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Hello and welcome to my weekly dig through the pile of wine samples that show up asking to be tasted. I’m pleased to bring you the latest installment of Vinography Unboxed, where I highlight some of the better bottles that have crossed my doorstep recently. This past week included a smattering of things from here and there, as well as …

Experience the Best Wine Glass Ever with Copain de Vin—a captivating newcomer that’s quickly become my favorite. Discover why as you read on. Clarifying… In 2019, I actively contributed to the development and perfection of the Eisch glass for Petite Sirah, collaborating with a board of Petite winemakers and Eisch’s Alan Zalayet. Despite my involvement […] The post Best Wine …

USA California Napa Valley Matthiasson Wines Steve Matthiasson A few months ago, I was asked to respond to a reader who asked how you could pick out Californian Chardonnay in particular from American Chardonnay in general, when blind tasting. At its root, the question speaks to a broader understanding, or lack thereof, of the myriad growing conditions, terroir and style …

The Source at Sula Vineyards Picture the late-afternoon scene: a glass of pale rosé in hand, I’m relaxing outdoors on an elegant terrace at a world-class vineyard resort. Bob Dylan is playing on the sound system as cosmopolitan visitors are having fun, taking selfies and tasting the estate’s wines. Below are rows of just-harvested Sauvignon Blanc vines, their leaves fluttering …

Ben Tish profile picture credit: Kris Kirkham Mediterra is a collection of my favourite recipes gathered over many years of travelling through the Mediterranean, from shore to shore and beyond to its islands – holidays, work or research, I’m there! While the countries of the Mediterranean are varied and diverse, food and its culture are a common thread: the way …

Belthazar terrace overlooking Table Mountain in Cape Town There’s never been a better time for wine lovers to visit Cape Town in South Africa. Critical acclaim for the oldest New World wine region has kept on gaining momentum since renowned vineyard manager and viticultural consultant Rosa Kruger made her benchmark presentation of the Cape’s most exceptional old-vine wines at the 2013 …

Here’s why. I’ve loved wine for 50 years. If I’d done nothing but sit at home and drink it, that love would have been a consuming hobby, a lifelong infatuation. What wine and I have is more than that. We have a serious relationship, by which I mean love based on respect and understanding. Agreed, wine has been my work… …

Beaujolais has long been misunderstood. The root cause was the introduction of Beaujolais Nouveau in the 1950s, which has been both a blessing and a curse for the region as a whole. In recent years, however, there has been a quality revolution in Beaujolais, and serious wine lovers owe it to themselves to taste some of the top examples. Because …

Ken Forrester and his dogs in The FMC vineyard. When Ken Forrester took over the abandoned vineyard of Scholtzenhof in 1993, it was a change of lifestyle for a man who had spent the better part of three decades in hotel management. Relocating his wife and young family, he renamed the estate Ken Forrester Vineyards and began the work of …

As a musical icon with over 200 million album sales and 32 Grammy wins to her name, alongside being a powerful voice for female empowerment globally, there’s very little else which Beyoncé has left to accomplish. However her latest project is a truly intriguing one, aimed at shaking up the American whiskey market, with the launch of SirDavis: a brand …

Federico GambettaAltos Las Hormigas – The quest to reveal terroir Ines Salpico It can’t be easy to be the winemaker of a project spearheaded by Alberto Antonini and Pedro Parra. This big responsibility has, for the past four years, rested on the shoulders of the enthusiastic Federico Gambetta, who seems enduringly motivated by the expectations surrounding Altos Las Hormigas. He …

Scallops are some of the most delicate and versatile shellfish, beloved by chefs from different backgrounds and across cuisines. Their affinity with multiple cooking methods gives sommeliers a wide range of pairing possibilities – to be considered mindfully lest they spoil the fine balance of scallop-based dishes. We reached out to leading sommeliers and asked for their tips on how …

Three hundred-acre estates are hard to come by in Napa Valley, so when one comes on the market, you might think that finding a new steward comes down to the highest bid. But when Kelly Fleming decided to sell her property and winery, she opted for the neighbor who would agree to keep it in one piece. Fleming announced Aug. …

Old vine Grenache in The Cutting vineyard, Barossa Valley A common charge levelled against the French wine industry is its restrictive appellation legislation. Though drawn up with good intentions, it can indeed cramp winemakers’ creativity. How freeing it must be therefore to make wine in countries like Australia, unhindered by such bureaucracy. But the local market can also have a …

Everleaf’s aperitifs are designed for making spritz-style drinks with the addition of a mixer What a difference a decade makes, eh? Pop into pretty much any pub, restaurant or bar today and you’d be hard pressed to find one that doesn’t offer at least one dedicated no/low-alcohol option on its menu. It’s a far cry from the days when choices …

Hello and welcome to my weekly roundup of the wine stories that I find of interest on the web. I post them to my magazine on Flipboard, but for those of you who aren’t Flipboard-inclined, here’s everything I’ve strained out of the wine-related muck for the week. Drop in wine consumption is reshaping French vineyards132 million gallons of excess wine. What’s …

A luxurious Napa Valley hotel is swapping one winemaking proprietor for another. Wine Spectator has learned that PA Capital Management, a family firm that owns Sullivan Rutherford Estate and Loco Tequila, has bought Poetry Inn in the Stags Leap District from the Lede family of Cliff Lede Vineyards. The purchase price was not disclosed. “As a family group, we [strive] to …

The deal includes the winery, a house, a commercial kitchen, a natural cave, and a sprawling 116ha estate, with just 5ha currently under vine. Kelly Fleming Wines is located on the east side of Napa Valley, in between Calistoga and St Helena. The Kelly Fleming estate borders Hundred Acre’s ‘Few and Far Between’ vineyard. They will now merge, creating a …

Domaine Leflaive’s Chassagne-Montrachet vineyard. Burgundy’s annual en primeur season in London, which takes place in January, is both a blessing and a curse. It organises the market and makes it possible for many Burgundy lovers to taste the new vintage, but it can also mean that some wines are assessed prematurely. Although simple regional Bourgogne blanc and rouge and some …

Harvest has begun for some producers here in Northern California, and we’re looking at receiving perhaps the first rains of the Autumn season this weekend. That put me in the mind of autumn and so I thought I’d share a lovely view of old vines in their autumn splendor from the Itata Valley in Chile. A mix of País, Carignan, …