IWCA – International Wineries for Climate Action Wine is one of the most valuable agricultural products in the world. Now we’re witnessing the catastrophic effects of the global climate emergency. The world’s vineyards are vulnerable to an increasing amount of extreme weather events; from storms, floods, heat, fire and drought. Some marginal winegrowing regions in the world have arguably benefited thus …
Colet Navazos Extra Brut, original and brilliant fizz
Colet Navazos Extra Brut, original and brilliant fizz Regular readers will know of my love of Sparkling wine and Sherry. They are two unique wine styles with entirely different origins. Two methods defined by their complicated production and maturation processes. They couldn’t be more different from one another. Poles apart, you might say. But what if someone was bonkers enough …
Pla de Bages and its unique heritage
Pla de Bages and its unique heritage These days, Pla de Bages is a relatively obscure Spanish wine region in the heart of Catalonia, Spain. Yet winegrowing has been here since Roman times, and the word Bages comes from Bacchus, the Roman God of wine. North-west of Barçelona, this fascinating region occupies the valleys of two rivers, the Llobregat and …
Zorzettig – fighting back against Covid-19
Zorzettig – fighting back against Covid-19 Zorzettig is a well-known winery in Friuli. In these dark days of Coronavirus lockdown, it’s taking positive and practical steps to fight Covid-19. They are supporting the Hospital of Udine with the release of a limited-edition wine called Andrà Tutto Bene, which means Everything will be Alright. That phrase is on the label in eight different languages. …
Trade up for wine value – how to use vinonomics
Trade up for wine value – how to use vinonomics Post Budget 2020, this infographic from Bibendum is now the best I’ve seen that demonstrates why it’s well worth spending just a little more on your bottle of wine when buying retail. It’s time to trade up and get more value for money! So am I perverse in encouraging you the …
Huia Blanc de Blancs and Marlborough Memories
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 …
2020 AWEsome wines – Free Download
2020 AWEsome Wines – Free Download Hot off the Press! The 2020 AWEsome Wines from the Association of Wine Educators (AWE) is out now. Containing 100 wines of excellent quality and value, it’s a free download here! Read on! What’s the catch? There isn’t one. We’re wine educators, so it’s what we do. AWE members are professionals that taste and teach wine. …
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 return to UK retail with a new brand, Artesano de Argento. …
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 lineup of high-quality Britfizz. You can read about that here. However, Herbert Hall also makes a Brut Rosé of a similar calibre. Herbert Hall …
Albarossa from Bricco dei Guazzi in Piemonte
Albarossa from Bricco dei Guazzi in Piemonte What is Albarossa? Good question. It’s a relatively unknown Italian red grape variety, primarily grown in Piemonte, Northern Italy. Piemonte is famous for Nebbiolo (think Barolo and Barbaresco) and Barbera. And that’s a clue to this high-quality grape variety with an interesting backstory. While many Italian examples have ancient origins, from mutations and …