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Big country biodynamics in South Africa

Simon J Woolf
Feature Stories
4 min read
It's been said that you shouldn't trust a vigneron if they don't have soil under their fingernails. By that notion, I'm not sure what to make of Waterkloof's head winemaker Nadia Barnard when we meet at their commanding property in the windswept hills near Stellenbosch. Not only are her fingernails

Burgundy 2016: Bad Weather, Brexit and Beyond

L.M. Archer
Features
8 min read
In Burgundy, the year 2016 is proving an annus horribilis of ruthless proportions. Crushed between the Scylla and Charybdis of catastrophic hail and frost damage in April and May, followed by humidity and passage of Brexit (the British exit from the European Union), Burgundians strain to retain their trademark composure

Trending: Speed-dating at Nebbiolo Prima

Becky Sue Epstein
Feature Stories
6 min read
Every May an intense and somewhat curious ritual goes on in Alba in the Piedmont region of Italy. There, dozens of international journalists gather to taste hundreds of excellent wines made with the nebbiolo grape. These are the Barolo and Barolo Riserva DOCG wines, and the Barbaresco and Barbaresco Riserva

White Burgundy that will save some green

W. Blake Gray
Features
4 min read
Burgundy has fallen off the daily-drinking map for many wine lovers. Everyone acknowledges its greatness, but that is the problem: high demand, weak supply after several small vintages. Most Burgundies are now too expensive for Tuesday night with rotisserie chicken. This is your ever-relevant Bargain Burgundy column. In 2016, it's

Boavista: A New Douro Icon?

Simon J Woolf
Feature Stories
4 min read
Label drinking - the practice of consuming lavishly expensive wines with famous names or brands – is generally felt to be a bit naff amongst true wine connoisseurs. After all, anyone with enough money can walk into a restaurant and exclaim “bring me a bottle of your finest Pétrus”. It

Loire Noir: On Pinot, Cab Franc, and Gamay

Roger Morris
Feature Stories
4 min read
There’s a predictable scenario that takes place on about every foreign press trip I attend.  Sometime over dessert during the farewell dinner, the host asks everyone to provide our thoughts on: “What is happening in the American wine (or spirits) market, and what can I do to get a bigger