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Poggio di Sotto Brunello di Montalcino 2010–2019 – Three Vintages of the Century and Counting
To celebrate the international release of the Poggio di Sotto’s 2019 Brunello, winemaker Leonardo Berti hosted a vertical tasting in London
Apr 30, 2024


Standing Taller Than Ever: the Old-Vine Wines of Torbreck in the Barossa
The journey through Torbreck old-vine Barossa wines with chief winemaker Ian Hongell at Noizé restaurant in London in February 2024...
Mar 5, 2024


Lightly Does It: Reducing Bottle Weights and Alternatives to Glass
A Costières de Nîmes weighing in at under 420g, which is the average figure that a group of international retailers, including Sweden's...
Jan 30, 2024


The Festive Sweet and Fortified Wine Guide 2023
There's just time to get in some sweet and fortified recommendations in for Christmas, together with the all-important pairing...
Dec 19, 2023


The Festive Champagne and Sparkling Wine Guide 2023
Welcome to my roundup of Champagnes and sparkling wines for the festive season. It's always a pleasure to publish this – with an...
Dec 14, 2023


The Festive White and Rosé Wine Guide 2023
Welcome to my roundup of 21 white and rosé wines for the festive season. Ranging freely through styles, regions, grape varieties and...
Dec 12, 2023


The Festive Red Wine Guide 2023
Welcome to my roundup of 25 red wines for the festive season. Ranging freely across styles, regions, grape varieties and prices (two...
Dec 6, 2023


High-flying, High-altitude Italian Wines
Vineyards protected by cold northern winds at Tenuta San Leonardo, Italy's answer to elegant, first-growth Bordeaux When I chose the 14...
Nov 15, 2023


An English Wine Discovery: Woodchester Valley Reserve Cuvée
A discovery – at least for me, if not for people in the Cotswolds. I don’t think of Gloucestershire when I’m thinking about English...
Oct 25, 2023


Preview: the Soon-to-be-Released Vin de Constance 2020
The 2020 Vin de Constance in its trademarked, distinctive asymmetrical 500ml bottle that resembles the early hand-blown Constantia...
Aug 22, 2023


Prime Time for Pink: Rosés for Summer 2023
Update, August 3 I've just added two more southern French rosés: Alaina, which is new to me, although its producer, Laurent Miquel,...
Jul 19, 2023


Going Beyond Sparkling Wine: England's New Still Wines
Chardonnay vines in The King's Vineyard, Rochester, Kent, planted on the site of the vineyard of the medieval priory. Simpsons Wine...
Jun 16, 2023


Doing Things the Daou Way in Paso Robles
Soul of a Lion, the flagship wine, named in memory of the Daou brothers' father It was hard to get a word in edgeways but, when I did, I...
Mar 22, 2023


2020, Another Extraordinary Vintage at Domaine de la Romanée-Conti
The magnificent La Tâche 2020 is conspicuous by its absence in this line-up of empty bottles, but it was definitely in the tasting (see...
Mar 20, 2023


Ornellaia 2020: Proof That There's No Recipe
Same lighter weight bottle as its predecessor, but the 2020 is embossed at shoulder level with the Ornellaia logo. An invitation to...
Feb 14, 2023


Vérité and Cardinale: Towering California Wines from Mountains and Micro-Crus
Winemaker Pierre Seillan, who created Vérité for Jess Jackson and Barbara Banke in 1998, and his daughter Hélène who is now assistant...
Jan 12, 2023


So Much More than a Pretty Bottle: Perrier-Jouët Belle Epoque 2013
The seminal Belle Epoque bottle decorated with the Japanese anemone motif designed for Perrier-Jouët by Émile Gallé, one of the pioneers...
Nov 22, 2022


The Legendary Vin de Constance – a Wine Worth Ageing
The strikingly different colours of the 10 vintages of Klein Constantia Vin de Constance spanning the years 1987 to 2015. The oldest...
Sep 22, 2022


Rare, Unbearably Expensive and Unlike Anything Else: Royal Tokaji Essencia 2009
A five-centilitre sample may sound miserly but, when we’re talking about Tokaji Essencia, it’s lavish. To make the wine in this miniature...
Aug 23, 2022


Prime Time for Pink: Summer Rosé Round-up 2022 Part 2: Provence and the South
This second rosé round-up of the summer is devoted to Provence, plus five wines from the south of France. Why hive off Provence from the...
Aug 10, 2022
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