Below are notes on some top-quality wines that are actually ready to drink, and available to British wine lovers by the single bottle – admittedly provided another 11 are bought....

As a recent newcomer to London, one of my favourite weekend quests involves finding local wine retailers with interesting selections and decent prices. Not exactly a mission...

It seems only a moment ago that Tesco, Britain’s dominant supermarket, were moving firmly upmarket with a dramatically increased finer wine range (see Tesco – speccing up a bit? ). And it...

28 Oct  - In yesterday's vote in Montalcino, 96% of Brunello producers voted to maintain the status quo in terms of varietal requirement that all Brunello be made from 100% Sangiovese...

Chianti Classico producer Il Borghetto’s fetish for Burgundian bottles has fallen foul of the Chianti Classico Consorzio. Tim Manning, winemaker of Il Borghetto, an estate in Tuscany’s San...

Both Valpolicella and Soave have an image problem not unlike that of Liebfraumilch. Too many weedy, cheap examples have undermined the reputation of these wines in the eyes of many wine...

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...

“I’m a real Chianti girl”, proudly claimed Emanuela Stucchi Prinetti, owner of highly acclaimed Tuscan estate Badia a Coltibuono. Dressed all in black, with dark hair pulled back, this...

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...

Friday just past saw a bitter confrontation between some of the principal protagonists in the Brunellogate affair in a Face to Face Debate held in Siena. The ones responsible for the scandal are...

See related thread in Members' forum   In this collection of 77 wines offered this autumn by Sainsbury’s, one of Britain’s biggest supermarket chains locked in mortal combat with the...

France’s Mediterranean island is traditionally hitched to Provence's wagon in wine books, and they share some vine varieties just as they once shared rulers. Only a small proportion of the...

In a nutshell : Variable but improving. Main grapes : Sangiovese (red); Trebbiano di Romagna (white). The wide plains south of the river Po are the source of a great deal of...

In a nutshell: Italy's dynamic wine powerhouse. Main grapes: Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon (red); Trebbiano (white). It may seem logically and geographically absurd to...

In a nutshell: Dessert wine tradition but in complete transformation. Main grapes: Catarratto, Inzolia (white); Nero d'Avola, Nerello Mascalese (red). Sicily is as...