Chablis: present, past, future
In November 2011, the Institute of Masters of Wine held a Chablis seminar, moderated by Chablis expert and Master of Wine, Rosemary George, with Chablis protagonists Fabien Moreau of Domaine Christian Moreau Père et Fils, and Guillaume Gicqueau-Michel of Domaine Louis Michel et Fils.
Savennières Roche aux Moines – identity crisis or evolution?
A visit in August to Savennières Roche aux Moines, which is to become an Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée/Protegée in its own right from the 2011 vintage, revealed what might be interpreted as something of an identity crisis, with some quite dramatic shifts in philosophy.
Cool climate Australia – tasting notes from around Melbourne.
When Wine Australia held a tasting in London during November of wines from Victoria that are available in the UK, I focused on pinot noir and chardonnay to explore cool climate expressions.
German pinot noir reveals itself
Germany has long kept secret its world class pinot noirs, or spätburgunder, though over the past few years has been slowly letting in the rest of the world on these wonderful wines.
Loire sauvignon blanc – not Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé
If you’re into sauvignon blanc then Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé are the names to conjure with, but France’s Loire valley offers many other opportunities to drink wines from this bright and zesty grape variety.
The Douro – cool to be hot
The Douro is one of the oldest vineyards in the world, and it also ranks amongst the hottest, making it a challenging viticultural landscape. Yet the region makes some of the finest still and fortified wines known to man. When all the buzz is about cool climate, why is it cool to be hot in the Douro?
Sicily's own nero d'avola
Some countries have an adopted signature grape variety – carmenere in Chile, pinotage in South Africa, malbec in Argentina. Sicily has nero d’avola.
Domaine de la Taille aux Loups
Owner Jacky Blot is one of those charming iconoclasts of wine whose passion oozes out of more pores than he possesses. Almost everything he says makes seductive sense even if you don’t actually quite understand it, and one could easily lose days of fascinating conversation and thesis in his company.
Sustainable viticulture in Burgundy
With pioneering icons such as Domaine Leflaive and Domaine Pierre Morey who live and breathe biodynamics, Burgundy has long been at the forefront of green viticulture. But in a perfect marketing storm where almost everyone says they’re doing sustainable viticulture, even if they don’t really, how do you separate marketing myth from substantive sustainability?
Cru bourgeois awarded to 246 properties for 2009 vintage
In its second year, the annual awarding of cru bourgeois status has been achieved by 246 left bank Bordeaux properties for their 2009 vintage. This is three up on the 2008 vintage.
