By Andrew Hooper on 17/07/2014
We were led to Istrian wine by our our friend Tony Hodges. Tony, who sadly departed earlier this year, coined the slogan 'The lightness of being Istria' for the nascent wine export drive. The 'basic' wines have been well-appreciated for a couple of years.
By David Porter on 15/07/2014
As advocates of 'En Rama' style sherries we were very pleased to discover that Lustau were joining in and releasing a range of their own unfiltered sherries. A fino from each town in the sherry triangle, Jerez, Sanlúcar and El Puerto Santa María. For us the Fino from El Puerto is the stand-out.
By Andrew Hooper on 10/07/2014
In July 1395, Philippe the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, made a suitably bold statement declaring the bountiful Gamay to be a “very bad and disloyal plant”, outlawing it on the noble slopes of Burgundy where Pinot Noir should, did and does rule supreme. Read on –>
By Andrew Hooper on 08/07/2014
Gavi has become seriously popular recently. Maybe it's the clean fresh style so 'typical' of Italian white wine, maybe it's that it's easy to remember and pronounce. It comes from the 'armpit' just north of Genoa, where the Italian peninsula joins the main European landmass.
By Andrew Hooper on 03/07/2014
Recommended in last weekend’s Telegraph were Victoria Moore’s “Best wines on offer this summer” and a fine trio of these came from the shelves of LEA & SANDEMAN.
By Andrew Hooper on 01/07/2014
Just when you may have started to tire of the cut grass, gooseberries, asparagus, sprinkling felines and tropical fruit character of “typical” New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, allow us to tempt you back in to the genre with Nick Mills’ outrageously tasty offering from Central Otago…
By Andrew Hooper on 30/06/2014
Recommended by Hamish Anderson in The Telegraph last week - Dolcetto d'Alba 2012 Serra Cigliuti. "Claudia and Silvia Cigliuti make one of the finest versions of dolcetto. Where others can be aggressively herbaceous, this is a seductive wine. The floral, expressive nose makes you want to dive in for a sip and when you do, damsons and a delicate hit of spice are to the fore.
By Ed H-B on 26/06/2014
It is said that Sir Alex Ferguson, amongst his famously impressively appointed wine collection, retains a soft spot for Ribera del Duero (‘a lovely little Spanish wine-making region’, Daily Mail, February 2009). To the south-west of Rioja, hugging the banks of the Douro River & a few tributaries, lie the vineyards of Ribera del Duero & Bodegas y Viñedos Montecastro
By Andrew Hooper on 24/06/2014
Austrian wines are finally shaking free from the shackles of being assumed to be sweet and German-like, and have for some time been the darling of sommeliers in high-end restaurants. Leading the way is Austria’s own grape variety, Grüner Veltliner.
By David Porter on 23/06/2014
Our Wednesday afternoon a couple of weeks ago was cheered up enormously by a flying visit from Paul Symington. A more charming man it is hard to imagine, but not in a laid back, calm sort of way. ‘Ne Oublie’ – a very rare and very old release of a tawny port from barrels at the family’s Lodge in Porto.
By Charles Lea on 19/06/2014
‘The 2010 vintage in Barolo is shaping up to be a modern-day classic. The cool growing season produced transparent, vibrant Barolos that pulsate with tension, crystalline purity and site-specific nuance.’ (Antonio Galloni, vinousmedia.com)
By Charles Lea on 18/06/2014
“A real find. French winemaker Jean-Marie Royer makes sublime Châteaneuf-du-pape, but this is straight vin de table. Gloriously fresh, it is a blend of Syrah, Grenache and Mourvèdre, with bright red fruits, cracked pepper and a grippy finish.”