Sap oozes from a cut section of vine in Sonoma’s Alexander Valley. For now, most grapevines in the northern hemisphere are dormant for the winter, allowing growers to prune them sometime in the coming month before the sap begins to flow again. As the weather warms, the vines wake up and begin pushing sap into their extremities, beginning the growth …

I’ve now been writing about wine for 19 years, and the more time that goes on, the list of things that I don’t know gets longer and longer. That would be true if nothing ever changed in the world of wine, but of course, the opposite is true. Change both evolutionary and radical unfolds relentlessly, meaning that quite literally there’s …

Valentine Cocktail What will you be drinking this Valentine’s Day? Whether you’re celebrating with a loved one or enjoying Galentine’s Day with friends, a special drink will help to share the love. You could choose to pop the cork on a pretty pink rosé Champagne or sparkling wine. But more of us than ever are now making cocktails at home …

With cultivation and consumption now legal in many US states, cannabis is leaving its illicit past behind. But is weed ready for the same connoisseurial approach as wine? Jim Clarke reports in the World of Fine Wine. “Cannabis is an extremely youthful industry, and its lack of legal standing means scientific research has been limited for some time. But the shared experience …

The origins of Pago de Tharsys date back to 1808, when its original cellar was excavated into the limestone bedrock. In 1991, when Ana Suria and Vicente García rebuilt the property, the modern history of Tharsys began: an exciting revival that ushered the estate to the 21st as one of the region’s leading producers. Today, Pago de Tharsys has a …

Decanter Learning App Updates and some new additions have been made to the Decanter Know Your Wine learning app, which is available for download on both iOS (iPhone) and Android operating systems. Launched in 2018 in partnership with learning specialist Feed Your Elephant, the Know Your Wine app has received strong reviews and is intended to be a helpful additional …

The oldest winery in Montefalco, Cantina Scacciadiavoli is today one of the region’s premier wineries. During Montefalco’s Anteprima, we visited Scacciadiavoli where winemaker Liu Pambuffetti, trained at the University of Bordeaux, showed us the historic winery and led us through a lengthy tasting.  Established in 1884 by Prince Ugo Boncompagni Ludovisi, its name comes from a 18th century legend that …

There’s nothing quite as celebratory as a bottle of sparkling wine. And nothing more evocative of a celebration of love than a bottle of sparkling rosé. With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, we guide you through a selection of pink bubbles that will make an elegant statement and also work as perfect gifts. How is rosé sparkling wine made? …

Back vintages of Deutz’s prestige cuvées sleeping peacefully in the ‘berceaux’, deep in the house’s chalk cellars. Named the Deutz Berceaux Vinothèque, literally the ‘cradles of wine’, the collection is made up of 17,000 bottles, born and aged at the Deutz house in Aÿ, Champagne. Just under 7,000 of these bottles are now being released to the market. Sotheby’s fine …

I was with some wine students in Chablis, visiting the affable Guillaume Michel of Domaine Louis Michel. The 2018 vintage in Chablis was prolific, though Guillaume’s team pruned the vines as hard as normal. Guillaume has a little more than a half-hectare of the smallest of the grands crus, Grenouilles (8.74ha in production in 2018, most of which is controlled …

A well-cut white, with a gorgeous waft of petrol on the nose that’s more subtle on the palate, underscoring ripe apple and nectarine fruit notes and delicate accents of white pepper and dried thyme. Light-bodied and linear up front, expanding nicely through to the creamy finish. Drink now through 2028. 550 cases made, 100 cases imported. Source : d17a087c7dad21337b520940eceb7fb0

Friendly, with tasty plum and blackberry compote flavors, judicious toast and a brushstroke of tobacco on the finish. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Drink now through 2030. 12,500 cases made. Source : c365feea82b29ebe39cfed534cf5fb63