There are not many good things to have come out of the pandemic, but Radford Dale’s venture into cool-climate Elgin is one of them. The company already had a winery in coastal Stellenbosch when Covid-19 struck and everything changed practically overnight. ‘The ground was shifting,’ recalls Jaques de Klerk, Radford Dale’s co-owner and head of viticulture and winemaking. ‘There was …

Bruce Jack, it’s safe to say, is not like most winemakers. As a profession, cellarmasters tend to be reluctant to talk about much outside their sphere of expertise, coming alive when the conversation turns to viticulture or winemaking techniques – often the more arcane the better. Jack, however, is pretty much the opposite. Time in his presence can cover anything …

Renowned Piedmont vintner Michele Chiarlo, founder of the winery that bears his name, died Nov. 18. He was 88. Born into a winegrowing family, Chiarlo studied enology at the wine school in Alba, counting among his contemporaries future enology consultant Giacomo Tachis and winery founder Renato Ratti. He established his winery in 1956, bottling his first Barolo, made from purchased …

Researchers have reported a fresh breakthrough in efforts to understand why drinking red wine may be more likely to cause headaches in some people. A particular phenolic compound found naturally in red wines could lie at the root of a mechanism that triggers headaches, said researchers writing in the journal Scientific Reports and including scientists from the University of California …

With a rich history, a unique terroir and a precious stock of old vines, Tenuta Villa Bellini is a project like no other, especially in the context of Valpolicella, where in 2007 it became the first organic-certified producer. A small cha?teau-like estate, with vineyards, orchards and olive groves surrounding a breathtaking stately home whose origins date back to the 1400s, …

Northern Rhône 2022 overall vintage rating: 4/5 Diverse in style and quality due to intense heat and drought. Blockages in ripening were widespread around Cornas and Hermitage, making for some lighter wines with moderate alcohol; others more robust. Côte-Rôtie tends to be soft and velvety. Whites can be overly rich but some are enjoyably powerful and exuberant. ‘Most will drink …

After the disastrous 2021 vintage, 2022 is certainly a step up, though stylistically it couldn’t be more varied. Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for top-scoring Crozes-Hermitage 2022 wines See all 400 Rhône 2022 tasting notes and scores See also: Rhône 2022 full vintage report and top-scoring wines

It’s an unusual style of red Hermitage this year: smaller in structure and stature than a usual year. Again, as with other appellations, it’s primarily down to problems with ripening – Guillaume Sorrel said it didn’t rain at all on the hill of Hermitage in June, July or August, and Maxime Chapoutier remembers the mercury hitting 40 ?C as early …

Chiarlo was famous for vinifying the essence of Piedmont and bringing Barolo, Moscato and Barbera d’Asti to the world. He was born on May 25, 1935, and he grew up in Calamandrana. His parents were grape growers, and he helped out on their land in the Piedmont hills. Chiarlo eventually convinced his father, Pietro, to enrol him in the oenological …

The flagship Decanter Fine Wine Encounter (DFWE) was held on Saturday 11th November at the breathtaking Landmark Hotel, bringing together top-class producers from around the world and more than 1,200 wine lovers and professionals. At the one-day event, and as part of Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA) promotional opportunities, 57 top-scoring wines from the 2023 competition were showcased at the …

Protesters at Le Boulou motorway toll station destroy boxes of wine transported into France from Spain in October 2023. A large French winemaker protest is set to take place in Narbonne on 25 November, in the Aude area of Languedoc-Roussillon. Frédéric Rouanet, head of the Aude winemakers’ union, called on Facebook for a ‘general strike in the vines’ on that …

While it’s a little jarring to discuss orange wines as a ‘trend’, given that this ancient winemaking style can be traced back thousands of years, orange wines are having a moment. Austria, Georgia and Romania are well-known hotspots, but England and Wales are also getting in on the act. Earlier this year Kent’s Chapel Down released its 2021 Orange Bacchus, …

A lush, eloquent red, with smoke and charred oak flavors wrapped around a core of black cherry, blackberry, plum and iron. Polished, with a youthful grip of tannins on the long, spice- and smoke-laced aftertaste. Give this a few years in the cellar. Sangiovese. Best from 2026 through 2038. 2,100 cases made, 600 cases imported. Source : f789bf63cffb6150282b9ae40b40d77d

Sleek and crisp, with appealing lemongrass and apple flavors accented with spices. Drink now. 1,050,000 cases made. Source : e6e755f5db821e8c0b11bdff5e2ad9c1