What is it like to be the absolute best? I bet that many of us have speculated about this at least once in our lives. If you are an actor, what is it like to win an Oscar? If you are an athlete, what is it like to win a
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
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
“Will you come to our booth to taste the new vintage wines?” I’m asked this question many times a day by winemaker friends during Vinitaly, the annual wine trade show in Italy. And now it is asked by Fabio Bottonelli, a wine journalist colleague of mine. Because suddenly Fabio started
While it was not entirely unexpected, the recent death of Bordeaux’s great wine analyst Denis Dubourdieu of brain cancer at the age of 67 is a tragedy. I can only claim to have known him slightly from annual encounters in Bordeaux, but I valued every connection with this passionate and
English sparkling wine is now a thing. Unless you’re a sparkling wine nut like me, you might not have noticed. In fact it’s more than just a thing: English sparkling wine has been beating French Champagne in blind tastings every year, lately. Why? And why now? At some point in
It is always worth a trip to the southern regions of Italy, particularly in summer when nature is in full bloom. This season I was invited to participate as a judge in Radici del Sud, the Exhibition of Southern Italian wines (organized by the Association Propapilla) which was hosted by
- “I hate Chardonnay – it's so buttery and sweet” - “I can't drink Spanish red wine – it's always too oaky” - “The alcohol level of this wine is 15% - It's going to be unbalanced and jammy” Preconceptions about wine are all around us, and whether they're formed