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The Chappelle de Saint Cosme in Gigondas.Beaumes de Venise The reds in Beaumes de Venise showed particularly well in 2023, ripe and concentrated but with more moderate alcohols than elsewhere, making for a fresh and drinkable vintage here. The Muscats were less successful. Not a subscriber? Sign up today to read the Rhône Report and all Premium articles. Use the …

The view from Walla Walla’s Les Collines Vineyard. For winemakers in the US, in a region like the Columbia Valley, or throughout the West Coast, crafting wines that provide a good value at an approachable price can seem challenging. From the consumer side, quality wines and those that receive high scores seem to come with a price tag that gets …

Five classic red wine styles that can pair well with lamb Pinot Noir Tempranillo Cabernet Sauvignon Syrah / Shiraz Sangiovese What kind of wine goes well with lamb? Many reds from the classic grape varieties, such as Pinot Noir, Tempranillo, Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon, are wonderful if you’re looking to pair wine with lamb. We’ve focused mainly on reds below, …

While mostly associated with Easter celebrations, Lamb is also a great option for your Christmas meal as an alternative to Turkey, Ham or Beef. It’s texture and affinity to strong seasonings suggest this is a perfect meat to be enjoyed in the bleakness of winter rather than at the arrival of Spring. And Lamb at Christmas is no less, if …

Burgundy’s biggest name in charity auctions had an impressive year, despite a challenging vintage. On Nov. 17, the 164th Hospices de Beaune charity wine auction raised a grand total of $15.2 million to support the Hospices Civils de Beaune hospital network. This is the fourth year the event, the world’s longest-running charity wine auction, has been organized by Sotheby’s. The …

Tasting wine at Decanter’s London Fine Wine Experience. America’s most established eastern wine region demonstrated its mastery and appeal in London, displaying what it does best with a selection of Riesling, while at the same time giving attendees a sense of the state’s range and versatility. While much of the wine world is focused on the US West Coast, the …

A devastating fire swept through the 800-year-old cathedral in April 2019, destroying the roof, the steeple and some of the vaulting. Workers have spent the past five years painstakingly rebuilding Notre-Dame Cathedral at a cost of €700m (£585m). The restoration is now complete, and the grand reopening will take place on Sunday 8 December. The Archbishop of Paris has selected …

Ploughing by horse, at Domaine de Beaurenard. While we were in the tasting room of La Vieille Julienne with Jean-Paul Daumen and his son Antoine, all of our mobile phones simultaneously sounded the same alarm. It was to warn people in the vicinity of the Rhône river that it was about to rise to dangerous levels due to storms in …

Penfolds wines On Saturday, 16 November, wine enthusiasts were treated to an extraordinary opportunity to delve into the illustrious world of Penfolds at the Decanter Fine Wine Encounter (DFWE) in London. This masterclass celebrated the legacy of one of the world’s most iconic wine brands, offering attendees a journey through Penfolds’ storied winemaking excellence. Penfolds brand ambassador Toby Amphlett led …

A quick guide to the best red wine temperatures Light-bodied, or ‘chillable’ reds: Serve these reds slightly chilled. Aim for around 12-13°C (54-56°F), but some can go down to 10°C, too Medium-bodied reds: Serve between 14 and 16°C (57-61°F) Full-bodied reds: Serve between 16 and 18°C (61-64°F) (cooler is probably better) What does ‘room temperature’ mean when serving red wine? …

Wine Paris 2025, the wine and spirit industry’s premier event, prepares to welcome the world to the ‘city of lights’. Credit: Wine Paris & Vinexpo Paris Once again, Wine Paris has received the endorsement of producers from across the globe, giving the 2025 exhibition unprecedented international reach. Spread over three halls, the event will be dedicated to the 50 producer …

‘While doing some work for a canned wine brand, I started to explore the world of alternative packaging formats. Wine boxes have obvious appeal to those who want to drink more sustainably, generating 90% less carbon emissions than the equivalent amount in bottles, but I had a long-held assumption that boxed wine means lower quality. If I had that misconception, …

DISCLAIMER: You won’t find scores in my wines stories. I’ll tell you with words and you have permission to salivate and give them a try. We should find our own groove, because every palate is as unique as our own fingerprints. Holidays With Italian White Wines This is especially dedicated to anyone Italian, who’s celebrating […] The post Holidays With …

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. ‘Collioure could be a little mountain Burgundy of the south’Jefford looks to the south. …

After a dry winter, a rainy spring resulted in complications in the vineyard, but the Rhône didn’t suffer with mildew as badly as some other French regions, such as Bordeaux. The end of August saw a heatwave, which left a strong stamp on the resulting wines. This is the most extensive report yet by Decanter on this increasingly popular region, …

Matt Walls tasting en primeur.Rhône 2023 en primeur vintage rating: Northern Rhône 2023: 3.5 / 5 Fresh, supple and drinkable reds at the southern pole; more concentration in the northern reaches, making for some very fine Côte-Rôtie. Vibrant, fresh whites, particularly good in Hermitage. Southern Rhône 2023: 3.5 / 5 A juicy, ripe vintage, relatively soft in tannin and acidity, …

Matt Walls tasting en primeur. Southern Rhône overall vintage rating: 3.5 / 5 A juicy, ripe vintage, relatively soft in tannin and acidity, but nonetheless displaying detailed terroir expression. Châteauneuf more mixed; some excellent, others overripe. Consistently good vintage for whites throughout the region. Red wine of the vintage: Domaine Santa Duc, Clos des Hospices, Gigondas, 2023 White wine of …

This November Decanter hosted a highly-anticipated Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA) tasting event in partnership with Winevision. Held at its stylish headquarters in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, the gathering attracted around 120 attendees, with trade professionals making up 48% of the audience. Participants had the opportunity to sample 70 exceptional wines from 11 countries, all awarded top medals at the 2024 competition. …

The UN has recognised regenerative agriculture as ‘one of the most effective ways to make food systems more sustainable’ (‘Rethinking food systems’, June 2021). And it’s gaining traction in wine production, too. In 2021, Cheval Blanc published a manifesto committing to a radical shift to agroecology – the principles of which marry with those of regenerative agriculture. Whether wheat or …

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 week I’ve got a couple more wines from the Edio Vineyards label by Delfino …