Whereas not too long ago, any serious wine lover would give a wide berth to russet-coloured, amber wines (especially those suspects drawn straight out of demijohns and carboys), tinged wines made from white wine grapes strangely enough have recently found a cult following.
Wine
Clearly noble Chardonnay
Once upon a time, people drunk just ‘wine’. But it wasn’t long before they took in masses to Chardonnay and generic Chablis (unless they wanted Bordeaux or lighter red Burgundy). Soon enough white wine simply became known by the C-word. Chardonnay’s following spread fast like a wildfire, from aristocratic, double-barrelled Corton-Charlemagne to hip California on … Read More
Around your palate – wine’s vital spark
In the appreciation of wine, it’s often difficult to convey the pleasure it gives us because we find it hard to analyse all the different sensations that make up the composite experience we call flavour. Perhaps it is worthwhile to explore how we identify taste to understand better what we like (and possibly dislike) in … Read More
Old Vines Tales
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?
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