Xavier Ausàs in the barrel room at his winery in Quintanilla de Onésimo The man behind the creation and consolidation of some of Spain’s most recognisable wines could have perhaps enjoyed an easy, early retirement, resting on the laurels earned during his long and successful tenure at Tempos de Vega Sicilia (TVS). However, in 2015, Xavier Ausàs decided to leave …
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Gravel. Gravelly loam. Alluvium. Hang around with winegrowers long enough and you’re bound to hear these words, often in conjunction with praise for their contributions to that elusive notion of terroir. In point of fact, some of the world’s most lauded wines owe their particular character to gravel—think names such as Haut-Brion, Latour, Lafite, Mouton Rothschild, and Margaux. Nature ensures …
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Hello and welcome to my weekly 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 week included a couple of nice wines from Uruguay. The first was a pretty …
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Yangarra’s award-winning cellar door. Barossa Shiraz is a style of wine even non-drinkers have heard of. It has the kind of brand recognition other regions would kill for. It’s a bit like Châteauneuf-du-Pape in that respect. Even people with no interest in wine have often heard of it, even if they haven’t tasted it. The similarities don’t end there. Châteauneuf …
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Krug does not make ‘entry-level’ Champagne. In fact, listening to Olivier Krug, sixth generation and director of the house, it appears that Krug does not make NV Champagne, or ‘multi-vintage’ Champagne, either. So what is Krug Grande Cuvée, exactly? Scroll down for tasting notes and scores for the latest Krug… Source : https://www.decanter.com.master.public.keystone-prod-eks-euw1.futureplc.engineering/premium/first-taste-krug-grande-cuvee-172eme-edition-542138/
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It was a calm day, but that didn’t keep this tree from looking windblown as it framed the lush green landscape of the Tokaj wine region during the height of spring. In the distance you can see the pincushion patterns of vineyards on the hills famous for producing the noble sweet wines that brought the region so much fame for …
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Should wineries in California, Oregon and other states be able to sell wines directly to Iowa retailers, bypassing wholesalers? Yes, according to a Sept. 30 federal court decision. U.S. District Judge Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger ruled it was unconstitutional for Iowa to allow in-state wineries to sell directly to Hawkeye State retailers while preventing out-of-state wineries from doing the same. Like …
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Dr Caroline Gilby MW is the Joint Regional Chair for the Balkans, Central & Eastern Europe, and Croatia & Slovenia at the Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA) 2025. Dr Caroline Gilby MW, DWWA Regional ChairDr Caroline Gilby MW An author, writer, and consultant, Caroline specialises in Central and Eastern Europe and she is author of the award-winning “The Wines of …
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Stefan Neumann MS is Regional Chair for Austria and Switzerland at the Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA) 2025. Stefan Neumann MS, DWWA Regional ChairStefan Neumann MS Stefan Neumann MS is the newly appointed Regional Chair for Austria at the Decanter World Wine Awards 2025, complementing his ongoing role as Regional Chair for the Switzerland. Stefan has spent the majority of …
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Simon J Woolf is the joint Regional Chair for Balkans, Central & Eastern Europe, and Caucasus Region at the Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA) 2025. Simon J Woolf, DWWA Regional ChairSimon J Woolf Simon J Woolf is an award-winning English author and wine writer, currently based in The Netherlands. An acknowledged expert on the subject of natural wine, he’s written …
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Caro Maurer MW is Regional Chair for the Germany and Southern & Eastern Mediterranean at the Decanter World Wine Awards 2025. Caro Maurer MW, DWWA Regional ChairCaro Maurer MW Caro Maurer MW is the newly appointed Regional Chair for Germany at the Decanter World Wine Awards 2025, complementing her ongoing role as Regional Chair for the Southern & Eastern Mediterranean. …
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Anthony Rose is the Regional Chair for Southern Italy at the Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA) 2025. Anthony Rose, DWWA Regional ChairAnthony Rose Anthony Rose is a wine and sake critic who currently contributes to a number of titles including Decanter, The World of Fine Wine, The Real Review and The Oxford Companion to Wine. He was also the wine …
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Dr Wojciech Bo?kowski MW is the new Joint Regional Chair for the Balkans, Central & Eastern Europe, and Croatia & Slovenia at the Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA) 2025. Dr Wojciech Bon?kowski MW, DWWA Regional ChairDr Wojciech Bo?kowski MW Dr Wojciech Bo?kowski MW, a wine writer & consultant from Poland, is the joint Regional Chair at the Decanter World Wine …
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From the 2010 Shanghai World Expo and 2016 G20 Hangzhou Summit to the recent 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games, Afip wines are said to have been served on 55 occasions to domestic and international dignitaries, including former US President Barack Obama and former British Prime Minister David Cameron. Completed in 2007, the Afip estate was built next to the Miyun Reservoir. …
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Although impressed by the unconventional approach, Gao, who trained in Bordeaux and worked at Cha?teau Calon-Se?gur (where she met her husband, Thierry Courtade), wasn’t entirely convinced. But, eight years later, that visit was to become an inspiration. In 2017 Emma herniated a lumbar disc and, at one point, feared she might have to spend the rest of her life in …
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The area’s vast natural beauty inspired this photography and wine enthusiast to start a life-long project here. In 2010, she launched her winery, named after the Tessar photographic lens, along the trails of the ancient Silk Road, not far from Bositeng Lake, China’s largest inland freshwater lake. Starting from barren desert wastelands Tiansai now farms 187ha of vineyards, its solid …
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In 2006, Changyu built its own estate and named it Golden Icewine Valley – a nod to its ambition to make ‘drops of gold’, or premium-quality ice wines, from this cold continental region. Sourcing its Vidal grapes from 333 hectares of vineyards near Huanlong Lake and at the foothills of Wunü Mountain at 41°N latitude, Golden Icewine Valley benefits from …
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Sandwiched between two branches of the Tian Shan mountain range that merge towards the east, the enclosed Yili River valley traps the last remnants of warm, moist air from the Atlantic Ocean, nurturing lavender fields and fruits amid a vast expanse of steppe. In 2002, Ürümqi-based viticulturist and investor LI Yong, who had cultivated vineyards in the Junggar Basin in …
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Intrigued by Huanren’s potential, and having always wanted to launch a sustainable enterprise that future generations could build upon, Longlin established Sanhe Winery in 2012. He soon put aside his other business interests to focus on ice wine. Longlin sources Vidal grapes from 70 hectares of vineyards within a 500-metre radius of Huanlong Lake. He picks only after the temperature …
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The project began in 2017 when wine merchant ZHANG Yanzhi (pictured) purchased 1,000 hectares of old vines in Ningxia’s Qingtongxia subregion, south of Yinchuan. Now 27 years old, these vines are considered old by Ningxia standards; the region only started planting commercial vineyards in the 1990s. ZHANG Yanzhi, owner of Xige Estate, Ningxia In 2019, Xige’s state-of-the-art winery was completed, …
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