Articles
Photo by Vinarium

Wine judging by remote control

by  |  07-09-2020

Time, has been on my side these last few months and as I was spending far too much of it on Instagram one morning, a photo popped up by Beth Willard. Australian by passport but... more »

A book review of “English Wine”

by  |  01-09-2020

Four years ago, during the International Cool Climate Wine Symposium in Brighton, England, I attended an English still wine tasting led by Oz Clarke. It was fascinating to see the state of the increasingly-popular English... more »

Harvest is here. 2020’s continued winning streak

by  |  31-08-2020

Once the boxes appear, you always know that harvest is imminent. This year, harvest is of course different and not just because of our modern-day plague but because of another plague that arrived in the... more »

Talking about Spain around the internets

by  |  28-08-2020

August is usually a pretty slow month of spending a few days at the beach, dinners of cold dishes, and trying to get in dog walks before walking in the sun scorches you to a... more »

Searching for Cinsault… in France

by  |  26-08-2020

Trying to grasp the world of wine is all about drawing parallels which is why I contend that the Southern French grape, Cinsault is the up-and-coming Malbec for a new age of wine drinking. What... more »

In The Glass: Jack Winery – Cabernet Sauvignon 2015

by  |  24-08-2020

My last trip to Napa Valley was for a wine writing symposium which meant staying in the valley for an entire week. For someone from San Francisco used to day trips up there, it was... more »

WSET vs CMS

by  |  20-08-2020 ~ 29 Comments

Wine education is something not to be undertaken lightly. There's the investment of time and, well, a great deal of money. There's also the issue of choosing the right direction which can be hard to... more »
Photo from DOC Rioja

A better understanding of Rioja’s “Viñedos Singulares”

by  |  17-08-2020

In 2019, the first “Viñedos Singulares” or “single vineyards” in DOC Rioja were certified. This first batch saw 84 vineyards certified under the new scheme, covering 154ha, which I think by any measure would be... more »

In The Glass: Sangenís i Vaqué – Lo Coster Blanc 2018

by  |  14-08-2020

Everyone in marketing these days is emphasizing the importance of “the story” over all else. Those of us who drink wine like to think that what really counts is in the bottle though. Thankfully, this... more »

A book review of “Platter’s South African Wine Guide 2020”

by  |  12-08-2020

South Africa has been having a tough go of it recently in terms of alcohol but especially when it comes to the wine industry. I made a video a few weeks back expecting it to... more »