* . * * . .

News

Napa Valley Cabernet 2021: Top wines from Spring Mountain & Mt Veeder

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, …

Read More »

Bodegas Bianchi: Honouring a legacy through continuous improvement

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 …

Read More »

Vegalfaro – Creativity fuelled by pragmatism

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 …

Read More »

Alcohol-free wine: All you need to know

Torres selects grapes with de-alcoholisation specifically in mind. The first point to make is that there is a difference between ‘lower alcohol’ wines (say 9% abv) and non-alcoholic. The former can be created by using ‘normal’ winemaking techniques and playing with things like earlier picking times (so less sugar to turn into alcohol), and ‘lazy’ yeast strains to generate a …

Read More »

New stocks of lauded Château Latour 2009 released

A view towards Château Latour’s vineyard tower. Château Latour 2009 has been acclaimed as one of the best wines in a top Bordeaux vintage, and the first growth estate released fresh stocks from its cellars on Tuesday (17 September).  Around 12,000 bottles of Latour 2009 were part of the latest release and were priced at €910 per bottle ex-(Bordeaux) négociant, …

Read More »

Argentina: A vine resource for the wine world?

Massal-selection Malbec growing in Catena Zapata’s Adrianna Vineyard in Gualtallary Monasterio. ‘When it comes to Vitis vinifera genetic diversity, the New World could save the Old World.’ This dramatic statement was made in 2023 by Dr Etienne Neethling, a South Africa-born viticulture researcher now working in France. This view may be surprising, considering the country that’s home to the largest …

Read More »

Wine Vision by Open Balkan 2024: Confluence of Tastes

Today, it is no surprise that Wine Vision by Open Balkan, the leading wine event in southeastern Europe, is one of the continent’s largest wine fairs. However, few anticipated such rapid growth to occur as early as 2023, during what was only the second year of the event. Born from regional cooperation among the Open Balkan countries – Albania, North …

Read More »

Auction of Washington Wines Raises $4.25 Million for Kids’ Healthcare and Wine Research

Washington’s wine industry can draw some star power, whether it’s actor and vintner Kyle MacLachlan or winemaking rock star Christophe Baron. Both pitched in to raise money for a great cause at last month’s 37th annual Auction of Washington Wines (AWW). The weekend pulled in $4.25 million for Seattle Children’s Hospital, Washington State University’s Viticulture and Enology program and industry grant …

Read More »

Wine News: What I’m Reading the Week of 9/15/24

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. French harvest 2024: Volumes to fall as Burgundy, Loire Valley ravaged by mildewA scourge. …

Read More »

New method may help wines tainted by wildfire smoke

Wildfire smoke in northern California in 2018. Several factors can determine whether a vineyard is affected, however. Researchers recently reported promising results after testing a new way of removing volatile compounds responsible for causing unpleasant smoke taint aromas and taste in wine.  While some volatile compounds occur naturally in grapes and contribute to appealing aromas in the glass, those absorbed …

Read More »

Domaine François Raveneau: Taking the pulse of Chablis’ greatest wine

Raveneau is one of Chablis’ most recognisable names and the top wines sell for several times more than their nearest competitor. The global average retail price for Raveneau’s current vintage of Grand Cru Le Clos is nearly £1,700 per bottle; Valmur and Blanchot are £600-£700; the premiers crus average approximately £350, and even the village-level Chablis is often more than …

Read More »

Tasmania in its stride: Uncovering the island state’s exceptional wines

The term ‘small but mighty’ could have been coined to describe Tasmania, at least in terms of its winemaking prowess. With just over 26,000 square miles of land to its name and a mere 2,000 hectares of vineyard plantings, the state could so easily be overshadowed by the vast Australian mainland to its north. But take a close look at …

Read More »

You Actually Ready To Import?

How To Break Into the U.S. Wine Market by Deborah M. Gray, revisits one of her passions with a timely third edition. This thoroughly dissected guide prompts the crucial question of Are You Actually Ready to Import? Your league will swiftly come into focus, during your thumbing through four pages of thoroughly researched content. She […] The post You Actually …

Read More »

Highlights from the 10th anniversary Salon of Decanter medal winners 2024 in Slovenia

Credit: Peter Irman This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Salon of Decanter medal winners in Slovenia — an annual event that celebrates winemaking excellence in the region. On 3rd September, winemakers, consumers and trade gathered in the Brdo Congress Centre, just an hour outside Ljubljana for an exciting one day event. The event featured more than 150 Decanter …

Read More »

Napa Valley Cabernet 2021: Top wines from Stags Leap District

The old vine block at Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars. Napa Valley Cabernet 2021: full vintage report and top-scoring wines The Stags Leap District is named after a legend among the indigenous Wappo people, about a stag escaping a hunting party by leaping to its death at a gap in the rock promontory that sticks out in the foothills of the …

Read More »

Ribeira Sacra – Galician government authorises unprecedented crisis distillation

Vineyards on the banks of the Sil River, Ribeira Sacra, Galicia On 1 September, the Xunta de Galicia (Galician regional government) authorised crisis distillation in D.O. Ribeira Sacra, following a request submitted by the local rural council in May. The authorisation marks the first time a Galician wine region will implement the measure, which is aimed at withdrawing wine from …

Read More »

Penfolds: Icons of the Present and Future Masterclass at DFWE London

Credit: Penfolds Magill Estate Join us for an exclusive opportunity to explore the illustrious world of Penfolds at the Decanter Fine Wine Encounter (DFWE) London, taking place on Saturday 16 November. Experience a selection of Penfolds most iconic and innovative wines. A journey through winemaking excellence. Founded in 1844, Penfolds has built a legendary reputation for creating exceptional wines with a …

Read More »

Ribera del Duero adopts the new old ways

Vineyard in Ribera del Duero. The motivation for this piece was, at the outset, to document the evolution of the exciting projects that, over the last 20 years, have been carving out an ‘alternative’ face of Ribera del Duero. It quickly became apparent that the real story concerned the efforts of the producers behind these projects to save the region …

Read More »

. . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . %%%. . . * . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - . . . . .