Essays

The hidden truth of alternative wine bottle formats

by  |  28-07-2022

A few weeks previous on Twitter, someone in the wine trade was extolling the virtues of a new, non-glass wine bottle format that uses a plastic liner for the wine. There are many of these... more »
Photo by Ruth Spivey

In Praise of Airport Drinking

by  |  05-07-2022

I love airports. Despite the tedious queues and necessary security measures, when it comes to alcohol consumption, you are in highly permissive and democratic territory. Gatwick : South Terminal : 0700 I’m going to Greece.... more »

SOMM a decade on, the aftermath of a documentary

by  |  26-05-2022 ~ 4 Comments

There are few if any films that have had such a profound impact on the wine world than the original SOMM film from 2012. I'm reminded of this constantly such as when I was leading... more »

Ukraine’s wine people finding homes around Europe

by  |  20-05-2022

The war in Ukraine continues to be a heinous atrocity. The only thing that’s clear now is that there will be no resolution any time soon, especially as Russia seems hell-bent to grind on despite... more »
Photo by Slivino Village winery

Ukrainian winemaking in war

by  |  11-04-2022

Most of the territory of Ukraine has been scarred by war because the Russians have been actively destroying civilian infrastructure and this fate hasn’t spared the wineries of our country. Since the beginning of the... more »

In other news…

by  |  28-02-2022

This week I’d wanted to share a report on some excellent wines in California. I’d wanted to write up stories about funny and/or ridiculous things happening in the wine world. I’d wanted to do a... more »
Photo by Gutter & Stars

Exceptional English Chardonnay

by  |  17-02-2022

Sure, still whites made from Chardonnay in the UK have been around for a while, but now it’s a variety that’s definitely found its voice. While grown in the country for some time, my first... more »

The rise of the wine experts’ subscription sites

by  |  11-01-2022

It’s very strange to be a wine writer right now. I say this as for the last two decades, space to write about wine has decreased almost as fast as what publications are willing to... more »
A window back into the pre-pandemic

We’re just not there yet

by  |  03-11-2021

Last week I went to attend a professional wine tasting here in Catalunya. It’s held inside the striking location of an abandoned church up on a hill with a view to the village below and... more »
Image from Researchgate.net

Biogenic amines, sulfites, headaches, & wine

by  |  14-06-2021

The research papers for Master of Wine candidates don’t often receive a lot of attention once released for public consumption as they’re quite focused and specialized, sometimes to a fault. It would however seem that... more »