Grape varieties take the lead, but do also check out ‘regional profiles’ for more about grape varieties.
Primitivo in Puglia
DNA research that identified zinfandel and primitivo as the same grape variety boosted interest in Puglia of this variety since the 1990s and has led to great quality wines being produced.
Germany’s Burgundian links
Riesling may be Germany’s signature grape variety, covering 20% of the country’s vineyard area, but another 10% is covered with the increasingly trendy grauburgunder (pinot gris/grigio) and weissburgunder (pinot blanc).
Negroamaro
Negroamaro is one of the top three grape varieties grown in Puglia and a strong component of several DOCs. It’s found mainly in the southern, Salento, region of Puglia.
Frappato
A two hour – Italian-style driving – journey south and slightly west of Mount Etna lies Sicily’s only DOCG, Cerasuolo di Vittoria, in Ragusa province, made from frappato blended with nero d’avola.
Nero di troia
The origins of the increasingly impressive nero di troia remain uncertain, though an abiding story is that it is named after a village near Foggia in the north of Puglia.
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.
