Continuing my account of Pinot Noir New Zealand Celebration 2013 held in Wellington in February and my travels around New Zealand’s vineyard regions. Admittedly I was on a patriotic high from this incredible four-day event but even more so, I felt a strong sense of absolution; that my visit to Bell Hill vineyard in Weka Pass, North Canterbury (South Island) was such an incredible experience it justified the whole trip. Read More >

Homer and Virgil sent Odysseus and Aemeas to her island shores; there they encountered harpies, Cyclops, Laestrygonians, sirens and Aeolia the God of Winds. This is a place where The Gods broker deals with mere mortals and wreak havoc upon anyone who refuses their will. When Dionysius, (Bacchus) was said to have given the first wine to man, it was on the island of Sicily that he chose to bestow his gift. Read More >

One of many bottles that were consumed over dinner with legendary wine merchant, Noel Young, at the Three Horseshoes Inn, was a Vincent Girardin Santenay Les Gravieres Premier Cru 2009 that impressed me greatly with its juicy succulence of berry fruit and sheer drinkability. This is of course an attribute of the 2009 Burgundy vintage with ripe and plush red wines across all the appellations however, it surprised me that these wines have not gone into their shell at all yet, normally characteristic of red Burgundy after a couple of years in bottle. Read More >

Saluting the fourth annual International Sauvignon Blanc Day on May 17th, wine journalists all over the world have the opportunity to come out of the closet; to confess they do in fact drink sauvignon blanc and some may even admit to liking this overly-popular white grape variety. Read More >

I sat down to lunch with good company late February this year to taste the latest releases from Macedon Ranges winery “Curly Flat”, presented by owner and winemaker Phillip Moraghan, along with a couple of older wines for comparison. I did so with some anticipation because I’d had just a few wines from this producer and all had piqued my interest. Read More >

(pronounced suh-mal-‘yAy)

In Medieval Provençal times they were saumaliers, animal pack drivers who evolved during Middle French kingdom to become court officials charged with transportation of supplies. So what does a modern day Sommelier actually do? Well, Wikipedia outlines as such, “A sommelier or wine steward is a trained and knowledgeable wine professional, normally working in fine restaurants who specializes in all aspects of wine service as well as wine and food matching. The most important work of a sommelier is in the areas of wine procurement, wine storage, wine cellar rotation, and expert service to wine consumers.” Read More >

“Maya, Indian goddess of illusions, siren of shipwrecked sailors; if only you lactated Pinot Noir, you’d be perfect.”  Miles to Maya in the movie ‘Sideways’. Read More >

Nicolas Olivry joined me for breakfast this morning. He thought we should try pairing chardonnay with fried eggs and pork sausages… as he refuses to accept “A meal without wine could only be breakfast…” And yes chardonnay does goes well with fried eggs and pork sausages, or specifically Monteverro Chardonny 09 www.monteverro.com Love your work Nico! Read More >

Our intrepid Singapore Sommelier, Stephanie Rigourd continues here report on her California field trip… Day 8 Read More >

With two clicks on the PayPal, I just downloaded Tim Atkins 2011 Burgundy Special report for a ‘Brown beer token’, that’s £10, a ‘Darwin’ and that’s probably less than a bottle of Bourgogne Rouge. Read More >