Writing about the wines of Piemonte, Italy and France
The wines of Tuscany/Toscana
It’s been another busy year, packed with my continuing work for WSET (two days a week) and much Italian wine travel. Here are some highlights from a hectic year, with apologies for the long post. Winery profiles for Nebbia e Luce 2025 saw me completing my ‘dream job’, writing profiles of 25 wineries for the
2025: hectic but fulfilling Read More »
Vinitaly 2023 The biggest event in Italian wine business is the national wine fair, Vinitaly, held in Verona every year in spring. It is massive. 93,000 visitors, of which more than a quarter were foreign buyers, attended this year. The organisation has improved over the years, especially since the pandemic, with a better shuttle bus
Diary 49: Piemonte in Verona Read More »
With the Covid-19 crisis in full swing, we are all becoming expert at video conferencing. The new nightmare scenario would be to have simultaneous calls on Zoom, Microsoft Teams and a family call on Whatsapp! But this week I did have a conversation of over an hour with Andrea Sottimano via Zoom. The wifi in
Diary: 12 – slow, slow, Sottimano, slow, Read More »
As a small, gastronomic, diversion from the wines of Piemonte, I am marking the end of an era with the imminent closure of The Harrow, Little Bedwyn. For the last 21 years Roger and Sue Jones have run this brilliant and civilised restaurant with a great cellar. For many of those years it had a
Farewell to The Harrow, Little Bedwyn Read More »
In my last post, I reported that Piemonte won the race over Tuscany and Campania/ Basilicata. But can I persuade a publisher that this is a good subject … and that I am the person to write the book? I am a fan of the Classic Wine Library. It was founded 50 years ago and
Diary of a wine writer 3: cue celebration! Read More »
As I explained in my last blog post, I have now completed my wine studies and have decided I would like to write a book. This is probably going to mean choosing between Italian regions. But what is the subject going to be? Readers of this website will know that I have devoted much of
Diary of a wine writer 2: choices Read More »
Radda is probably my favourite Chianti Classico commune. With elevations up to 550m, sweeping slopes and dense forests, it is the coolest part of Chianti Classico. Historically, the challenge was to ripen grapes fully. Radda is also home to a number of great wineries, Montevertine, Volpaia and Monteraponi to name a few. The revived Castello
My favourite wines – for a special occasion, celebrating the end of MW exams
My favourite wines Read More »
In my last post Mineral muddle, I wrote about Alex Maltman’s new book on geology, soils and the vine. His main concerns are geology and soils. But along the way, he explains how a vine gets the nutrients it needs. Reading this book reminded me that these basic processes are rarely explained outside of scientific circles.
How does a vine gets the nutrients it needs? Read More »
I recently held a small tasting of Tuscan reds, mostly Sangiovese-based which raised intriguing questions about how much we like a wine. The occasion was the opportunity to taste the glossy wines of Podere Forte (which I review at length here) alongside some Tuscan classics. The rest of the group tasted the three Podere Forte
Like, admire or love? Read More »