Essays

The hidden truth of alternative wine bottle formats
by Miquel Hudin | 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 »

In Praise of Airport Drinking
by Ruth Spivey | 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 Miquel Hudin | 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 Miquel Hudin | 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 »

Ukrainian winemaking in war
by Jenia Nikolaichuk | 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 Miquel Hudin | 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 »

Exceptional English Chardonnay
by Dan Kirby | 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 Miquel Hudin | 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 »

We’re just not there yet
by Miquel Hudin | 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 »

Biogenic amines, sulfites, headaches, & wine
by Miquel Hudin | 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 »