Drinking with Douro star Tiago Alves de Sousa: a solera red, a high-end rosé, and a stunning (rare) Vintage Port
While I was in Vila Real in the Douro, doing some teaching at the University of Trás-os-Montes e Alta Douro,
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Features
Chianti Classico deep dive (14) Villa Pomona
Website: https://fattoriapomona.it/en/ The story of Villa Pomona begins with Giovanni Bandino Bandini, the great grandfather of the current owner, Monica
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Favia: Andy and Annie’s boutique Napa wine operation has taken a step forward with the purchase of a significant Oakville vineyard site, and the 2021s impress
Website: https://www.faviawines.com/ Annie and Andy Erickson founded Favia in 2003. I caught up with them at a dinner in the
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Beaujolais adventures (8) Nicolas Chemarin
Nicolas Chemarin is one of the rising stars of the natural wine scene in Beaujolais, and I visited him on
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The remarkable wines of Arizcuren, Rioja, Spain
Website: https://www.arizcurenvinos.com/en/ Javier Arizcuren (pictured above) is producing some of Rioja’s most interesting wines, from vineyards owned by his family.
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UK/English sparkling wine: a major study
UK sparkling wine (almost all of which is from England) is at a very interesting phase. There are now lots
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Vinos Baettig: exciting Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from the green south of Chile
Website: https://vinosbaettig.cl/#home Francisco Baettig was in London to show the wines he’s been making under his own label, Baettig. I’d
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Three Vintage 2022 Ports from Taylor and Fonseca including a new bottling called Sentinels
As a vintage, 2022 was heading for disaster – it was just so dry. Between November 2021 and February 2022
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Louis Jadot: how a major producer in Bourgogne is transitioning to organics and adapting to climate change, and tasting their 2023 releases
Website: https://www.louisjadot.com/ Recently I tasted through the 2023 releases from Louis Jadot, and interviewed David Stephan, export director, about the
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California exploration: Stolpman Vineyards, Ballard Canyon
Website: https://www.stolpmanvineyards.com/ The next stop on the California road trip was at Stolpman, with Peter Stolpman, who has been running
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