There’s a point at which you can tell that a passing interest in wine has turned into something more involved. You don’t notice it at the time; it’s not a...
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First Growth claret: an affordable luxury?
In 2012 I won a bottle of Mouton Rothschild 1996 in a writing competition. When we moved house last year I didn’t trust the movers with it so I wrapped...
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What’s the future for Chinese wine?
First time visitors to Beijing are often struck by the pollution that seems to blanket the city on a daily basis, reducing visibility and filling lungs with undesirable gunk. It’s...
Read MoreHeavy bottles
“Jancis [Robinson] hates heavy wine bottles, as I do. Why do winemakers use them?” This recent Facebook comment – by one of the founders of a smart London wine retailer...
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The Confessions of Dr Conti
OK, I made a deal with Mr. Koch to tell everything I know about wine fraud. You know, I think it’s going to feel good to get all this off...
Read MoreThe natural wine challenge
What happens if you take two wine critics with opposing, sometimes polarised views on natural wine, throw them into London’s biggest celebration of the sector and force them to taste...
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Early drinking
I never thought I’d say this, but I’m beginning to miss the huge off-licence chains we had in the UK 10 years ago. Not that their ranges were that interesting,...
Read MoreCall me Jancis
Call me Jancis. Everyone does, even though it’s not my name. Well, it is when I’m conducting a wine seminar, or giving a speech at some God-forsaken outpost of weird...
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The net effect
“Would you like to go up in one of our planes?” asked Eduardo Martín, director of the Argentinean Ministry of Agriculture’s anti-hail squad. It was an offer that was all...
Read MoreIn praise of wine consultants
“I can’t help admiring producers who don’t rely on someone else to tell them how to make their wine. Most of the bottles I enjoy drinking reflect their origin, as...
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Newcomers on the scene
They wouldn’t have got past the elevator pitch in Dragons’ Den. “So you want to sell premium Austrian wines from a transport container in the East End of London?” summarises...
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Natural opinions – unfiltered and slightly fecal
A couple of weeks ago, Jamie Goode published an article on his blog, WineAnorexic (“Tragically Thin Opinions About Wine”) in which he bravely expressed his “unfiltered opinions on the world...
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