker and co-founder of Tillingham. They launched their first wines onto the UK market, planted 10,000 vines by hand at their farm…
Sir Wregg’s Favourite Wines from 2018
Life is too short to drink bad wine. Or mediocre wine. So, I tried not to! The following wines were my wines of the year. I became more conservative in…
Doug decants: The Wines of Michel Gahier, Arbois
For a generation Michel Gahier and his family have been quietly working with some of the region’s most sought-after terroirs. The Gahiers have lived in Montigny-les-Arsures, just outside of Arbois, since the…
The Autobiography of Les Caves de Pyrene. Chapter Five: Of Natural Wine Bars. Part One
Read Chapter One Parts One, Two and Three Chapter Two Parts One, Two and Three Chapter Three Part One and Two and Three Chapter Four Part One and Two Customer: Good Morning. Owner: Good morning, sir. Welcome to Terroirs, London’s first natural wine bar! Customer: Ah,…
Chapter Four: The Guide to Brilliant Business Practice. Part Three
Read Chapter One Parts One, Two and Three Chapter Two Parts One, Two and Three Chapter Three Part One and Two and Three Chapter Four Part One and Two Unsuit yourself We try to operate in a bullshit-free manner. Because we don’t wear suits,…
Chapter Four: The Guide to Brilliant Business Practice. Part Two
Read Chapter One Parts One, Two and Three Chapter Two Parts One, Two and Three Chapter Three Part One and Two and Three Chapter Four Part One The Early Days Lectures on business morality are not part of business strategy, and so goody-two-shoes-iness…
Taking Stock: A Review of 2018
Les Caves de Pyrene (1988 – 2018) If I characterised 2017 as the year of treading softly, then 18 was the year of the wine company collective duvet day. In…
Doug Decants: Etnella from Etna
Davide Bentivegna, Etnella's founder, used to work for Siemans in Germany, but one day decided to abandon his office job and realise a dream to make wine. Without any…
New Arrivals in time for the holidays!
This year we bought our Christmas presents at the very last minute. But it’s the thought that counts! Many of the wines below are on allocation or made in such…
The Autobiography of Les Caves de Pyrene. The Chapter Four, Part One: The Guide to Brilliant Business Practice
Read Chapter One Parts One, Two and Three Chapter Two Parts One, Two and Three Chapter Three Part One and Two and Three Chance rules our lives, and the future is all unknown. Best live as we may, from day to day. --Oedipus…
Doug decants: Las Nubes Pinot Noir by Dominique Derain
Dominique Derain has farmed vines and made biodynamic wines in his estate located in the old presbytery in the village of Saint-Aubin (Hautes Cotes de Beaune) for thirty years, ever…
Chapter Three: They have embiggened our soul. Part Three
Read Chapter One Parts One, Two and Three Chapter Two Parts One, Two and Three Chapter Three Part One and Two John Wurdeman, Georgian Soul Music Pheasant’s Tears was born in 2007 when Georgian, Gela Patalishvili, a farmer from a…
Chapter Three: They have embiggened our soul. Part Two
Read Chapter One Parts One, Two and Three Chapter Two Parts One, Two and Three Chapter Three Part One Kelley Fox: Living for the vines Oregon grower Kelley Fox farms the Old Block in Maresh vineyard which is…
Focus On: The Wines of Domaine des Miquettes
DOMAINE DES MIQUETTES, Paul Estève & Chrystelle Vareille, Saint-Joseph We are delighted to recommend the wonderful wines of Domaine des Miquettes in the northern Rhône. These are oh-so-pure and articulate…
Doug decants: The Wines of Antoine Arena, Corsica
...The maquis co(u)rsing through his veins Antoine Arena, like most Corsicans of his generation, grew up in a family that earned a modest living working the land on an island…
Chapter Three: They have embiggened our soul. Part One
Read Chapter One Parts One, Two and Three and Chapter Two Parts One, Two and Three here. Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this…
Doug Decants: Domaine Le Briseau’s Le Verre des Poètes
Nathalie Gaubicher founded Domaine Le Briseau in 2002, with her first husband, Christian Chaussard, in an area encompassing Jasnières and Coteaux-du-Loir. Briseau’ is named after a plot on the estate…
Georgians back in the house!
After a few months with scarcely a qvevri-wine to our name, we have now received our long-awaited shipment of new vintages (mostly 17s) and a few new wines too. We…
Chapter Two: The Reign of Terroir: Part Three
Continued from Chapter Two, Part Two. Read Chapter Two Part One, and Chapter One Parts One, Two and Three here. Terroir and the good, the bad and the ugly grapes In the way that humans like…
Chapter Two: The Reign of Terroir: Part Two
Continued from Chapter Two, Part One. Read Chapter One Parts One, Two and Three here. Digression Concerning the Art & Nature of wine transformation Science commits suicide when it adopts a creed. --Thomas Huxley The…
Chapter Two: The Reign of Terroir: Part One
Read Chapter One Parts One, Two and Three. My agent narrowed his eyes and bit down on the end of an unfeasibly large cheroot. “Look, kid. You’re meant to be…
The Autobiography of Les Caves de Pyrene. Chapter One, Part Three: We’re all mad here
Read Parts One and Two... Madiran We're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad. --The Cheshire Cat, Alice in Wonderland O tannin bomb, o tannin bomb. There lurks a Tannat-ridden…
Doug Decants: Tokaji Aszu 5 Puttonyos
Aszu were with that slow furmint! The undisputed king of Hungarian vineyards, Mount Tokaj is located to the north of the country, 200 km east of Budapest. This legendary location…
The Autobiography of Les Caves de Pyrene. Chapter One Part Two: Mining our South West Origins
Read Part One HERE. [The three musketeers and D’Artagnan are escaping from the Cardinal’s men in his own coach] Porthos: Champagne? Athos: We’re in the middle of a chase, Porthos.…
Is Natural Wine Moral?
We have two kinds of morality side by side: one which we preach but do not practice and another which we practice but seldom preach. - Bertrand Russell My innate…
The Autobiography of Les Caves de Pyrene. Chapter One: Roots, Lees, Oak and The Blood of the Soil
Free fighters, free lovers, free spend- ers – The Cadets of Gascoyne the de- fenders Of old homes, old names and old splen- dors. --Edmond Rostand, Cyrano de Bergerac I’m remembering…
Decanting our recent “Restyling Wine” tasting: Part Two
From Old Vines to Decanter by way of Pet Bubbles Read Part One HERE. Old vines denoted wines that have seventy-plus years on the clock. Venerable the vines may…
Doug Decants: The Wines of Le Domaine Plageoles
Tradition is not a return to an obsolete past, but rather the permanence of its origins through time --Frederik Tristan Since 1805, seven generations of the Plageoles family have carried…
Decanting our recent “Restyling Wine” tasting: Part One
A Les Caves tasting with a difference Part One Restyling Wine, our 18th September autumn trade tasting, was a tasting with a slight difference, an attempt to refresh wine…
Chenin: the grape we love (Part Two – Out of South Africa)
Read Part One of our Ode to Chenin Blanc here. Craig Hawkins makes wines in Swartland. His project is called Testalonga El Bandito, wherein he makes a pair of Chenins…
Stefano Bellotti: An Appreciation
Stefano Bellotti understood farming and the language of nature at a fundamental level; He made wines that were wild, long-lived and spoke deeply of their origins. He was the spirit…
Doug decants: The Wines of Cascina Iuli
Fabrizio Iuli grew up (literally) in his mother’s restaurant and used to help out from a very early age. His grandfather had planted some Barbera in the fields behind the…
Chenin: the grape we love (Part One)
I’d give my goddam soul for a glass of Vouvray. --Jack Torrance This supremely versatile and noble Loire grape makes all styles from pétillant and sparkling through bleach-bone dry, tender,…
It was 30 years ago today…
As mentioned in virtually every piece that we write now, we are thirty years old this year! A lot of real and metaphorical vino has passed under the bridge; the…
Doug Decants: Capreolus – rare eaux de vies from the Cotswolds
When we finally discovered the house on the outskirts of Cirencester we encountered three figures up to their elbows (literally) in blackberries, arms and faces painted in crimson-purple juice. Individual…
New Arrivals: Oregon (Bow & Arrow and Kelley Fox Wines)
The United States of Loiregon More power to the Bow Scott Frank of Bow and Arrow obeys the rule of the Loire. For him it involves sourcing the right vineyards…
Sulphur ye not the little wines
Arguably not the last word on the subject To find no-sulphur wines liberating and energising is not to cast aspersions on wines that are made with an addition of sulphur.…
Restyling wine tastings: A modest proposal in anticipation of our 18th September Trade Tasting
Let’s be frank. Tastings are pretty tedious, aren’t they? You might make a discovery or two at one, or have a chance to have a chinwag with a grower at…
Does Does: Slovenia (Day Two): Biodynamic diversions with Zorjan
Read Doug Does: Slovenia (Day One) HERE. A Wreath of Sonnets – France Preseren (one of Slovenia’s great poets) Send but your rays their glory to renew And let me…
Chatting with: Heidi Nam Knudsen, Founder of A Thousand Decisions
Heidi Nam Knudsen is the founder of the A Thousand Decisions, a wine course focusing on natural winemaking and growing methods. She is also the Operations and Wine Director for…
Doug decants: The Ever So ‘Umble Aligote
I am greatly obliged, and I should like it of all things, I assure you; but I am far too umble. There are people enough to tread upon me in…
Doug Does: Slovenia (Day One)
Read Part one (Croatia) HERE. Day Two: As The Slo-Cro Flies As we were driving through Croatia towards Slovenia I reflected on the conundrum about why places that are not…
Wine Controversies: Fashionable debunking and the over-appliance of science…is bunk
Over the past few years we have seen numerous attempts to debunk the rationale behind concepts such as biodynamics, terroir, natural wines and minerality. The spirit of disinterested interrogation is…
Doug Does Croatia
Day One: As The Cro Flies We love a good cliché and to stereotype the wine potential of a country. When you think of Croatia you imagine the grand sweep…
Doug Decants: polOpuesto wines
The Uco valley is a semi-arid desert region in a rain shadow created by the high mass of the Andes range, which blocks the passage of westerly winds that would…
The History of Les Caves de Pyrene in 10 ½ Chapters
Introduction A couple of years ago I was in a San Francisco natural wine bar and proffered my card to pay my tab at the end of the evening. The…
Wine Controversies: Mark Ups in Restaurants? Blame the Bean Counters and the Government
Accountants and purchase managers are employed either to protect margins or ratchet up the gps. This usually entails pressing the supplier for greater discounts, trying to prevent price rises, deferring…
Wine Controversies: Wine writing about what consumers want is bunk
Each one of us is a consumer. We express our choices individually and buy we like, or what we can afford. Wine journalists - and people throughout the wine trade…
Doug Decants: Nacho Gonzalez’s La Perdida Wines
Waiting for Godello Nacho Gonzalez farms his family’s vineyard, which his grandmother had worked all her life, and is patiently restoring its vitality. He has also purchased other small plots…
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