Harvest at Thienpont 2019
24 October, 2019
Winemaking: Art or Science? This was one of the essay questions that came up when I sat the Master of Wine exam. Having just completed the 2019 harvest at our three domains in Pomerol, Saint Emilion and Castillon, crunching numbers …
Bordeaux
22 October, 2019
[hmapsprem id=4] Geography: Located on the 45th parallel, Bordeaux borders the Atlantic Ocean. It is the largest fine wine district in the world with over 110,000 hectares (270,000 acres) under production. It has a maritime climate with moderate sunlight hours, …
Questions asked and some answered…
22 October, 2019
To fully answer the question ‘is Bordeaux better than burgundy?’, I shall sadly never have a cellar (or pocket) deep enough. But there are wine writers from across the ages who have had access to the best of these fabulous …
Sustainability in Bordeaux
22 October, 2019
Believe it or not, the ‘S’ word is being voiced in Bordeaux. Sustainability has been pushed to the fore and whether through concern for the environment and terroir, or having to face health and safety issues, an environmental movement in …
October
22 October, 2019
It has been a busy autumn at the AdVL with the publication of Sherry: Maligned, Misunderstood, Magnificent! by Ben Howkins. This was launched to great acclaim at the Consejo Regulador de Jerez on 15 October under the Presidency of Don …
Puglia
22 October, 2019
Geography: The region has the longest coastline (800km) in Italy, with the Adriatic down its eastern coast and the Ionian Sea along the western edge of the Salento Peninsula. The Peninsula is around 60km wide, contributing to a strong maritime …
The Rosés of Italy’s Salento Peninsula
21 October, 2019
Puglian rosé (rosato) has deep roots. There is even a local family name Rosato. Recognition in the wider world for the rosati of the southern part of the Salento peninsula can be traced back to 1943, when a twist of …
South Australia Loosens The Stays
21 October, 2019
At first glance, no one would take Steve Pannell for a member of the aristocracy. On the morning I meet him at his McLaren Vale winery, he’s wearing slightly crumpled khaki shorts, a stripey T-shirt and several days’ worth of …
A Large Reserve Brings Many Benefits
21 October, 2019
Alice Paillard ‘We have a lot to thank Jean-Claude Rouzaud for,’ says Alice Paillard. We (Alice and I) were talking about the just completed 2019 Champagne harvest and how wine growers generally seem more prepared to wait for the perfect …
God’s Work
20 October, 2019
You wait ages for irony, and then three come at once. Here’s an explanation of terroir told in a joke by a German historian. ‘An angel came down from heaven to visit a winemaker on the Mosel,’ begins Achim Ochs. …
In Vino Veritas
28 September, 2019
Bringing together wine writing from across the ages for our new anthology In Vino Veritas has been a wonderfully self-indulgent way to spend my working day – work, really? I can choose between exploring the English wine bubble with Justin …
California
25 September, 2019
Geography : Vineyards located along the Pacific coast, on hillsides and in sunny, inland valleys. The Pacific ocean has a major role to play in the coastal regions: cool air rises from the ocean and forms mist and fog in …