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 talking about a white m...

Paso-Vermú, a new hand-crafted Spanish Vermouth made by an English couple in Somontano. The striking artwork is by Matt Sewell Strictly speaking this isn’t a...

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 grounds that only mas...

Antonio Capaldi, president of Feudi di San Gregorio (left) with agronomist and CEO Pierpaolo Sirch; I wasn't the only one to photograph the 17-vintage line-u...

Until a couple of weeks ago, I’d never seriously wanted a vineyard of my own, but I came back from a trip and found myself frenetically googling vineyards fo...

I like classic wines made from so-called noble grape varieties as much as anyone, but there’s a thrill of a different kind in wines that push the frontiers. ...

Fruitless it may be, but I couldn’t help speculating recently how the 2007 Bordeaux red wines would have turned out if this vintage had come a year later or ...

Pork dishes in four Michelin starred restaurants (clockwise from top left): Duke of Berkshire barbecued pork ribeye, baked potato, sorrel at Northcote; Iberi...

Hawke's Bay is producing stellar Chardonnays, some from vineyards within spitting distance of the Pacific Ocean. Left and centre above, Rod McDonald vineyard...

The famous windmill that gave its name to Moulin-à-Vent, one of the ten crus of Beaujolais I was slightly wary of showing a Beaujolais to the people who’d si...

Co-fermenting – fermenting different grape varieties together happened by default in the past It was a while since I’d been in the Douro when I went last mon...

This is the sort of piece I normally write at the close of the year, but I have more than enough material and deserving wines to mention already. Who knows h...

45 years old and still in perfect health Drinking history: there are times when only a well-worn phrase will do. I’ve just had one of those times with, as yo...

I joined The Wine Society as a student. Without doubt it was the wisest expenditure of my three undergraduate years (OK, the only wise money-move of those ye...

Ornellaia and Masseto are close siblings but very different wines, as I discovered on a recent visit All planted to Merlot – the Masseto hill near Ornellaia ...

Vins Clairs from the great 2015 vintage, some of which will go into Cristal in the current, new Golden Age of Champagne Rather a quaint title don’t you think...

Tabalí's winemaker Felipe Müller East goes to extremes in Chile: first he planted vineyards within spitting distance of the Pacific Ocean. Now he's also maki...

Winter trips to Champagne can be a bit nippy. Perishingly cold, actually (cue: violins). And tasting dozens of vins clairs, the region’s sharp, thin, still w...

As I said a few weeks back, in what turned out to be my most popular Tweet ever @joannasimon, England’s chief medical officer and I clearly move in different...

Stop Press! 14 April, 2016: I'm delighted to report that these wines are now available at £19.95 per bottle from winesensations.co.uk These two wines are not...