Articles

A gateway to Lebanese wine: Hochar Père et Fils 2015

by  |  22-04-2019

There are random appearances of Château Musar’s “Grand Vin” at a wine and liquor shop in the Duty Free of Stansted Airport which seem to be dictated by the laws of chaos. The temptation has... more »

Let’s talk about ’16 and Álvaro Palacios

by  |  25-03-2019

A decade ago, despite living just an hour away in San Francisco, my visits to Napa Valley were readily-dwindling in regularity as tourism was then and is now, out of control. But in a nearly-final... more »

In the Glass: AA Badenhorst – Secateurs Red Blend 2012

by  |  21-02-2019

I try to live a life as free from regret as possible and overall, I think I do a pretty decent job of keeping my “regret debt” within decent margins. There are however two regrets... more »

A small taste of Málaga

by  |  26-11-2018

You are spoiled, simply spoiled, when it comes to wonderful food and drink in Spain. There are however those more spoiled than others and I posit that anyone in Catalunya or the Basque Country lives... more »

A taste from the east, Crama Ferdi

by  |  13-09-2018

One judges wine competitions neither for fame nor money which is good as both are in staggeringly short supply for the activity. So, why do it? Well, to challenge yourself into being more analytical about... more »

The sale of Stony Hill, a unique corner of Napa Valley

by  |  30-08-2018

Sales of wineries are the jet fuel for the wine news that let’s them drop their news bombs and if there’s one specific type of sale more fuel-y than others, it’s a small winery in... more »

Continuum: How the Mondavis pressed on

by  |  14-05-2018

One of the grandest of sagas that took place in Napa Valley during the 20th century was the split between the original Mondavi brothers of Robert and Peter. Many a wine drinker will know the... more »

A Judgment of Paris-y kind of tasting

by  |  26-02-2018

The “Judgment of Paris” is one of those things that anyone the least bit tinged with wine will most likely never let go of. Big events in wine are often only big to wine people,... more »

Wine with a greater purpose: El Microscopi 2016

by  |  20-12-2017

Wine needs a story! So harps those in marketing these days and I have to agree that there is some truth to this as a wine without a story is essentially the beer, Coors Light.... more »

Tasting the latest of Vins de Pedra

by  |  14-11-2017

It was back in 2012 that I witnessed the first breaths of Vins de Pedra. During a spring visit to La Vinyeta and chatting with owner, Josep Serra, it was impossible to miss a new... more »