I wrote a blog post about ruby port after taking delivery of my first port, a beautiful Crusted Port from Churchill's Estates. I have now added a lovely tawny port from Quinta do Vallado to the portfolio so what better time to continue our journey on the Douro river to find out more about port and how tawny port (usually) differs from ruby port ?
Chances are you will have seen the term "Old Vine" or one of its foreign equivalent terms such as "Vieilles Vignes", "Alte Reben", "Viñas Viejas", "Vinhas Velhas" or "Antico Vitigno" on some wine labels. There is no requirement under any wine regulations that I know to mention the age of the vines used for wine grape production and yet old vine is a term that
In honour of one of my best-selling white wines, Ferrum Albariño , let's take a look at the Albariño or Alvarinho grape and why Albariño wines are becoming increasingly popular . I latched on to this grape variety (pronounced phonetically as Alba-reen-yo) several years ago and have been slowly converting people over to its wines; in my opinion, Albariño, especially from the Rías Baixas DO,
There are many people who review and score wine; I am often asked which of these wine critics I rate . So below are those wine critics at the top of my list and why - plus some information on the different ways they rate wine . I include what I think are the minimum scores that you should
Looks positively glorious doesn't it? Beautiful clear skies, sunshine and heat, surely the perfect weather for wine grapes? But is it? Temperatures in Continental Europe in summer 2017 have been regularly above 40° Celsius; the continental climate is known for being extreme, with very hot summers, but this year it seems that it is hotter than ever. The heat wave, nicknamed Lucifer, is wreaking havoc
I was drawn to an article in The Independent which reported a study that concluded that elaborate descriptions of wine on labels can make us think that a wine tastes better - and make us spend more on wine. The article suggests therefore that this is a clever marketing trick.
As
What's the deal with Pinot Noir & why is it expensive?
My recent wine blog post, A Quick Guide to New Zealand's Wines, made my mouth water for Pinot Noir so I thought I would pour myself a glass and write about this tricky grape and its amazing wines.
