Articles
From such holes gold, or even platinum emerges...

Georgian wine evolution: Kvevri gold at Decanter Awards

by  |  04-07-2018

Given my living location and writing focus I’m viewed as a “Spain person” for the Decanter Awards. This is great and I’m very happy to judge these wines but I made a mention to the... more »

Wine Predictions for 2018

by  |  20-01-2018

Sending out predictions for a year, three weeks into the year may seem a bit ridiculous but I needed to wait for statistics to come out in order to rate last year’s predictions. So, this... more »

Decanter goes “premium”–and fully online

by  |  20-11-2017

Decanter “Premium”. I hadn’t really thought much about it until Richard Hemming made mention of it on his site. You see, Decanter.com has introduced a new “Premium” option which is in essence, a paywall making... more »

Online quizzes to help pass CMS Sommelier Levels 1 & 2

by  |  16-09-2017 ~ 2 Comments

For those studying up for the Court of Master Sommeliers exams, it can be frustrating to have a sense of what point your knowledge may be at. Sure, you can answer all your flash cards... 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 »

Judging the Decanter World Wine Awards

by  |  05-05-2017

Of these two quotes, it’s hard to decide whether the very delicious, “There will also be 100kg of cheese available to the judges.” or the very British, “Judge severely but do not be ungenerous.” stuck... more »

The best of Catalan white wines

by  |  07-02-2017

Last fall, I received a commission from Decanter to do a report on the white wines of Catalonia for the March issue of a publication in the UK. You of course may be asking yourself,... more »

The white wines of Terra Alta

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Terra Alta is a region that I’ve been tasting regularly for nearly a decade and the changes they’ve been making are impressive. This really all came to head with the election of a DO president... more »

The white wines of Penedès

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A logical starting point in any article about Catalan white wines is DO Penedès. They are by far the largest wine producing region in Catalonia and 80% of what they produce is in the form... more »

Tasting the tops of Torres

by  |  24-05-2016

For the August issue of Decanter (which will be out at the beginning of July) I wrote up a profile about Miguel Torres Jr. who, since 2012 has been the General Director of the Torres... more »