Essays

Ukraine’s wine people finding homes around Europe

by  |  20-05-2022

The war in Ukraine continues to be a heinous atrocity. The only thing that's clear now is that there will be no resolution any time soon, especially as Russia seems hell-bent to grind on despite... more »
Photo by Slivino Village winery

Ukrainian winemaking in war

by  |  11-04-2022

Most of the territory of Ukraine has been scarred by war because the Russians have been actively destroying civilian infrastructure and this fate hasn't spared the wineries of our country. Since the beginning of the... more »

In other news…

by  |  28-02-2022 ~ 1 Comment

This week I'd wanted to share a report on some excellent wines in California. I'd wanted to write up stories about funny and/or ridiculous things happening in the wine world. I'd wanted to do a... more »
Photo by Gutter & Stars

Exceptional English Chardonnay

by  |  17-02-2022 ~ 1 Comment

Sure, still whites made from Chardonnay in the UK have been around for a while, but now it’s a variety that's definitely found its voice. While grown in the country for some time, my first... more »

The rise of the wine experts’ subscription sites

by  |  11-01-2022 ~ 18 Comments

It's very strange to be a wine writer right now. I say this as for the last two decades, space to write about wine has decreased almost as fast as what publications are willing to... more »
A window back into the pre-pandemic

We’re just not there yet

by  |  03-11-2021 ~ 7 Comments

Last week I went to attend a professional wine tasting here in Catalunya. It's held inside the striking location of an abandoned church up on a hill with a view to the village below and... more »
Image from Researchgate.net

Biogenic amines, sulfites, headaches, & wine

by  |  14-06-2021 ~ 2 Comments

The research papers for Master of Wine candidates don't often receive a lot of attention once released for public consumption as they're quite focused and specialized, sometimes to a fault. It would however seem that... more »

Wines on film

by  |  17-05-2021 ~ 2 Comments

A few months back, I posed the question on Twitter as to whether or not others enjoyed watching people taste wine on camera. I wasn't asking for nefarious reasons but purely due to the fact... more »

Not finding fault

by  |  23-03-2021 ~ 2 Comments

A much-delayed visit to Raventós i Blanc in Penedès finally came to fruition last week as we just emerged from "county confinement" to "regional confinement". With a brilliant sun shining upon us after weeks of... more »
Photo derived from work by Alfons Morales

With wine information, you get what you pay for

by  |  05-03-2021 ~ 6 Comments

A little while back on a wine professionals online forum I often interact with, someone asked a great question about where to get information for studying up on the region of Jura as she was... more »