Chile: Back to the future
The 2010 earthquake off the coast of Maule has led to
seismic shifts in the attitudes and actions of winemakers throughout Chile. Peter Richards MW looks at how history has played a part in reshaping the country’s wine future.
A buyer’s guide to Chablis
No Chardonnay, no matter how good, can match the purity, intensity and flinty character of Chablis, says Andy Howard MW, who takes an indepth look at the quality categories, range of producers and unique terroir of Burgundy’s ‘engine room’.
Recorking – is it worth it?
With a cork’s lifespan at anywhere between 15 and 80 years, resealing your blue-chip bottles seems like a worthwhile undertaking. But wine fraud poses as many risks as oxidation, and does recorking guarantee your wine a longer life?
When to blend wine: the big debate
Timing is everything – and never more so than when it comes to blending wines. So how do winemakers decide when to do it? And is it better to blend early or later in the winemaking process? Stephen Brook reports.
Prestige Champagne: Crème de la crème
Prestige Champagnes are usually a producer’s best – and most expensive – wine. But with the trend towards vineyard wines, special cuvées and multiple bottlings, there’s cause for confusion. Hear DWWA Champagne Regional Chair Richard Juhlin demystifies the category.
Gorgona: The wine made by prisoners
An inspiring back story to one of Tuscany’s most expensive white wines...
Cru bourgeois Conundrum | Clive Coates MW
Bordeaux’s reds beyond the 1855 classification can offer fantastic value. But ranking them has caused controversy and discontent. A frustrated Clive Coates MW tracks the chequered history of the region’s crus bourgeois.
French presidents and wine: Macron’s blind tasting skills put him ahead
Will Emmanuel Macron end a run of French presidents with a perceived ambivalence towards wine? A video of the new chef d'etat blind tasting on the campaign trail suggests that he at least has a better grasp of the basics versus his three predecessors...
Think you know Pinot Grigio? | Stephen Brook
Drink again. As Stephen Brook found on a recent trip to Friuli, there is a nucleus of winemakers crafting Pinot Grigios on the slopes of Friuli with more poise and persistence than its bland alter-ego ever had.
The many faces of Rioja
Rioja is all things to all wine lovers: from simple unoaked wines, through traditional Tempranillos aged in American oak, to more modern blends and terroir-driven examples. Sarah Jane Evans MW examines the styles.