Inside information

I was in Germany last weekend* and everyone was complaining, as in the rest of Europe, about the harshness of the winter. Frankfurt airport had been overwhelmed by snow the previous day. In the eastern German wine regions of Sachsen and Saale-Unstrut, temperatures have fallen so low that it is. More...

This is the final instalment of my notes from my domaine visits in late November. See also Notes from the Côte de Beaune and Notes from Gevrey-Chambertin  (which of course is itself in the Côte de Nuits). In the picture is Emmanuel Rouget, nephew of Henri Jayer. As usual, the name. More...

This is a sequel to Notes from the Côte de Beaune , sayings I noted at some of the more significant domaines when I visited them in late November last year. I am publishing them for those who cannot soak up enough background on this interesting vintage.   Please note that I have. More...

The Institute of Masters of Wine is offering purple pagers a special discount on the price of tickets for its forthcoming symposium in Bordeaux in late June. According to the jungle drums, there should be a very interesting, cosmopolitan crowd there but there are a few places left at this. More...

All MW students experience, at some point in their studies, the feeling that they are utterly incapable of ever passing the exam. I, at least, certainly did during the recent seminar week for first year MW students at the Wine Academy in Rust, Austria (pictured). The intensive programme. More...

Those still wondering about the 2008 burgundies  currently being offered may be interested in these notes I took when talking to significant producers in Burgundy in late November 2009. Many of them are direct quotes, some of them comparing 2008 with other vintages.   These. More...

One of the great attractions of the annual get-together to blind-taste a bordeaux vintage in bottle over three days in Southwold, Suffolk, in January is that all participants are encouraged to bring very special bottles to share over our dinners at The Crown Hotel in the evenings. (As if we. More...

The St-Julien second growth Ch Léoville Las Cases (which has shown pretty well in the 2006 tastings I am currently engaged in) is one of the most intriguing Bordeaux properties, I always think. Its prices suggest that it is of first-growth quality and yet it is so slow to mature that it can be. More...

In the same week, California vintners announced a third-party certification programme for sustainable grapegrowing and winemaking and Wine Business Monthly ( WBM ) revealed that the number of US wineries increased by 122, to 6,223, between 2008 and 2009. California hosts 49% of the total. More...

I am excited about the potential for wine in Mexico, having recently spent a morning with Hugo d'Acosta of Casa de Piedra and gravity-fed Paralelo (pictured) tasting a range of Baja California wines he had shipped over to London. As Hugo explains in yesterday's video , wine appreciation is. More...