Posted by peter | August 4th, 2010 (by peter)
Last week I attended a fascinating event at the Royal College of Physicians in which alcohol was described as, ‘a corporate-borne disease, like mosquitoes carry malaria’.
Clearly not my usual stomping ground.
This event was a book launch for the second edition of Alcohol: No Ordinary Commodity (Oxford University Press).
In essence, the book provides a compilation, review and analysis of the latest evidence-based research into alcohol. Its aim is to inform public policy makers
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Posted by susie | June 29th, 2010 (by susie)
Here’s an article of mine on the wonderful subject of the best rosé champagnes to drink this summer.
There’s something for everyone, from big names to great bargains from lesser known growers. Yes it’s hedonistic but we need something to take our minds off the football…(plus you can use it to get into training for our Celebration of Champagne course on Sunday 17th October 2010!)
It originally appeared in the June 2010 edition of Decanter, and is
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Posted by peter | May 31st, 2010 (by peter)
This article charts the latest developments in Chilean Syrah – a category well deserving of any wine lover’s attention, given the exciting stylistic diversity and notable value for money it offers.
The article was published in the June 2010 edition of Decanter magazine, and appears here by kind permission of the magazine and publisher.
It is reproduced in pdf format via the link below. Please click on the link to access the article.
Peter’s Chilean Syrah article
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Posted by peter | April 11th, 2010 (by Oliver Smallwood)
The following article was sent in to us by Oliver Smallwood, freelance photographer and amateur booze hound of pure Kentish stock. In it, Olly identifies an intriguing cross-fertilisation between the local wine and hop/beer industries, and wonders if this might not be leading to a revival in what he terms the UK’s “sorry garden state”. He’s also included a few welcome recommendations for Kentish tipples.
September 1980, a country lane setting. Warm sun, dusty
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Posted by susie | March 30th, 2010 (by susie)
While the rest of the UK wine trade is in Bordeaux slurping and spitting the much-touted 2009 vintage, I’m currently roaming around Ribera del Duero in north central Spain – as you will know from Peter’s recent posts on the site.
And very happy I am to be here too, though I’m not sure my teeth are any less black for it – wow these are seriously big wines.
For those who don’t know the region, Ribera lies in north central Spain and straddles the banks of the River Duero
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Posted by peter | March 24th, 2010 (Author: Peter)
I have received many messages from Chile in the wake of the massive earthquake that stunned the country before dawn on Saturday 27th February 2010. (Click here for my earlier report.)
Of all of them, one stood out for its vivid, intensely personal, very moving and ultimately thought-provoking nature.
It was from Andrés Sánchez. Andrés is a respected winemaker in Chile, albeit still young and also something of an outspoken maverick. He married Daniela Gillmore, daughter of
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Posted by peter | March 22nd, 2010 (Author: Peter)
Since we arrived back from New Zealand a week ago, I’ve finally managed to get in touch with many of my friends and colleagues in the Chilean wine industry.
The responses that have flooded in are very telling, mainly as a result of their striking similarities.
There’s not a trace of self-pity. Just sadness for those who perished. And a profound sense of gratitude for having survived, along with loved ones. (As far as I can make out, very few connected with the wine
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Posted by peter | March 10th, 2010 (by peter)
Our Kiwi odyssey came to an end in Nelson, with the obligatory visit to local vinous heavyweight Neudorf.
We were hosted by the delightful Judy Finn, wife of Tim, in their bright yet breezy Upper Moutere base, where they have been since first setting up in 1978. (They had an option to buy the plot or go sailing round the world with friends; the yachting world’s loss was the wine world’s gain.)
Neudorf has around 35 hectares of vineyard, with production split between Brightwater
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Posted by peter | March 10th, 2010 (by peter)
The mobile road sign read “tsunami alert” as we drove towards the coast on a blazing hot Sunday morning in Marlborough.
We stopped, and turned the car around.
It was just one of the many sobering reminders of the Chilean earthquake that have been filtering through to us in recent days. Being on the road, we’ve been somewhat disconnected from the real world of late, and have not been able to be in touch with our many Chilean friends and colleagues as we would have liked.
As
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Posted by peter | March 10th, 2010 (by peter & susie)
2008: the tipping point
In 2008, various factors conspired to make an annus horribilis for the New Zealand wine industry: a mediocre vintage, over production, downward pressure on prices by big retailers and a global financial crisis being prime among them.
The country needs to take the hard lessons learned during 2008 and use them to its benefit rather than ignore them to its detriment.
One key issue that needs addressing is yields: the habitual over-cropping,
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