Corks Out! Diam Bouchage fights back. Hands up, who has had a bottle of corked wine? Ok, that’s most of you. And I don’t mean wine with a few bits of cork floating in it. It’s the awful smell and taste of musty or mouldy cardboard. The culprit is TCA, short for 2,4,6-Trichloroanisole. It forms when airborne bacteria and fungi …
The secrets of Champagne Billecart-Salmon
The Secrets of Champagne Billecart-Salmon Billecart-Salmon is in Mareuil-sur-Aÿ in the Montagne de Reims, in the heart of the Champagne region. They make excellent Champagnes down on the rue Carnot and are most famous in the UK for their Rosé. As their labels proudly state, the House dates back to 1818, created by Nicolas-François Billecart. It’s still family-owned, one of …
The future of the wine industry will be Blockchain
The future of the wine industry will be Blockchain Disruption. A much-overused business word. Every new product, service and start-up we are assured, is disruptive. It’s the game-changer, the holy grail. Yeah, right. Well, the Blockchain probably is. A couple of years ago I studied a new technology called the Blockchain, on behalf of the Financial Services Industry. I was …
A fabulous visit to Domaine Orenga de Gaffory
A fabulous visit to Domaine Orenga de Gaffory Domaine Orenga de Gaffory covers 56 hectares in the appellation of Patrimonio in northern Corsica. This family-owned wine estate is also undergoing organic conversion. It owns many small plots in five different communes. It means they have a broad range of red, rosé and white AOC Patrimonio wines. They also make the nearby …
Etna terroir, the Burgundy of the Mediterranean – the Lava Lout Returns, Part 2 of 2
Etna terroir, the Burgundy of the Mediterranean – the Lava Lout Returns, Part 2 of 2 The Etna Terroir Part 1 of this article described how a Sicilian volcano bestows natural gifts to create the Etna terroir. But Etna isn’t one terroir; there are many variations. Welcome to the Burgundy of the Mediterranean. Etna’s volcanic soils are free-draining and low in …
Etna, or why I’m a Lava Lout – Part 1 of 2
Etna, or Why I’m a Lava Lout – Part 1 of 2 At 3,343 metres (10,968 feet), Mount Etna (Mongibello) spits, snarls and smokes. All around is ash, black as death. Above us, the summit has four active craters caked with yellow sulphur. Etna erupts almost continuously, and as we climb to 3,050 metres, it’s too dangerous to ascend further. …
Une Table Corse – authentic eating in Corsica
Une Table Corse – authentic eating in Corsica Une Table Corse is a restaurant perhaps like no other. In an ancient and isolated farmhouse, Pauline Julliard, its owner, provides one of the island’s most fabled dining experiences. You’ll eat authentic Corsican cuisine in small converted dining rooms. Pauline learned all the recipes from her mother and grandmother. She is now …
Losing My Extra-Virginity in Corsica: Oltremonti Olive Oil
Losing My Extra-Virginity in Corsica: Oltremonti Olive Oil I love Extra-Virgin Olive Oil, (or EVOO for short). However, I knew little about making it and less about how to taste it. Losing my Extra-Virginity was overdue. Hence I visited Domaine Oltremonti recently. Oltremonti is near Bastia, in northern Corsica, between the wild high Maquis and the coast. The Domaine has 35 …
Book Review: The Modern History of Italian Wine
Book Review: The Modern History of Italian Wine There has been a revolution in the quality and availability of Italian wines. It tentatively began in the ‘60s and ‘70s and continues unabated. Yet what was unclear until this book was all the reasons behind it. Their interplay led to the transformation of Italian wine. Hence, the Modern History of Italian …
Wine Alchemy First Anniversary 11.04.17
Wine Alchemy First Anniversary 11.04.17 Today I’m celebrating the first anniversary of the relaunched Wine Alchemy website with chocolate cake and a glass of Banyuls* from Collioure in France. It’s a great combo! Firstly, the 11.04.16 relaunch seemed only five minutes ago. Since then, I’ve chronicled the best of the past year on this website with 80 published pieces on wine, food …