Huia Blanc de Blancs and Marlborough Memories The Huia was a native New Zealand bird with beautiful plumage. In particular, its distinctive tail feathers, now extremely rare, were highly prized, both by the Maori and by milliners. Sadly, this species hasn’t been seen since 1907 and is now almost certainly extinct. Huia is also the name of a winery. In …
Artesano organic Malbec/Cab Franc – Argento redux
Artesano organic Malbec/Cab Franc – Argento redux Argento wines from Argentina used to be one of the mainstays of my public tastings with their Malbec. Sharply priced and with supermarket availability, it was always a crowd-pleaser. Then the Argento brand seemed to disappear. So I’m delighted to see them back in UK retail with a new brand, Artesano de Argento. …
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Herbert Hall English Sparkling Brut Rosé 2016
Herbert Hall English Sparkling Brut Rosé 2016 My first encounter with Herbert Hall wines was in 2016 with their Traditional Method Brut. That’s from Kent, and it proved to be one of the outstanding wines in a line up of high-quality Britfizz. You can read about that here. However, Herbert Hall also makes a Brut Rosé of a similar calibre. Herbert …
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Tenuta Sette Cieli: above us only sky
Tenuta Sette Cieli: above us only sky There are many bright stars in the Bolgheri heavens. Bolgheri is the tiny Tuscan village that now shoulders a colossal reputation. These days it’s famous for those iconic red wines that rival or surpass the greatest wines of Bordeaux. Much of Bolgheri is a flat coastal strip, but rolling hills rise not far inland. …
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Millésime BIO 2020: the world’s biggest organic wine fair
Millésime BIO 2020: the world’s biggest organic wine fair Millésime BIO was established in 1993 by a handful of organic winegrowers from Languedoc-Roussillon. In this 27th edition, it’s now the biggest trade fair for organic and biodynamic wines in the world. The 2020 show ran from 27-29 January 2020 in Montpellier, south of France. Diversity You might think that this …
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Luce della Vite from Frescobaldi – Luce 2016
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. …
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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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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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Runcata Soave Superiore DOCG, Tenuta Corte Giacobbe
Runcata Soave Superiore DOCG, Tenuta Corte Giacobbe I recently had the pleasure of visiting Tenuta Corte Giacobbe, to find out more about their top Soave Superiore DOCG called Runcata. Runcata is made only with the Garganega grape variety. It’s a single vineyard right up on the Eastern border of Soave. The terroir here has different characteristics from others in Soave, …
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Tenuta di Ghizzano and a double anniversary
Tenuta di Ghizzano and a double anniversary The Tenuta di Ghizzano occupies the gently contoured hills of the Colline Pisane. Here, in coastal Tuscany, Pisa is less than an hour away. This 350 ha estate has been handed down through 26 generations of the Venerosi Pesciolini family since 1370. Today it’s in the safe custody of Ginevra Venerosi Pesciolini. Ginevra’s father, …
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