Today would have been Robert Mondavi's 100th birthday and I understand it is being celebrated with many an event in the Napa Valley, California - which is as it should be for no one did more for the reputation of the wines of the Napa Valley, California, and the United States. I hope there... More...

See also my  introduction to Waipara and North Canterbury  and notes from the  Waipara regional tasting . These are my notes (and images) from visits to producers in New Zealand's Waipara Valley at the end of 2012. Tomorrow I report on two producers further north and west in... More...

On 10 June, the skies above Napa and Sonoma crackled and boomed with the rare sounds of a spring thunderstorm (image by ~Prescott ). Within 24 hours, the more than 200 lightning strikes in Northern California had ignited dozens of small wildfires. Luckily the fires were quickly contained... More...

Last week, the fiendishly challenging Master of Wine examinations were held in three locations around the world: London, Sydney and Napa. As tradition dictates, the exam papers were made public not long after the last student's pen was laid down, and are reproduced below. Having taken the exams... More...