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A crossing of Cinsault and Pinot Noir, Pinotage is a red grape variety developed in South Africa in 1924, but it was not until the late 1980s that it began to gain recognition internationally. Predominantly grown and vinified in South Africa, when produced well, Pinotage displays a range of red and black fruits like plum, currants, cherry and blackberry, banana and herbaceous …

Tom Wark’s wine blog inspired me to action in 2005, and I’ve been at it ever since. I’m now reviewing wine blogs and sometimes wine samples from all over world, ever since. Lately I’ve had so many new releases, without a sample, so I have to take it as information. I can also give you […] The post Best Press …

This winter, Union Square Hospitality Group (USHG) and the New York Marriott Marquis hotel are putting a new spin on the View Restaurant & Lounge, New York City’s only revolving restaurant. The original View opened in 1985 atop the Times Square hotel—a popular spot for tourists and large events, including Wine Spectator’s annual New York Wine Experience—where it offered guests …

Bordeaux estate Château Pichon Baron has become the latest property in the region to launch a white cuvée. The Pauillac cru classé announced that the first vintage of its new white wine – from the 2023 vintage – would be made available through a ‘selected number of chosen négociants’ from October this year. Les Griffons de Pichon Baron, Grand Vin …

The 2024 VDP GG release tasting held at Wiesbaden. Credit: Peter Bender In late summer 2024, the winegrowers of the VDP presented their Grosses Gewächs whites from 2023 and reds from 2022 at this year’s tasting in Wiesbaden. See Caro Mauer MW’s top 30 recommendations… Source : https://www.decanter.com.master.public.keystone-prod-eks-euw1.futureplc.engineering/premium/german-grosses-gewachs-releases-2024-world-class-pinot-and-the-promise-of-great-rieslings-540710/

Ever since its founding, Mouton Cadet has known that great wines require great fruit, and a sustainable future for winegrowers is key to the future of great winemaking. Since its inception in 1930, Mouton Cadet has been stewarded by the Rothschild family. Baron Philippe de Rothschild was a pioneer, releasing the first ever branded wine from a blend of Bordeaux …

In my new book Romy Gill’s India, I invite you to journey with me back to my roots, travelling through my ancestral kitchens to discover the true essence of home-cooked Indian cuisine. Growing up as the daughter of Punjabis in West Bengal, I was immersed in two vibrant cultures that celebrate food in unique and meaningful ways. India’s diverse cultures …

The 2024 harvest at Israel’s Daltôn Winery was punctuated by nonstop rocket and drone attacks launched from just across the border in Hezbollah-controlled southern Lebanon. As tractors rolled through the vineyards at night, collecting the last of the Cabernet grapes, the sky was lit up by the glow of exploding rockets and the resulting wildfires that have scorched parts of …

With the appointment of new head of BWS Caroline Thompson-Hill as well as new buyers Giota Polizoudi and Harriet Coates, Marks & Spencer continues to build on its the successes of the past few years with a host of medal winners at this years’ Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA). Alongside the introduction of the Classics range in 2020, the supermarket has …

Vineyard in Burgundy. Famous regions such as Burgundy and Champagne have projected one of the smallest wine crops in recent years. The Burgundy and Beaujolais harvests are both expected to fall by 35% year-on-year, while the Champagne crop will be down by around 33% compared to 2023. Last month, the agriculture ministry’s Agreste statistics projected a total harvest of 39.3 million hectolitres …

View of Ada Bridge in Belgrade, Serbia. Whether you’re a wine connoisseur, culture vulture, archaeology aficionado, history buff, culinary explorer or nature lover, a journey through the Balkans brings feelings akin to those of a child in a candy store. You’ll find yourself delightfully overwhelmed, unsure of where to start or which of the many flavours to taste first. Hidden …

Rare Champagne has surprised followers by releasing a 2012 vintage after the lauded 2013, which was awarded a Platinum medal at this year’s Decanter World Wine Awards. Scroll down to see the Rare Champagne 2012 tasting note and… Source : https://www.decanter.com.master.public.keystone-prod-eks-euw1.futureplc.engineering/premium/first-taste-rare-champagne-surprises-with-2012-vintage-release-540290/

Perched on the Mediterranean coast in northern Spain, Hostal de La Gavina transports guests back to the glamorous heyday of the Costa Brava. Opened as a family-run ‘hostal’ with 11 rooms in 1932, it was a Hollywood hideaway in the 1950s and even became a film set for Liam Neeson’s 1930s detective film Marlowe. Black-and-white photographs of famous former guests …

Damage caused at Rayak Winery and Distillery. Elias Maalouf was squishing grapes at his Rayak Winery and Distillery, a smaller vineyard with 12 hectares of cultivated land in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, on 23 September, when a bomb flew out of the sky and landed in front of his building. The blast blew out the roof of his laboratory and shattered …

The diversity of Piedmont’s terroirs gives its DOCGs and DOCs their famed characters. Piedmont, one of Italy’s premier and most distinctive wine regions, is blessed with an embarrassment of riches. Four DOCGs and 10 DOCs, many of them famed worldwide, are overseen by the Consorzio Barbera d’Asti e Vini del Monferrato, established in 1946. These highly individual wines, produced from …

The sandy soils of Sablet. Imagine you’re an actor in a film with a large ensemble of other highly competent artists. None of you are household names. But the lead role has just been cast – and it’s gone to Arnold Schwarzenegger. On the one hand, it’s good to have a superstar to draw attention to the movie. But on …

Duckhorn Vineyards. Duckhorn stockholders will receive $11.10 per share from the all-cash transaction, which is expected to complete ‘this winter’. Adam Waglay, co-founder of Butterfly Equity, said: ‘This is an incredible opportunity, and we look forward to bringing our specialised expertise and deep food and beverage network to bear to help amplify and accelerate the company’s mission to have their …

Napa Valley’s Ovid earned perfect, 100-point scores from Decanter for its 2013 and 2021 Cabernet Sauvignons. Although both wines come from Ovid’s six hectares of vines atop Pritchard Hill, overlooking the Oakville AVA, they are separated not only by eight vintages but also by differences in climate, vine age and myriad other micro-transformations of the site. Continuity and change Winemaker …

Château Palmer director Thomas Duroux. Delegates from the Paso Robles CAB Collective (PRCC) recently visited Bordeaux. They met with sustainability leaders to address challenges posed by climate change in cultivating Bordeaux varieties and to learn best practices from the historic French region. ‘With the changing climate in the world, it’s essential to share skills,’ said Marielle Cazaux, general manager and …

Italy boasts the world’s oldest and largest tradition of truffle hunting, which is part of the UNESCO intangible cultural heritage list. Over 70,000 licensed hunters wander in the Italian forests at night with their dogs, which are essential to detect the scent of truffles beneath the soil. Its truffle capital is Alba in the Piedmont region, which is home to …