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Pizza is one of Italy’s great culinary gifts to the world, with traditional pizza-twirling in Naples enshrined by UNESCO as a skill of intangible cultural heritage. Beer is sometimes seen as a classic go-to for pizza night, but there are many mouthwatering wines that can work brilliantly with a range of toppings if you’re planning to celebrate ‘the art of …

Casa Bigote, by the mouth of the river, was one of the few bars still open. We ordered a half-bottle of manzanilla (priced just €7) while we waited for Thomas de Wangen of Sotovelo. The copas glistened; the wine in them was steel-green. ‘Oh no,’ said de Wangen, walking in a few minutes later. ‘Look at that colour!’ The remark …

As someone exposed to an awful lot of wineries, wine brands, and their winemakers, it’s hard not to have something of a soft spot for the rebels and innovators, especially when they also happen to make excellent wine. Dan Petroski is a former magazine publishing executive who, after spending a career-reset year in Sicily helping out at a winery, decided …

In a small corner of the Gavalas winery in Santorini, visitors can find the tools of the winemaking trade from around the turn of the century. Wine was often made in the large glass balloons known as demijohns, and grapes were weighed in their wicker baskets on an ancient scale. Old vintages of Gavelas wine can be seen in the …

The Andes seen from Viña Cobos’ Zingaretti Estate in Villa Bastías, Tupungato Malbec and Carmenère may have become South America’s most emblematic red varieties, but in keeping with the rest of the wine world, the most-planted wine grape is actually Cabernet Sauvignon. With 50,677ha of vines in Chile and Argentina alone (2022), according to government data, this Bordeaux variety has …

Quinta do Crasto in the Douro valley, where field blends are traditional for both Port and table winesWhat is a field blend? How is it different from a blended wine? Imagine a meadow of wildflowers picked all at once and made into perfume. Field blends are wines made from different grape varieties that are grown together in one vineyard and …

Bill Foley knows a good deal when he sees it. A few months after the California-based Vintage Wine Estates (VWE) declared bankruptcy, more than 20 wineries and brands from the firm are set to come under new ownership, after an auction in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware. While final approval for the bids is still needed, Foley Family Wines …

Until this date, Decanter Fine Wine Encounter (DFWE) has only taken place in London, New York, and Shanghai. The event’s Singapore debut marks a significant milestone for the country, now recognised as an influential global wine hub. As part of the inaugural DFWE Singapore, taking place on 26 October 2024, Decanter will host a Grand Tasting. Decanter’s trust in our …

Where to being, when I’m aiding legend Phyllis Zouzounis: Pioneer, Trailblazer, and Visionary of Sonoma County Winemaking? She’s as independent as any woman I’ve ever know, which includes my own tendencies, and I’m fierce. I learned this, when I began to construct her biography. This is where I first learned about her stellar, journey. Phyllis […] The post Aiding Legend …

Neil Empson, founder of Empson & Co. and a pioneering importer of Italian fine wine into the United States, died Sept. 14 after a long battle with cancer. He was 85. “My father won many battles but lost his most precious war, as he wanted to live and love as he did during his life,” Tara Empson, his daughter and …

Nikka Whisky’s Yoichi Distillery, founded in 1934 Celebrating its 90th anniversary this year, Nikka Whisky – and indeed the entire Japanese whisky category – owes its existence to one man: Masataka Taketsuru. The company’s founder was born in Takehara, Hiroshima, in 1894. His family had owned a sake brewery since 1733 and he was destined to join the business before …

View from Veuve Clicquot Solaire Journey, aboard the luxurious Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, A Belmond Train. ‘Dream on, but don’t imagine they’ll all come true. When will you realise… Vienna waits for you…’  The lyrics from Billy Joel’s Vienna could have been the soundtrack to my trip to Austria’s capital. But in fact this was a visit where dreams just might have …

With the autumn equinox on the horizon on 22 September, days are getting shorter and late summer nostalgia weaves into the appeal of longer evenings and richer meals. Darker rosés are some of the best transitional wines for this period. As we enjoy the last of the season’s barbecues and garden parties, these deep-hued pours are best enjoyed alongside some …

International Grenache Day is celebrated annually on the third Friday of September. One of the world’s most planted grape varieties, Grenache is widely grown in southern France, Spain (where it is known as Garnacha), the United States and Australia. It ripens late, requiring warm and dry conditions to fully ripen, but is versatile both in the vineyard and winery where …

Aerial view of the San Sano estate. On Monday 10 September, at the historic Villa Antinori Cigliano, Marchese Piero Antinori announced the addition of three new Chianti Classico Gran Selezione wines to the Antinori range. ‘When you speak of Chianti Classico it is music to my ears,’ he said. ‘Chianti Classico is part of the DNA of the Antinori family …

Torti Wine launched the Hello Kitty range in 2009, and the wines have been sold at specialist UK retailers for several years. However, they will now be stripped from shelves following a crackdown from The Portman Group, a regulator funded by the drinks industry. The watchdog received the following complaint from a shopper: ‘Astonished to see alcohol sold under a …

Bottega vineyards in Treviso, Italy. Few bottles catch the eye like Bottega’s selection of Prosecco. The sleek bottles with their striking designs are easy to spot in restaurants and bars. Now, the range has show-stopping new premium additions – Gold Cru, Gold Extra Brut, Gold Diamond, Black Stardust and Gold Stardust – with extended fermentation periods. Bottega Gold Cru is …

Vineyards on Spring Mountain. Napa Cabernet 2021: full vintage report and top-scoring wines Spring Mountain The idyllic and mountainous Spring Mountain AVA, reaching up to 640 meters of elevation on the northern and eastern slopes of the Mayacamas range, has always been about rugged individuality and an almost heroic performance from the vines, even in easy-going vintages. In 2021, however, …

Bodegas Bianchi’s Valle de Uco vineyards As it celebrates its 96th vintage, Bodegas Bianchi can look back on almost a century of excellence in Argentinian viticulture. Seeking to reflect the diverse terroirs of the Uco Valley and San Rafael in Mendoza, the winery relies on the experience of the Bianchi family, the skill of its winemaking team, and the vision …

Rodolfo Valiente, founder and winemaker at Vegalfaro The founding of Vegalfaro was itself a statement of social sustainability: a cross-generational winery venture from father-and-son team Andrés and Rodolfo Valiente, bringing together complementary knowledge about viticulture’s past and present, and a shared vision for its future. Rodolfo is now at the helm of the project, supported by a small, close-knit team …