Luce della Vite from Frescobaldi – Luce 2016 In Italian, Luce means light. Light brings life. Hence the name of this Supertuscan winery owned by the Frescobaldi family, whose top wine is Luce della Vite. In 1993, this project released its first vintage. Back then it was a joint venture between two wine titans, namely Vittorio Frescobaldi and Robert Mondavi. …
WOTY 2019: Llopart Original 1887
WOTY 2019: Llopart Original 1887 Being January 1st 2020, it’s time for the Wine of the Year 2019. Of course, during 2019 there were some outstanding candidates. Each one brought great pleasure and taught something new. But the moment I tasted this Espumosos (sparkling wine) at Llopart in Catalonia, I was convinced it would be WOTY 2019. However, a visit to …
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Altanza Rioja – Rioja Crianza and Reserva
Altanza – Rioja Crianza and Reserva Bodegas Altanza makes fine examples of Rioja made in the modern style. Huge investment in winegrowing is now producing wines that highlight fresh fruit flavours rather than the traditional oak-dominant wines of yore. Neither style is necessarily better, but as a wine drinker, it’s great to have the choice. Altanza is a relatively young company, established …
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Llopart – fine bubbles from Catalonia
Llopart – fine bubbles from Catalonia The Llopart winery in Catalonia is just 40 minutes away from the bars and cafés of Barçelona. This is the heart of sunny Penedès, an ancient and thriving wine region. Here, the still wines made under the Penedès DO co-exist with sparkling wines all made, (until recently), under the famous name of Cava. While …
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Christmas 2019 – a dozen wines to check out!
Christmas 2019 – a dozen wines to check out! Happy Christmas to you all, and here’s my pick of the wines for Chrismas 2019. Here’s my Christmas Card as well. It’s the skating rink at the Christmas Market held in Bruges, Belgium. Anyway, here are a delightful dozen wines for the festive season that are all available in the UK. …
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Black Chalk – Classic 2015 – first release
Black Chalk – Classic 2015 – first release Hampshire has become something of an English Sparkling Wine hotbed during the last few years. Perhaps it’s arguably not quite as well known for wine as say Kent, Sussex or Cornwall. However, there are nevertheless some 27 vineyards in Hampshire at present, 21 of which are making sparkling wine. Some of these …
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More Beaujolais Pleasures – Beaujolais Pt.3
More Beaujolais Pleasures – Beaujolais Pt.3 This final part 3 of the Beaujolais trilogy contains even more Beaujolais pleasures. It covers six more crus plus some food-matching ideas. The clickable Google map below shows the producer locations for all of the wines recommended in parts 2 and 3. Even more Beaujolais pleasures await ♥ Brouilly 1,227 hectares and 8.5 million bottles. …
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Beaujolais is for life, not just for Christmas – Pt.1
Beaujolais is for life, not just for Christmas – Pt.1 Ah, Beaujolais! Mention that word and the memories flood back, still fresh from half a lifetime. Beaujolais was where it all started. I never anticipated a lifelong wine journey would result. What would have happened if Beaujolais and I had not coincided? Life would have been very different. Let me …
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Three Colours Red – Beaujolais, Pt.2
Three Colours Red – Beaujolais, Pt.2 Beaujolais part 1 was mostly a love letter to the region where my wine journey started. This part 2 is Three Colours Red. It covers the three main divisions, namely Beaujolais, Beaujolais-Villages, and four of the ten Beaujolais crus. There is a wine recommendation for each one, from encounters over the past couple of years. Then, …
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A Tuscany Travelogue – introducing Toscana
A Tuscany Travelogue – introducing Toscana This is an overview article about the wines of Tuscany because many regard it (with some justification) as quintessential Italy. Really, this is a topic needing an entire book or maybe two. However here it is in less than 1,300 words. There are two maps showing just how complex Tuscany is. For brevity, the …
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