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    Txakoli – a must-try wine (even if you don't want to pronounce it)
    • Apr 11, 2018

    Txakoli – a must-try wine (even if you don't want to pronounce it)

    The first bodega I visited on a revelatory, perception-challenging first trip to the Spanish Basque country’s Txakoli regions last autumn...
    White Beauty: a Tuscan debut
    • Apr 4, 2018

    White Beauty: a Tuscan debut

    Wine exam question: Explain what is meant by white Sangiovese. When I first heard about a Sangiovese bianco, I didn’t know if we were...
    12 of the best from Aldi
    • Mar 23, 2018

    12 of the best from Aldi

    Aldi's wines are cheap, as you would expect, but they're bought with care. These are a dozen that stood out at a recent press tasting....
    Legal at last: a story of illicit gin
    • Mar 20, 2018

    Legal at last: a story of illicit gin

    If you happen to be hanging around outside Harrods or Fortnum & Mason and spot a Leakbusters yellow and orange van, no need to fear the...
    Expanding wine drinkers' horizons: The Daily Drinker
    • Mar 6, 2018

    Expanding wine drinkers' horizons: The Daily Drinker

    As it was so hard choosing between the five Daily Drinker wines for my Wine of the Week, I'm writing up the other four here (and looking...
    Vermú, Vermut, Vermouth
    • Feb 12, 2018

    Vermú, Vermut, Vermouth

    Paso-Vermú, a new hand-crafted Spanish Vermouth made by an English couple in Somontano. The striking artwork is by Matt Sewell Strictly...
    Charles Heidsieck Blanc des Millénaires 2004: a long-awaited new vintage
    • Feb 6, 2018

    Charles Heidsieck Blanc des Millénaires 2004: a long-awaited new vintage

    No one could accuse Champagne Charles Heidsieck of rushing things or releasing vintages too frequently, not so far anyway. The new...
    Sauvignon catch-up
    • Jan 29, 2018

    Sauvignon catch-up

    My Festive White Wine Guide last month was light on Sauvignon Blanc, so I’m putting that right with 8 recommendations here, in a variety...
    The changing face of Txakoli
    • Jan 15, 2018

    The changing face of Txakoli

    Hot-foot from a trip to Basque Spain at the end of October, I postponed the idea of a blog enthusing about Txakoli (aka Chacolí) on the...
    La Conseillante: freshness, clarity and grace 1982–2011
    • Jan 12, 2018

    La Conseillante: freshness, clarity and grace 1982–2011

    The text of this article originally appeared in The World of Fine Wine, issue 53 A seated tasting of nine vintages of La Conseillante...
    Matching Wine to Goose
    • Dec 20, 2017

    Matching Wine to Goose

    Goose has a reputation for being difficult to match to wine. I really don't think it is. I always roast a goose at Christmas and usually...
    The Festive Sweet, Sticky and Fortified Guide
    • Dec 20, 2017

    The Festive Sweet, Sticky and Fortified Guide

    Sweet and fortified wines come into their own at this time of year – for entertaining, sipping quietly and contemplatively, or giving as...
    The Festive White Wine Guide 2017
    • Dec 19, 2017

    The Festive White Wine Guide 2017

    Sixteen dry whites to cover the festivities and all eventualities at prices from £7 to £48 and from the supermarket giants to small...
    The Festive Red Wine Guide 2017
    • Dec 15, 2017

    The Festive Red Wine Guide 2017

    Twenty red wines to take you through all manner of festivities and in some cases festivities for years to come. As, always, they’re...
    The Festive Champagne Guide 2017
    • Dec 13, 2017

    The Festive Champagne Guide 2017

    So here they are: my Champagne picks for Christmas, New Year and every other kind of festivity, whittled down with difficulty to what I...
    Antinori Guado al Tasso 1998–2011 and Matarrochio 2007–2011
    • Dec 12, 2017

    Antinori Guado al Tasso 1998–2011 and Matarrochio 2007–2011

    This article originally appeared in The World of Fine Wine, issue 51 A tasting billed as a UK first is tempting by any standard, but when...
    Festive fizz 2017: anything except Champagne
    • Dec 11, 2017

    Festive fizz 2017: anything except Champagne

    The first of the season's round-ups is sparkling wines – anything alcoholic and fizzy except Champagne (the Champagne round-up follows...
    Le Top 100 and other Languedoc beauties
    • Oct 30, 2017

    Le Top 100 and other Languedoc beauties

    The Wine Gang recently joined forces with Sud de France and 50 wine lovers who’d snapped up all available tickets to spend an evening...
    Incestuous vines: the curious case of the long lost – and now found – Sirica
    • Sep 26, 2017

    Incestuous vines: the curious case of the long lost – and now found – Sirica

    One of the three huge old Sirica vines discovered in Taurasi Aglianico vineyards in 2005; a glass of Sirica 2014 So what do you know...
    Age shall not wither them: 150-year-old Aglianico vines and a vertical tasting
    • Sep 18, 2017

    Age shall not wither them: 150-year-old Aglianico vines and a vertical tasting

    Antonio Capaldi, president of Feudi di San Gregorio (left) with agronomist and CEO Pierpaolo Sirch; I wasn't the only one to photograph...
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    Website © 2019 Joanna Simon

    Header photo © Waitrose & Partners Drinks / Cat Garcia