Blog
Domaine de l’Arlot Tasting with Geraldine Godot
A couple of weeks ago I was invited to a very special tasting and lunch held at Cabotte restaurant. Geraldine Godot, Technical Director and Winemaker at Domaine de l’Arlot, along with Managing Director, Christian Seely, presented her wines for the first time to the UK press, taking us through five years of wines she has made from Clos de l’Arlot, Clos des Forets Saint Georges, Vosne Romanée les Suchots and Romanée Saint Vivant.
Tasting Idda with Gaia Gaja
The pure energy of Etna was what inspired the Gaja family to explore making wine there. Gaia tells us that wines from Etna have a lot of similarities with Barbaresco and Barolo: “they are wines with mystery”. But instead of the reds, they will be focusing on white wines.
Quintessa tasting at Hedonism: Exploring vintage variation in Napa Valley
“There’s been talk about how Napa Valley doesn’t have vintage variation,” says Quintessa’s Rebekah Wineburg, with the air of someone with a trick up her sleeve. We’re about to taste four vintages of Quintessa and I have a feeling they’re going to blast that kind of talk out the water.
Penfolds: The Australian Collection 2021 London Tasting
It was with absolute and unadulterated pleasure that I attended a press tasting of Penfolds Australia Collection 2021 at 67 Pall Mall recently. Whatever else I had planned that day was swept aside and swiftly forgotten about. Was I really going to be one of the first people in this country to taste these newborns, which included the 70th edition of Australia’s most celebrated treasure, Grange, and have an audience with the legendary Peter Gago?
Exploring Age-worthy Albariño from Rías Baixas
I first ever tasted an Albariño in a seafood restaurant. It was recommended by the sommelier because of its fresh acidity, characteristic saltiness and stony minerality, which made it the perfect partner for briny oysters and the sweet, juicy meat of grilled Mediterranean prawns. Since then, I’ve been hooked and it’s one of my favourite summer whites, offering excellent value for money as it’s usually drunk young, requiring no ageing.
Cramele Recas: Why you should be drinking Romanian wine
What are your thoughts on Romanian wine? Have you ever tried Romanian wine? I hadn’t and, admittedly, I didn’t know too much about it either. Yet, located at 45 degrees latitude, with sunny summers and cold winters, stunning natural landscapes, which comprise of mountain peaks, lush valleys, glacial lakes, rivers, mud volcanoes, salt mines and the shores of the Black Sea, it is actually the perfect place to grow grapevines. In fact, Romania is one of the world’s largest producer of wine and is the fifth biggest producer in Europe, after Italy, France, Spain, and Germany. Who knew?
A lesson on blind tasting
Picture the scene: A sommelier has a glass of wine in front of her. She eyes the wine carefully; looks at the colour of it, watches how it moves in the glass. She takes time to assess the weight of it, the potential age of it, the approximate alcoholic strength of it. She sniffs it, takes in the aromas, stage by stage. Eventually, she tastes it. She pushes the wine around her mouth, sucks some air over it, chews it a little and swallows. After making some mental calculations, she speaks. ‘Syrah. Côte Rotie. 2004.’ And then, after a pause, ‘Domaine Jamet.’
Essential California 2020
The California Wine Institute hosted this major tasting on Thursday 12th March at the Ace Hotel in Shoreditch. Located high up across several rooms, the view of east London was fantastic; the sky was blue and the sunlight beamed through the floor to ceiling windows, setting the scene perfectly for a slice of the Golden State.
Super, natural, British Columbia wines
What do you know about the wines of British Columbia? Did you even know they made wines in British Columbia? Well, for the past 30 years, they’ve been working on it and what was just 17 wineries in 1990 is now almost 300. Pascale Schittecatte held the Super, Natural, British Columbia tasting recently to shine a light on the excellent wines of this region, but also to support a small group of growers who are pushing the industry towards sustainable, natural, regenerative winemaking to help protect the future of the planet.
Flint Wines 2018 Burgundy En Primeur
En Primeur is the practice of buying wine when it is still in the barrel. This is appealing to fine wine buyers and enthusiasts because it is a way of guaranteeing access to a portion of wine that will be in high demand when it is released, which will also more than likely rise in price as it matures – so there is the financial benefit too, as well as bragging rights.
I write this post armed with some bragging rights myself, as I was able to taste some En Primeur Burgundies earlier this month at the Flint Wines 2018 Burgundy En Primeur Tasting held at One Whitehall Place. While En Primeur is something that originated in Bordeaux, it has something that has become increasing relevant in Burgundy, the Rhône and the States, due to rising demand for these wines.
Liberty Wines Portfolio Tasting 2020
Held over two floors of The Oval in London, Liberty Wines showcased their 2020 portfolio last week, representing over 300 producers from all over the world. This year sees 11 new names added to their books from Australia, Austria, Chile, Italy and France, promising some exciting additions to the wine lists and the shelves.
T-Oinos Wines: Liquid energy in a bottle
The rare grey-black marble that is found on the floors of Buckingham Palace and the Louvre comes from Tinos, a rugged Greek island in the Aegean Sea. So sought after, this marble is now UNESCO protected - which is the reason you will see giant boulders in the middle of vineyards, with rows of vines respectfully stopping at their edges and continuing on after.
Sud de France Annual Tasting 2018
I love visiting the South of France and there are three things that never fail to make it a wonderful trip – the weather, the food and the wine. Visiting small local vineyards is always part of it; making an afternoon of it and taking a tasty, inexpensive bottle (or three) back to enjoy with a home-cooked supper and friends. The charm of this part of the world keeps its devotees coming back time after time, living their dream of buying crusty baguettes in the morning and local wine in the afternoon, but now it seems they have even more reason to stick around (and sip around), as the region’s reputation for high quality wine is skyrocketing.