Mosnel Franciacorta Brut – their landmark 44th Edition

Paul HowardArticles, Blog, Climate Emergency, Italy, Lombardia, Organic, Sparkling Wine, Sustainability, Wine Business

Mosnel Villa and vineyards

Mosnel Franciacorta Brut – their landmark 44th Edition In 2016, it was an honour to be one of the guests at Mosnel’s 180th birthday celebrations. While there, a unique tasting of their flagship Franciacorta Extra Brut, called EBB, was special. You can read all about Mosnel and that superb sparkling wine here. A return to Mosnel via these pages was …

Share this Post

Plaques de Muselets – Every Plaque Tells a Story

Paul HowardArticles, Blog, Champagne, France, Sparkling Wine

Champagne Plaques de Muselets

Plaques de Muselets – Every Plaque Tells a Story How many people notice that the wire cage holding the cork firmly onto a bottle of sparkling wine can contain minor works of art? Usually, we’re in a hurry to open a bottle of fizz and often discard the wire cage before we take a closer look at it. This contraption …

Share this Post

Cadgal and Moscato d’Asti DOCG

Paul HowardArticles, Blog, Italy, Organic, Piemonte, Sparkling Wine

Cadgal

Cadgal and Moscato d’Asti DOCG Moscato d’Asti DOCG covers a vast area of some 10,000 ha in Piemonte, spreading across the historic regions of Langhe, Monferrato and Roero. It produces and sells about 36 million bottles yearly, 90% of which are exports. That’s a lot of wine, yet it remains less well-known in the UK, dwarfed by the ubiquitous Prosecco1. …

Share this Post

Greatest Hits – A Case for Christmas 2024

Paul HowardAlto Adige/Südtirol, Articles, Biodynamic, Blog, Calabria, England and Wales, Italy, Lebanon, Lombardia, Molise, Organic, Piemonte, Sardegna, Spain, Sparkling Wine, Sustainability, Toscana, Veneto

Greatest Hits - Happy Christmas 2024

Greatest Hits – A Case for Christmas 2024 This year, I’m ringing the changes for the Case for Christmas 2024 article. This time, it’s a Greatest Hits package. This features a dozen wines selected from all my previous annual Christmas wine recommendations. They are twelve wines that stand the test of time and fully deserve highlighting again. Such a listicle …

Share this Post

Yuletide drinking – a dozen wines for Christmas 2023

Paul HowardArticles, Blog, Calabria, France, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Greece, Italy, Lombardia, Organic, Portugal, Puglia, Spain, Sparkling Wine, Sustainability

Yuletide Card 2023

Yuletide drinking – a dozen wines for Christmas 2023 I hope you like my Yuletide card to you all! Like last year, I remain mindful that living costs stay off the scale. However, unlike the previous year, there’s no overall price cap, but each category includes a “budget” wine. No compromises have been made regarding excellence and value in recommending …

Share this Post

Borgo Maragliano – Bubbles that Touch the Sky

Paul HowardArticles, Blog, Italy, Piemonte, Sparkling Wine

Borgo Maragliano vineyards dawn

Borgo Maragliano – Bubbles that Touch the Sky The Galliano family own Borgo Maragliano, a wine estate in Piemonte. It sits 450 metres above sea level (asl) on a natural terrace of the southern Langhe, surrounded by hills reaching over 600 metres. Their glass and steel tasting room seems suspended mid-air and offers breathtaking panoramic countryside views, while the roads here …

Share this Post

Kranz Cabernet Sauvignon Rosé Brut Sekt

Paul HowardArticles, Blog, Germany, Organic, Sparkling Wine

Kranz CS Sparkling Rosé Brut

Kranz Cabernet Sauvignon Rosé Brut Sekt Weingut Kranz is a top-quality winery in the German region of the Pfalz (aka Palatinate). It started in 1948 in the south of the Pfalz region, not far from the French (Alsace) border. Today, it’s run by the fourth generation, Boris and Kerstin Kranz. The estate is organic and a member of the prestigious and influential VDP. …

Share this Post

The Cost of Living Crisis Case, Festive Season 2022

Paul HowardArticles, Biodynamic, Blog, Calabria, France, Greece, Italy, Lebanon, New Zealand, Organic, Sicilia, Spain, Sparkling Wine, Sustainability, Veneto

Cost of Living

The Cost of Living Crisis Case, Festive Season 2022 I hope you like my Christmas card! Everyone knows we’re in a cost-of-living crisis, so this situation has affected my wine recommendations for the festive season. We all want to celebrate and enjoy ourselves, but in a cost-conscious way. What is a wine-lover to do? A real price cap Hence, for …

Share this Post

English Wine Week 2022. A fistful of sparklers.

Paul HowardArticles, Blog, England and Wales, Sparkling Wine

English Wine Week 2022 WineGB

English Wine Week 2022. A fistful of sparklers. English Wine Week 2022 runs from Saturday 18 to Sunday 26 June this year. I’ll support the fun by drinking and promoting excellent English* wines. About English Wine Week 2022 To paraphrase WineGB, they said “English Wine Week is our national campaign to raise awareness of English wine and its wide availability …

Share this Post

Summer Bubbles 2022 Collection. Rain or Shine.

Paul HowardArticles, Australia, Blog, Champagne, France, Italy, Sparkling Wine

Summer Bubbles

Summer Bubbles 2022 Collection. Rain or Shine. It’s June. Feeling outdoorsy? Here’s my Summer Bubbles 2022 collection without any preamble: five sparklers to enjoy during the British summer. There’s something here for everyone, come rain or shine. So don’t forget your pacamac.   Summer bubbles one. Valdo, Edizione Oro Puro, Prosecco Superiore Extra Dry NV, DOCG Valdobbiadene, Veneto, Italy. 11.5% …

Share this Post