What’s your Champagne Style? While there is but one way of making Champagne, not all Champagnes are the same. Champagne is a blend of three essential ingredients: grape varieties, vineyards and vintages. In combination, they can create a particular Champagne style. Champagne is a protected word, meaning it can only come from the Champagne region, but the styles of Champagnes …
Yuletide drinking – a dozen wines for Christmas 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 …
Pineau d’Aunis – a rare red wine from the Loire
Pineau d’Aunis – a rare red wine from the Loire Here’s a riddle for you. Q: When is a rare red not a rare red? A: when it’s a Pineau d’Aunis. What is Pineau d’Aunis? Occasionally still called Chenin Noir, Pineau d’Aunis is a red grape grown in Touraine in the Loire valley of France. Said to be admired by …
The Cost of Living Crisis Case, Festive Season 2022
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 …
Chenin Blanc with Baked Lemon Cheesecake
Chenin Blanc with Baked Lemon Cheesecake This Cheesecake is properly home-made for the third article in the occasional Wine and Cake series, not out of a packet, featuring actual baking! It pairs brilliantly with the sweet styles of Chenin Blanc, so here are two examples, one from South Africa and one from its original homeland in the Loire Valley of …
Le Feu, Savoie’s greatest wine – for Dominique Belluard
Le Feu, Savoie’s greatest wine – for Dominique Belluard This article is about Savoie’s most excellent white wine, Le Feu, made at Domaine Belluard. It’s written as a small memorial tribute to Dominique Belluard, pioneering owner of the Domaine. He tragically took his own life, age 55. Dominique Belluard farmed this small biodynamic estate at Ayse. It’s in the heart …
Christmas 2020 – A Dozen Festive Wines!
Christmas 2020 – A Dozen Festive Wines! Happy Christmas to you all! Here’s the pick of the wines for Christmas 2020, together with a Christmas Card. This year, a delightful Baker’s dozen wines are recommended for the festive season, all with UK availability. Also, they are sustainable, taste great, and match festive fare. And, of course, there’s something here for …
Millésime BIO 2021 Organic Wine Fair
Millésime BIO 2021 Organic Wine Fair Millésime BIO 2021 takes place in Montpellier, France, from 25-27 January 2021. It will be the 28th edition of the world’s biggest Organic Wine Fair. However, this will now be held in 2021 as a Virtual Event for the first time due to continuing pandemic. WORLD ORGANIC WINE FAIR, NOW A 100% DIGITAL EVENT …
Bugey on down – explorations in undiscovered France
Bugey on down – explorations in undiscovered France In France, the little known wine region of Bugey is well off the beaten track. I have passed through it frequently, usually on the way to more famous wine destinations in France and Italy. When I finally stopped to explore it some years ago, I wished I had done so sooner. An …
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. This 27th edition is 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 show would …