Back in May, when the weather was refusing to warm up and the grey skies seemed to be sticking around for the foreseeable future, we ventured across the border to Essex. Specifically to the Crouch Valley. The aim of our visit was not to chase the good weather but to see for ourselves what all the […]
A Grape to Rediscover Sangiovese has long been the main grape grown in central Italy and, though some put it to good use, a much larger number were using it to make cheap, bulk wine with little varietal character. There has been a great deal of change in the last 40 years and, thanks to some
Our guest contributor, Patrick Brady, is back, this time with a gentle stroll through Champagne. It is hard to believe that you can be in one of the world’s greatest wine regions in less than three hour’s drive from Calais. Past the endless flat plains of Northern France, through the Department of the Somme, the battlefields
Well-aged Claret offers characteristics that are hard to find in modern, young wines. However much people try to recreate them. Notes of leather, tobacco, smoke and spice, dark berry fruit, cassis, liquorice, toasted oak, the list is endless. And whilst other wines do hold some of these notes, mature Bordeaux (when made well) marries these
Finding value from Italy’s top producers The big name producers in Italy usually gain a reputation from their high end, flagship wine but their portfolio tends to extend much further and can offer great value. Roagna, famous for its Barbaresco Crichët Pajé, also make a basic Langhe Rosso that is far from simple yet incredibly affordable. Guado
At around 10pm one evening in September we received a text message from a friend in the Côte de Beaune advising us to quickly stock up on both red and white Burgundy as the majority of the 2021 harvest was being devastated by pelting rain. As dramatic as it sounded at the time it was a worthwhile piece of advice to take. 2021
The three most prestigious and reliable Super Tuscans are now available in our Super Tuscan Aristocracy case from the exceptional 2016 vintage. 2016 was a great vintage in Tuscany with high quality fruit and low yields that encouraged concentration and contributed to the incredible depth of flavour and complexity in these three wines. 2016 Ornellaia
We like Burgundy. We like the incredible range it offers from so few grape varieties and the myriad of differences between the large number of producers working in the region. But, like many, we struggle with finding value. Good quality wines at reasonable prices do exist but they are difficult to track down. There is an
Good, old-fashioned claret is sometimes overlooked. In our haste to get to know all regions of the wine world we sometimes forget the beauty and simplicity of Bordeaux. The large, elaborate Chateaux with the vineyards spread out around them provide an area that is easy to get to grips with, and a myriad of wines
Buying by the bottle is a much easier way of getting to know Burgundy especially given the abundance of producers and vineyards and the myriad of differences they create. 2011 Domaine Taupenot-Merme Morey Saint Denis La Riotte Premier Cru £55 per bottle This is a delicate Morey Saint Denis that is light in weight with plenty of
Chablis has always offered the best value for white wines in Burgundy but finding the quality and style desired is a little harder. Traditionally Chablis has been seen as a specific style of Chardonnay that is recognisable thanks to the notes of flint, seashell and green apple it produces. This is mostly attributed to the cooler
Tastes and fashions have changed considerably since the 19th century. Our penchant for sweet wines that were so revered 150 years ago has waned as has as our desire for the rich, heavy dishes that accompanied them. Gone are the days of foie gras and a glass of Yquem to start off your evening meal. When
Getting to know Barolo is akin to getting to grips with Burgundy these days. Every inch of land in this small area in Piedmont seems to have been given up to the vine and the talk of soil composition, aspect, altitude, modern vs. traditional dominates any conversation on the region. The myriad of single vineyards
South Africa was never top of my list of wine regions: over exposure to cheap, average white wines in my early drinking days and several experiences with poorly made Pinotage that tasted vaguely like old, rubber tyres cemented my feelings on the region for a while. A chance encounter with a Hamilton Russell Chardonnay made
Sicily is hot, almost desert-like, with rainfall only making an appearance for a short time in winter. Despite this harsh climate it is a surprisingly rich and diverse island when it comes to agriculture. Citrus fruits, nuts, and grains flourish under the hot sun and the influence of its many occupiers has provided for a
Although Châteauneuf-du-Pape is a household name, the wines are not always given the respect they deserve. In recent years, since wine prices have inflated because it has become an investment product, there has been much talk (and Hollywood films) about wine fraud but this is not a completely new phenomenon. Fraud was a serious problem for
Tokaji has long been a family drinking favourite at Nemo but, despite our efforts we have rarely had any really good stock available for sale (perhaps we should drink less of it!). Hopefully this is now changing with a parcel of aged Tokaji and, we hope, a more regular supply of younger vintages from Tokaji’s premier producer. István Szepsy probably makes
There is little doubt that Bordeaux has some of the best and most expensive wines in the world. However, it is not the most scenic place to visit – somewhat flat and rather dull in parts it doesn’t offer a landscape that excites. What it does offer though, is some of the most diverse and
2015 was a good year for most of the wine world but particularly for Bordeaux. It was sunny and warm and nearly everyone got the chance to make a decent wine from their crop. There are, of course, those wines that outshone others but it was most noticeably a year where producers we don’t tend
Argentina spent the majority of the 20th century shrouded in trouble and political instability. Despite having all the key elements to create a wine industry worthy of taking on the old establishment, investors never felt secure enough to really put the time and money into the areas that showed real potential. However the 1990s saw a
The weather may have been glorious these last few days but the joys of a long weekend away have been taken from us. So let us provide some escapism by taking you on a little jaunt down the Loire, France’s longest river. The region is studded with over a thousand chateaux each with its own distinctive
Camping with small children is fairly torturous. After a week in a frequently rain soaked campsite in Brittany we were in dire need of some vestige of relaxation. A brief trip into the local town gave us the chance to investigate the local wine merchants and we emerged (after the only 5 minutes the children
Reacquaint yourself with an old friend There’s something comforting and familiar about Rioja. It’s like the old friend you perhaps don’t see very often but when you do it’s like old times. Whether you drink it regularly or not most people could happily come up with a couple of adjectives to describe Rioja that will
We don’t spend a huge amount of time in the New World; we have a tendency to gravitate towards France, Spain and Italy because most of what we know and like comes from there. But we would be doing ourselves and the wine world a disservice if we didn’t occasionally look outside of Europe. Argentina,
