Ugly Wine Words: Part One
Reposted from July 2014 Vinonsense We are a society strangling in unnecessary words, circular constructions, pompous frills and meaningless jargon. --William Zinsser Ours is the age of substitutes: instead of…
South African Mini Wine Odyssey â Part Two
 Day Two Gentle advice for those who talk about natural wine This much I know: always give a talk whilst suffering from mild jet lag, the equivalent state of gentle…
Chatting with Sebastian De Martino
1. What attracted you to Itata initially - had you ever tasted wines from this region? What attracted us was its history (quite unknown and mysterious even), the southern location (high…
Itata and the roots of Chilean wine
I am indebted to the De Martino family for their research into this fascinating region of Chile. It is fair to say that they rediscovered its potential as part of…
South African Mini Wine Odyssey â Part One
 Craig Hawkins & Testalonga As the aircraft sashays towards Cape Town you get a glimpse of the muscular beauty of this slice of Africa. The city itself is expanding confidently,…
The Point of Points: Part 3
The Nature of Wine Tasting Many dozens of books have fully explored the mechanics of taste, its fixities and definites, and there are numerous systems to codify or judge these.…
The Point of Points: Part 2
Phile under Pinot Iâm sure Pinotâs musky quality directly stimulates the part of the brain that processes sensuality yet Iâve had more unfulfilling encounters with this grape than I care…
The Point of Points: Part 1
Originally posted April 2013 Of pointyheads, pulse-quickeners & phoeno-types Compare this, rank that, analyse to the nth degree â the more you reduce wine to numbers the less you understand…
Notes From The Undersoil (or How to Enjoy Wine)
âI had that Bertrand Russell in the back of my cab once. So I asked him, âWell, Mr Russell, whatâs it all about?â And do you know â he couldnât…
The World According To Grape
âI 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…