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Christmas marks the time of year when marketing hype goes into overdrive, encouraging us all to part with our hard-earned cash for everything from the latest kids’ toys to wifi-enabled washing machines.. For many of us, it’s the one occasion every year we will spend above our comfort zone on a few bottles of wine. But there’s no need to …

Rare 19th-century Château Latour and Burgundy have lit up the auction scene in Hong Kong in recent weeks, with Château La Mission Haut-Brion starring in London. A Christie’s auction of wines sourced from estates owned by Artémis Domaines – controlled by French billionaire François Pinault – saw a bottle of Château Latour 1865 sell for HK$812,500 (£80,500), including buyer’s premium. …

Single malt is far from being the sole passion of Glenmorangie Master Distiller Dr Bill Lumsden. The arch experimenter (sometimes jarringly dubbed the Willy Wonka of whisky) also has a penchant for high fashion, early Alan Partridge – and fine wine. He’s equally at home discussing Sassicaia as he is Speyside. Scroll down to see our selection of 12 perfect …

‘Organic Spanish wines with a Dutch heart’ – this is how the project, founded by Dutch entrepreneur Derrick Neleman in 2014, defines itself. There is indeed an incredible sense of place in all the wines produced by the eponymous winery, while the brand’s identity is infused with creative wonder and entrepreneurial spirit – perhaps showing that it is sometimes easier …

From left: Daniel Landi and Fernando García with a Garnacha vine in the Rumbo al Norte vineyard in the Sierra de Gredos mountains. The things you love are the things you invest time in.’ That’s the motto Daniel Gómez Jiménez-Landi and Fernando García have lived by and largely explains the evolution and success of Comando G, the project they founded …

Do We Believe In Prohibitionism, Yet? No, absolutely not! We do not believe that Prohibition will circle back, again! Can you even imagine our legislators allowing this to happen? Alcohol and the Southern states have been in bed for a very long time with their spirits. In fact, when I threw this out there, I […] The post Best Press …

Think of Bordeaux and a whole host of premium wines is likely to spring to mind – first growths, en primeur offerings and world-famous châteaux don’t tend to scream ‘value’. Likewise in Burgundy, you’re unlikely to treat the grands crus of Romanée-Conti, Corton and Montrachet as casual purchases for mid-week quaffing. But as with most wine regions, you can still …

For this family-run fifth-growth estate in Pauillac, history is still alive: Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste has been making its exemplary wines from the very same vineyard parcels since the 1855 classification. A name that tells a story One of the oldest estates in the Médoc, Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste is more than just a famous name: ‘Grand Puy’ refers to one of the defining …

Sam Barry, Peter Barry and Tom Barry of Jim Barry Wines Clare in South Australia is a small rural town, with a population of just over 3,000 people, yet it produces extraordinary wines. Peter Barry has long been scheming how to make the wider world take notice of a region that punches far above its weight. Especially with Riesling. Peter …

Eight bottles of 1947 Cheval Blanc billed as ‘the world’s most fabled wine’ failed to sell at Danish auction house Bruun Rasmussen. The St-Emilion lot, which was described by the auctioneer as containing ‘one of the most legendary and coveted wines in the world’, had been valued at between 300,000DKK (£33,198) and 400,000DKK (£44,264). The Danish lot came from a …

Find a great bottle to uncork with traditional Christmas ham…Wines to drink with ham this Christmas: Styles to try Reds Beaujolais (Cru) / Gamay Zinfandel Châteauneuf-du-Pape / Grenache, Syrah & Mourvèdre blends Pinotage Shiraz / Syrah Whites Sémillon Viognier Gewürztraminer Decanter Premium is the ideal last-minute gift for wine lovers! Wines to drink with ham: it’s all about the glaze …

The view from Brashley Vineyards in the Anderson Valley. In the northern reaches of California wine country, nestled between the coastal redwoods, and the native inland oak trees of Mendocino County, from Boonville to Navarro lies Anderson Valley, where cool climate Pinot Noir can be exceptional. While wine was grown in the Anderson Valley in the late 19th century, the …

The hooded vandals targeted an estate owned by Grands Chais de France, which is the second-largest wine producer in France. They used planks and tyres to set a storage unit on fire, and they also opened four wine vats, two of which were completely emptied. The public prosecutor in Narbonne said the vandals left a ‘CAV’ tag on the property, …

Anne Krebiehl MW Wine highlights 2024 In 2024, there’s one wine that is utterly memorable – because it was the fizz we toasted our wedding with: Silverthorn, The Green Man Cap Classique 2021 (£24.25 Carte-du-Vin). My South Africa-born husband and I visited the wine farm and this exquisitely cool, luminous and creamy blanc de blancs was just perfect, as all …

25 of the best Châteauneuf wines from the 2020 vintage that you should snap up now. I remember tasting the 2020 Châteauneufs after they’d spent a year in barrel. It wasn’t the joyful experience it perhaps should have been, as winemakers often appeared subdued. It wasn’t due to the quality of the wines, but rather the timing of my trip; …

December 10th is International Aszú Day, celebrating one of the world’s greatest and oldest sweet wines from Hungary. The Hungarian word for botrytis-affected berries, and the name of the resulting wine, ‘Aszú’ wines are produced with a centuries-old, unique winemaking method. Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA) regional chair for CEE, Balkans, Croatia & Slovenia, Caroline Gilby MW says, ‘The Aszú grapes …

The brainchild of Valérie Bataille and Benoit Calvet, BVC Bodegas was founded in 2014 as a sister project of the couple’s Bordeaux-based Maison BVC (Benoit and Valérie Calvet). Having started their négociant business in 1985, the entrepreneurs have since developed a comprehensive range of terroir-led wines by seeking like-minded partners in singular regions across France, Spain and Italy. In Utiel-Requena …

Auction highlights. Two of the headline lots featuring The Macallan whisky failed to sell in Bonhams’ online auction in Hong Kong, with Japanese whiskies instead tempting buyers. Neither The Red Collection nor The Reach found new homes during the sale, which began on 15 November and ended on St Andrew’s Day, the national holiday commemorating Scotland’s patron saint, on 30 …

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. Women in wine – Dr Laura CatenaThe Doctor is IN. Wine, health and moderationSome …

Bottles of Marchesi Antinori’s super Tuscan Tignanello raised nearly $190,000 at a London auction organized by Christie’s, on Nov. 26 and 27. The bottles came straight from the Antinori cellars, giving collectors a rare chance to secure one of Italy’s most beloved wines with unbeatable provenance. The auction celebrated the 50th anniversary of the release of Tignanello 1971, the wine’s …