Wine lists can be difficult for the uninitiated to understand. One restaurant in Los Angeles, Hatchet Hall, has taken this a step further: not only is their list incomprehensible to...
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New Zealand’s hothouse Syrah
In 1984, a man called Dr Alan Limmer was doing some work at a government viticultural research station on North Island, New Zealand. One day he heard it was about...
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Almost human?
What do you think of the following tasting note? “Inconspicuous boysenberries and cigar wrappers revel in unresolved rosehips, while dried wormwood and chemically tanned leather swim amongst illusive black liquorice.”...
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FemSomm
Finally, Ladies, a new wine credential that will take the Miss out of wine misogyny. FemSomm! FemSomm is an idea whose time has come. Tired of being 10% of the...
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How great is the 2015 Burgundy vintage?
Burgundy and Bordeaux may share a common language, but they are very different places. It’s not just the question of size that generally separates them – single grape varieties versus...
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Coming of age
Orange wine. Grower Champagne. Biodynamics. Trends come and go in wine like anything else. Some are clearly gimmicks (blue wine, anyone?) Others, like Natural wine, feel more significant. One global...
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What, no Donald? Some wine predictions for 2017
JANUARY Controversy in Germany when the details of the country’s sparkling wine producers are made available online for the first time. ‘We know not everyone agrees with making the Sekt...
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Notes on the 2017 Vintage – Worst Year Ever?
I traveled and tasted widely for this review of the wines of 2017. I think, in general, the vintage can be summed up as miserable. The wise consumer should give...
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How the other half drinks
Is there a quicker way to get to know someone than by flicking through their music collection or browsing their bookshelves? Both feel like a little glimpse into their soul....
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The 12 wines of Christmas
December has barely begun, but if you’re anything like me 2016 has made you somewhat disinclined to feel much in the way of goodwill to all men, and you’re probably...
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Faith in wine fakes?
Investigative journalism is a dangerous business. Indeed, you could argue that in its purest form it’s often fatal. Find out something that rich and powerful people don’t want you to...
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Ask Sid Heil, Your White Supremacist Sommelier!
As a young boy, Sid Heil decided he wanted to make wine his career. “My Dad taught me that white people had invented wine, and that it was an industry...
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