The following tasting notes are compiled from several different tastings held in London in September and October by various importers and merchants. They are organised by style, then...

Every year, Spanish wine writer José Peñîn and his team taste more than 8,000 wines to produce their annual wine guide, the Guia Peñín . For the second year running, I went to Madrid to...

Those who watched the video interview with the new owner of Oddbins will know that a new broom has been swept very firmly though the wine range here - especially the French range.   This...

First an apology to the many visitors here who do not live in the UK and are therefore not within reach of a branch of our most famous retailer (especially of underwear - hence the image, not...

Yesterday I published my tasting notes on the fizz, whites and pinks shown recently by independent UK retailers Lea & Sandeman. Today it’s the turn of the reds, another largely inspiring...

I reckoned that the least Richard Hemming deserves after sending us so many entertaining reports from his experiences as a cellar rat in McLaren Vale and as a valiant English vineyard slave is...

Claude Gros is an unprincipled chameleon. At least that’s how he describes himself, not as a wiry, peripatetic consultant oenologist born in Perpignan 45 years ago and introduced to wine by his...

List of maps by country France Burgundy Côte d’Or: The Quality Factor Beaune town plan Côte de Beaune: Santenay Côte de Beaune: Meursault Côte de Beaune:...

Rioja in north-east Spain was for long Spain's only high-profile wine region, but in the 1980s it lost many friends by overpricing and under-performing (a pattern which shows signs of recurring...

This barren plateau between Valladolid and Aranda, self-styled roast lamb capital of the world, is currently producing some of Spain's most admired red wines, to the continuing amazement of the...

In a nutshel l: Spain's centre of fine white wine production. Main grapes : Tempranillo (aka Tinto Fino or Tinto de Toro), Mencía (red); Albariño, Godello, Treixadura and other...

Please note that italics refer to grape varieties that have their own entries in this guide to hundreds of the most significant grapes currently grown around the world to produce white...

2007 After a miserable summer, frost on 24 Sep decimated the crop from many young Ribera del Duero vineyards. Most grapes struggled to ripen but late pickers were rewarded. Not a stellar...

For a long time Tempranillo was ignored by the outside world as a slightly rustic northern Spanish grape of strictly local appeal. It was in the mid 1990s when I was granted my one and only...

I am indebted to Jon Hicke of Canada for having transposed my 'food + wine' recommended pairings into this 'wine, then food' listing. This first part of the list is ordered alphabetically by...