2016, looking back a decade from 2026
2016 was quite a year for me. A transition year with a lot of travel.
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Features
Gallo, the world’s largest wine company, has three insanely large wineries in California
Gallo (they dropped the E&J bit in 2024) own the three largest wineries in the world. They don’t tend to
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Bianka and Daniel Schmitt, making impressive natural wines in Rheinhessen, Germany
Website: https://biankaunddaniel.de/ I tasted these wines with Bianka Schmitt at the VinNatur festival in Paris, November 2025. The winery has
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Another impressive Swiss producer: Domaine de Montbenay from the Vaud
Website: https://domainedemontbenay.com/ Domaine de Montbenay is run by Paul de Watteville (pictured above), who took over from his father Maurice
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Cave Biber, making lovely wines from Switzerland’s Valais
Website: https://www.cave-biber.ch/en Cave Biber began life in 1971 when when René Mathier established his winery in the village of Salgesch
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Mabillard-Fuchs: beautiful wines from the Valais, Switzerland
Website: https://mabillard-fuchs.ch/ With 3.5 hectares of vines in the village of Venthône in Switzerland’s Valais, Mabillard-Fuchs is making some really
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The big bottle party at the Cool Climate Wine Summit: a selection of interesting wines from Poland, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Austria
I’m at the Cool Climate Wine Summit in Copenhagen, and this year the opening evening was in the form of
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Some travel tips from someone who travels too much
I travel a lot. Far too much. I quite enjoy it, though. There’s something about travelling that opens your mind
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Domínio Do Açor, an exciting new producer from Dão, Portugal
Website: https://dominiodoacor.com/en/ Domínio do Açor is a relatively new project in the Dão region, and it’s already in the peer
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Prior Lucas, an interesting, innovative producer in Portugal’s Bairrada region
Website: https://priorlucas.pt/en/ Back in June 2025 I spent a day with Rui Lucas, who is making some really interesting wines
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