Archive by Author

Cap Classique is 50

Cap Classique celebrates 50 years. A wine history that is younger than I am makes me feel ancient but, do you know what, I don’t care because I’m totally up for celebrating with Cap Classique their 50 years of making South African fizz and an exciting new wine story. It all began with Kaapse Vonkel […]

organic-label-1

Organic Bordeaux

Being organic is not a piece of cake. Being organic in Bordeaux can be particularly tricky. But it’s a challenge more and more winemakers are prepared to undertake, even in Bordeaux. The region may be criticised for lagging behind the trend towards sustainability and organic winemaking practices but this is unfair and far from the […]

The-New-Sothebys-Wine-Encyclopedia-cover-002

At last – The New Sotheby’s Wine Encyclopedia

Whose book shelf hasn’t displayed an edition of Sotheby’s Wine Encyclopaedia? Whose fingers haven’t flipped the pages to learn, to refresh or to check? Whether you’re a wine pro or wine enthusiast the likelihood is that you will have had a copy of at least one of its past 5 editions. After a 10 year […]

wset logo

WSET Level 2

WSET Level 2 Date/TimeDate(s) – 20/03/2021, 27/03/2021, 03/04/2021, 10/04/20219:30 am – 13:30 pm LocationZOOM The WSET Level 2 Award Course is suitable for anybody who keen to learn more about wine, extending their knowledge to help them buy and enjoy wine more. The course is also appropriate for those employed in the drinks industry and such is a qualification with full […]

Boldly ny

New New York State Wines

Not in any way claiming to be an expert on New York State (NYS) wine, I nevertheless presented a virtual tasting on that very subject. I soon discovered that I wouldn’t need to make any excuses for my lack of knowledge because it seems no one is a NYS expert, even the people who grow […]

cb logo

The Crus Bourgeois Alliance Is Updated

In those untroubled, pre-pandemic times, a highlight of my year was the Alliance des Crus Bourgeois du Médoc tasting – always a privilege to taste so many top quality Bordeaux and to gain a real insight into the vintage and its expression across different Médoc appellations. I’ve also had the honour in the past to […]

cellier des dauphins

Cellier des Dauphins

Wine cooperatives are underrated – discuss. I’ve never quite understood the slightly negative view of buying wine made by a co-operative. These are wineries jointly owned by vine-growers, grape-growers, vignerons, farmers, whatever you like to call them, which produce wine from the area in which their vines are situated. Over half of all French wine […]

2017 Crus Bourgeois du Médoc

Classified: Cru Bourgeois

The latest Crus Bourgeois classified wines have just been released. They are from the 2017 vintage which, by any standards, was a tricky one with the unusual extreme spring frosts being the biggest culprit for causing yields to be very low, as much as 50% lower than normal in some areas. The classification is only […]