North Canterbury, New Zealand (6) Domaine Williams Raillard et B
While I was in North Canterbury I visited a new producer who has yet to release any wines. Next door
Read more
Features
North Canterbury, New Zealand (5) Fernbank
Website: https://www.fernbank.wine/ Helen and Matt Barbour run a viticultural consultancy company (Barbour Vines) as well as some very well situated
Read more
2016, looking back a decade from 2026
2016 was quite a year for me. A transition year with a lot of travel.
Read more
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
Read more
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
Read more
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
Read more
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
Read more
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
Read more
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
Read more
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
Read more