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. …
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 …
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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. …
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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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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, mostly 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 varieties have ancient origins, from mutations and …
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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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Climate Emergency: Inaction will not be my Epitaph
Climate Emergency: Inaction will not be my Epitaph We all face an urgent climate emergency. Hard science tells us we have just twelve years left to modify our behaviours or face total catastrophe. The world’s leading climate scientists have again given us a stark warning. In a newly published United Nations IPCC report, these dozen years are now critical to keep …
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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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