Conventional wisdom has it that well-balanced, healthy older vines, with their roots firmly in the soil and with grape yield kept in check, produce the best fruit. Deep down there seems to be some dirty realism to this supremacy of ‘old vines’, a term which has roots, so to speak. But has it really?
Wine
Head and Shoulders
For some people that unmistakable scent of black liquorice may be one to avoid, I know. To me it’s a happy childhood memory of sweets I used to eat, nowadays triggered by my liquorice-perfumed anti-dandruff shampoo when I lather myself beneath the shower from hair down to toes. But that smell of liquorice, the salty-sweet candy … Read More
Con or Concours
If you were really a member of the wine elite, you’d know this already: wine competitions are ruled by a powerful, secretive few or the so-called ‘concours illuminati’. They are a cadre of wine wonks with the sole mission of publishing fake wine awards, a fraternity plotting against consumers on behalf of a united council of … Read More
Wurzer ist mich das?
What is this wine? It’s classy without that fat, mushy sweetness I dislike so much. In my glass I hold a lovely wine made at great expense and in such lilliputian quantities – as few as just 400 bottles – that hardly a drop will ever seep across the borders of the country where it comes … Read More
Why I love Rosé d’Anjou
On the continent and in the UK, Rosé d’Anjou hit the spot charming everyone who tasted it during the sixties and seventies. On the local scene, in sleepy Malta, it’s coming of belated fame, especially with novice wine drinkers. Its asset of course is that this medium-dry rosé proves that wine doesn’t always have to … Read More