Articles

Tastings & Talks happening

by  |  25-08-2017

If there’s one thing I’m not the best at, it’s shameless self promotion, which in some ways I feel is a positive as opposed to a negative. Still, the old adage of a tree falling... more »

Descendientes de J. Palacios – Pétalos 2015

by  |  21-08-2017

Living where I do, I know the wines of Álvaro Palacios very well as his winery is one of the most dominant in the region. Something like 15% of all the grapes grown in DOQ... more »

And the Paratges of Cava arrive

by  |  17-08-2017

It is not unjust to say that Spain’s sparkling wine, Cava, is the antithesis of “terroir”. While 90% of this Iberian bubbly comes from within the limits of the Penedès counties in Catalunya, there are... more »

A book review of “Essi Avellan’s Champagne”

by  |  16-08-2017

What I know of Champagne is purely by obligation. In sommelier studies and other wine courses, given its dominance in the sparkling wine world, Champagne is required knowledge and I know as much as it... more »

The Crossover: Nomad Outland Whisky

by  |  14-08-2017

The Nomad Outland Whisky starts out life as a Scotch based on spirits from Speyside but is then shipped down to Jerez to age in used Sherry barrels in Andalusia instead of having the barrels... more »
From the Fanagoria website

Fanagoria – Cru Lermont Pinot Noir 2015

by  |  10-08-2017

Russia and wine are not two words oft spoken in the same breath. So while judging at the Decanter Awards in April, in a seriously mixed and exotic flight, my table found themselves presented with... more »

A book review of “In Vino Duplicitas”

by  |  08-08-2017

The entire Rudy Kurniawan affair was sordid and I’ve read countless articles about the story since it broke years and years ago. Despite this, Peter Hellman’s new book, “In Vino Duplicitas” brought out many bits... more »

In The Glass: Jean Leon – La Scala 2009

by  |  07-08-2017

The Jean Leon winery is one of the more interesting projects up in Penedès and it’s something of a crown jewel in the ‘experimental’ wineries that Torres owns. I’ve tasting a number of wines from... more »

The kvevri: of clay & wine

by  |  05-08-2017

June marked the release of the new Georgian wine book and meant a trip over to Georgia for a presentation at their annual wine fair in Tbilisi. It also meant that we’d be able to... more »

In The Glass: Kiridžija – Dingač 2013

by  |  01-08-2017

I have more than a soft spot when it comes to the wines of Vedran Kiridžija. It was exactly a decade ago that I visited him for the first time when researching the Dalmatia book... more »