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Visiting Yangarra, a star producer in Australia’s McLaren Vale
Website: https://www.yangarra.com/ The story of Yangarra nicely tracks with the revival of Grenache as a key variety in Australia, where the McLaren Vale has become the spiritual home for this grape,...
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XXVI Talhas: a remarkable winery in the Alentejo working only with old clay...
Website: https://www.xxvi-talhas.pt/ Ricardo Sanios is the dude behind XXVI Talhas, which is based in Vidigueira (it’s pronounced ‘vin-say-sh tal-yas’ if I got it right). He and his colleagues have...
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Highlights: Champagne Mumm RSRV Cuvée 4 5 Grand Cru NV France
Website: https://www.mumm.com/en-gb/ An impressive Champagne from Mumm, who have upped their game of late. Champagne Mumm RSRV Cuvée 4 5 Grand Cru NV FranceThis is from five terroirs: there’s Pinot...
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Pyramid Valley: tasting the 2020 Botanical Collection wines from this special...
Website: https://www.pyramidvalley.co.nz/ ‘It’s a big moment in time for us at Pyramid Valley,’ said Steve Smith, introducing this tasting of the 2020 Botanical Collection. This vintage was the first...
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A brief tour of some of Italy’s most interesting red grape varieties
Italy is one of the most interesting wine-producing countries of all, with a diverse range of wine-producing regions running the full length of the country, from the mountainous areas in the north, to...
View ArticleHighlights: Comando G Navatalgordo 2022
One of the heroes of the new Spain wine scene is Comando G. Read more about them in this excellent article from Les Caves de Pyrene, their UK importer. This is a new village level wine from them and...
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Gallery: in the vineyards of Rioja (1) San Vicente, Rioja Alavesa
I’ve just been filming an episode of Wine Science (due to be released early next year) in the Rioja region, and over the last two days I’ve been in some vineyards. These pictures were from this...
View ArticleHighlights: Cherubino Pedestal Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon 2022
Website: https://www.cherubinowines.com/ Western Australia’s Margaret River wine region is the source of some amazing Cabernet Sauvignon-based wines, but it sometimes gets forgotten about. I was...
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Dosa at Mandarin Oriental: a new chef’s table opens in London, with a Korean...
Website: https://www.mandarinoriental.com/en/london/mayfair/dine/dosa Akira Back is the name behind the Japanese-themed restaurant at the new Mandarin Oriental in Hanover Square, Mayfair, London. It’s...
View ArticleHighlights: Langham Pinot Noir 2019 Dorset, England
I’ve written about English sparkling (and occasional still) wine producer Langham before on this site. They are among the very best in the UK, and this new release is also exceptional. Langham Pinot...
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Gallery: in the vineyards of Rioja (2) in the Los Valles vineyard of Bodegas...
Los Valles is a beautiful old vineyard owned by Bodegas Vinícola Real. It has distinctive pink sandy soils, and is planted largely with Tempranillo, but also some Graciano and Garnacha. But there are...
View ArticleHighlights: De Wetshof Bon Vallon Chardonnay 2023
Website: https://dewetshof.com/ De Wetshof, a winery in Robertson, are one of the unsung heroes of South African wine. They are Chardonnay specialists, and proprietor Danie De Wet was one of a group...
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Honrado: an exciting Alentejo project combining enotourism, traditional...
Website: https://www.honrado.pt/ The south of the Alentejo wine region in Portugal is currently home to an exciting revival of traditional winemaking: wines made in clay. In the past, many people had...
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Electric Styria: a tasting and discussion about this exciting wine region
Websites: https://www.wachstumkoenig.at/ *** https://www.neumeister.cc/en/ *** https://www.vinogross.com/ One of the exciting wine stories in recent years is the emergence of a band of natural wine...
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The wines of Terre de la Custodia, Umbria, Italy
Website: https://www.terredelacustodia.com/en/ Terre de la Custodia are based in Umbria, Italy. I recently tried six of their wines, and here are my notes. Terre de La Custodia Tenuta Torrececcona...
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The beautiful wines of Juan Antonio Ponce, from Manchuela, Spain
Website: https://bodegasponce.es/ Manchuela is a lesser-known Spanish wine region inland from Valencia, specializing in the Bobal grape variety. It’s a variety known for its thick skins and rusticity,...
View ArticleHighlights: Parés Baltà Blanca Cusine Cava Gran Reserva 2012
I’m a big fan of the Cavas from Parés Baltà who I visited last year (my report is here). Tried this one recently and really loved it. Parés Baltà Blanca Cusine Cava Gran Reserva 2012 Penedes,...
View ArticleHighlights: Gérard Bertrand An 1152 Cahors Malbec 2020
Cahors, in the Southwest of France, is the region of Malbec. It’s a wonderful place making lovely wines, but with some difficult climatic challenges (largely frost) it is suffering at the moment....
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The amazing wines of Carmelo Peña, Bien de Altura (Gran Canaria) and Jable de...
Carmelo Peña hails from Gran Canaria, in the Canary Islands, and he sort of fell into wine the way many of us do. He initially decided to study chemistry on the Spanish mainland, and after dabbling in...
View ArticleHighlights: Vasse Felix Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 Margaret River, Australia
Website: https://www.vassefelix.com.au/ Vasse Felix Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 Margaret River, Australia14.5% alcohol. This is the 50th release of this wine which has been made continuously since 1972...
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