Lowering alcohol levels in wine In the world of winemaking, the demand for lower alcohol wines and recent duty changes on alcohol in the UK are bringing a fresh challenge to the forefront: finding ways to reduce alcohol levels in wine without compromising on the flavour and quality. As consumers increasingly seek wines with lower […]
Why champagne tastes like champagne
Why champagne tastes like champagne Why does champagne taste like it does? This ‘quick & general’ guide to the champagne flavour profile looks at what champagne tastes like and the reasons why. Essentially, why champagne tastes like champagne. It compares the production of champagne and other wines made by the champagne method to the production of other sparkling wines […]
How to tell if a wine is a good wine?
How to tell if a wine is a good wine As the old and unattributed adage goes, life is too short to drink bad wine – but what makes a wine good or bad? What exactly is a good or quality wine? You may read ‘Quality wine’ or similar phrases on the label of a […]
Featured Winery – Te Whare Ra (TWR)
Featured Winery – Te Whare Ra (TWR) I had been stocking TWR Pinot Noir for a few years and it had become – and still is – a firm favourite of many Pinot Noir aficionados with customer reviews like this “OMG! Superb, beautifully subtle” and many accolades for all its vintages. So when someone asked me to […]
Women Winemakers
Women Winemakers In recognition of International Women’s Day on 8 March, I’m celebrating female winemakers in this blogpost. Wine production has traditionally been very male-dominated and that situation has been slow to change however in the last 30 years or so there has been a quiet evolution with more women than ever involved in wine. And, […]