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Hello and welcome to this week’s 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 past week included a number of sparkling wines from here and there. Let’s start …

St-Julien is the quintessential expression of red Bordeaux, displaying grace and power without being overbearing. It’s also the smallest of the major communes of Bordeaux and the one with the largest percentage of classified growths, as measured by acreage. Indeed, 90% of the vineyards belong to the classified growths. St-Julien also claims to have the lowest average yield of all …

Gnarled old vines make unusual silhouettes as the afternoon light catches the tips of the grasses that have sprouted with the winter rains in the Châteauneuf-du-Pape region of France. The region has an unusually high proportion of older vines that are still producing wine. INSTRUCTIONS:Download this image by right-clicking on the image and selecting “save link as” or “save target …

It’s now a worn cliché to say that good winemakers are those able to produce a good wine from a bad vintage. Perhaps it could be added that a superior vineyard is able to withstand severe climatic conditions and still deliver outstanding fruit. Both statements seem validated by the Vintage Ports from the troubled 2022 growing season; few but characterful, …

Primarily grown in Hungary, Furmint is the key grape variety for deliciously sweet Tokaji, but has proven itself a versatile variety to watch in Hungary and beyond. As wine expert and Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA) Regional Chair for North, Central and Eastern Europe Caroline Gilby MW explains, ‘Furmint is undoubtedly one of the most exciting and versatile grape varieties in …

Tasting barrel samples of Armagnac at Domaine de Pellehaut The region of Gascony in Southwest France, for many, epitomises the irresistible charm of rural France. Dotted with medieval bastide villages, its gently rolling countryside holds the promise of a slower pace of life, punctuated by long lunches of foie gras and magret de canard, washed down with a glass or …

Auctioneer Lydia Fenet Besting last year’s record, the 2025 Naples auction raised just over $34m. Unique wine experience lots fetched in the range of $500-800,000 and a package with a wine-coloured Bentley netted $1.7m. Top wine lots included a curated trip provided by Napa’s Staglin Family Vineyard. Two couples will join the Staglin family on a tour of Switzerland – …

I’ve long said that selecting the top 12 wines made in your region each year using a blind tasting run by a third party and then sending that case of wines to commentators around the world is one of the smartest and most compelling bits of regional wine marketing I’ve ever experienced. I’m thrilled to get my Gimblett Gravels collection …

The Naples Winter Wine Festival (NWWF) celebrated its 25th anniversary by raising over $34 million—a record high, beating last year’s total by $1 million—for children’s charities at its annual event on the last weekend in January. The nation’s top-raising charity wine auction gathered around 650 wine lovers under a big tent outside the Ritz-Carlton Naples, Tiburón, to bid on dazzling …

Beth Pearce MW, Sara Muirhead MW and Ben Chan tasted 51 wines, with 7 Outstanding and 25 Highly Recommended Australian Grenache: Panel tasting scores 51 wines tasted Exceptional 0 Outstanding 7 Highly recommended 25 Recommended 15 Commended 4 Entry criteria: Producers and UK agents were invited to submit their 100% Grenache wines from the 2020, 2021 and 2022 vintages With …

In the heart of the Quebrada de Humahuaca UNESCO World Heritage Site, Chichic Wine Resort is a visionary project sure to fascinate discerning lovers of fine wine and luxury. Taking its name from the Quechua word for ‘milestone’, the new, exclusive Chichic resort will redefine sophistication in one of Argentina’s most captivating regions. Situated 3,000 metres above sea level, Chichic …

Changes to duty tax mean UK consumers face the prospect of higher wine prices on some bottles from February 2025, leading trade members have advised.  A sliding-scale duty tax system based on alcoholic strength will be extended to many still wines for the first time on 1 February, and alcohol duties will also rise in-line with inflation, said the UK’s …

We’ve chosen the wines below based on value and quality and while many may be familiar names, we’ve also thrown in a few more unusual options to explore, all tasted and rated by the Decanter team. Our selection of great-value white wine showcases 20 refreshing pours all priced at under £20. Scroll down to see notes and scores for 20 …

There may be answers, however, in young companies such as EthicDrinks. A Bordeaux-based, new-wave négociant that sources organic wines from across France and further afield, it supplies retailers using a transparent, ethical, sustainable, plastic-free, decarbonised supply chain. Too good to be true? It recently launched a wine with UK retailer Laithwaites packaged in the lightest glass bottle on the market, …

In August, the Takeover Appeal Board ordered Balfour-Lynn to compensate investors for the ‘deceit and wrongdoing’ it uncovered at the property investment firm he ran. The tycoon, who co-founded Balfour Winery in Kent, said he did not ‘have the means’ to pay such ‘high levels’ of compensation. He has now been forced to file for bankruptcy. ‘I have never anticipated …

Juan Pablo Murgia Few winemakers have the opportunity to be pioneers in new regions and fewer still in regions of extreme terroirs, where textbook viticulture doesn’t apply. Perhaps none see such groundbreaking efforts yield world-class wines in less than a decade. However, all of this is true of Juan Pablo Murgia, who, as head winemaker of the Avinea group, led …

Bordeaux city centre has recently gained a shop dedicated to dealcoholised wines. It is a sign of the times that central Bordeaux recently gained a shop dedicated to ‘dealcoholised’ wine, and alcohol-free alternatives in general. While the concept may not be to everyone’s taste, plenty of curious winemakers and consumers have been calling in at Belles Grappes since it opened …

Peking duck served with pancakes, vegetables and condiment at Zither Garden, Hong Kong. Credit: South China Morning Post via Getty ImagesPeking duck: what’s the authentic way to enjoy it? As one of the best-known Chinese dishes, Peking duck was once an imperial cuisine dating back to the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644). Roasted duck, with its crispy, golden-brown skin and rich fat, …

Napa Valley has a new appellation. Thirteen years after Coombsville was created by the federal government as an American Viticultural Area (AVA), the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau has approved Crystal Springs of Napa Valley. Wineries that wish to bottle their wine with the new AVA on the label got the thumbs-up on Nov. 15.  Crystal Springs is …

Thirty years ago, the descriptor ‘Cal-Ital’ could often trigger a shudder of revulsion for an informed buyer of American wine. Many were scarred by inexpensive, high-volume efforts by the state’s largest wine producers eager to discover the next big thing. The Cal-Ital movement died something of a merciful death in the early 2000s, leaving behind little trace save for a …