Press Articles

Particularly appropriate last week for the winner of the annual Monbazillac sweet wine Competition. Held at the prestigious Chateau de Monbazillac, a select group of wine professionals gathered to judge the best wines of the 2019 vintage, the 25th such competition to be held.


Being privileged to have been invited...

As France opens up again after lockdown, so do the hotels, restaurants and wineries. The four-star Chateau de Mercuès in the Quercy region of south-west France, has all three and is thus a wine-loving gourmet’s delight. Set atop a hill, with stunning views over the majestic river Lot and surrounding...

La Chartreuse du Bignac - one of the hidden gems of the Dordogne. 

At last! Here I am in south-west France. Something a couple of months ago I thought would never happen again. But although the pandemic is far from over, control measures are now well in place and, for...

“It was late morning when a bent, elderly looking man, a handmade knapsack on his back, came trudging through the mud and slush of a warm February. Gaston Huet was on his way home.” Words taken from a fascinating book called ‘Wine and War’ by Don and Petie Kladstrup. Huet...

Over the past few weeks and months of Lockdown due to the Coronavirus threat, there may have seemed little cause for celebration, particularly in the early weeks. Champagne is the primordial drink for celebrations and with far less people all around the globe being in a mood to celebrate, champagne...

No, not the result of over-zealous gardening during Lockdown and digging a little too deeply in the flowerbeds! But the award of no less than three gold medals to the owners of a local Sussex vineyard in the recent Sommelier Wine Awards competition, the results of which were announced at...

Recent reports in the wine industry trade journal ‘The Drinks Business’ indicate the extent of the coronavirus pandemic on the Drinks industry. With restaurants, bars, pubs and cafés closed, sales of alcoholic drinks have fallen off a cliff. Meetings in Europe are discussing ways forward for top wine producing countries...

Lifeline thrown to Isolated Wine Drinkers Also Supports Hospitality Sector
Berkmann Wine Cellars, the largest independent family-run wine importer in the UK, has opened its doors directly to the wine consumer for the first time in 56 years. The Berkmann Family has been supplying remarkable wine to the UK’s leading restaurants...

It was great to see last week that off-licenses were added to the list of businesses allowed – and even actively encouraged – to stay open in these difficult times of social distancing. The reason was twofold. Most importantly, I believe, it was due to the recognition that we all...

 
Tasting at the Top!   Etc Magazine March 2020
Have you ever wondered what the top Bordeaux wines taste like, those which sell at over a hundred euros per bottle – and more? Well now your curiosity can be satisfied.  Max Bordeaux is ready to educate your palate, without the need for...

The natural region of Périgord, once a French province, now roughly equates to the Department of the Dordogne, much loved by Brits for many years and the majority of which belonged to the English crown back in the Middle Ages. Sadly lost to England at the end of the 100...

Discover the Vineyards of the Dordogne Valley     Etc Magazine February 2020
With the still, cold, grey of winter lingering with us, admittedly interspersed with the odd glimmer of sunshine, our thoughts in January and February inevitably turn to Spring and Summer Holidays. The Dordogne region in south-west France, has been...

And the Journeys End was in Brighton! Mike Dawson is the young, dynamic winemaker for one of South Africa’s top vineyards, with the unusual name of Journeys End. At the age of only 29, he has already been winemaker for the estate for five years, having trained in his own...

If you’re tired of the usual white grape varieties, Sauvignon Blanc from a hundred different places or the ubiquitous Chardonnay from all around the globe, you may find a liking for a fresh up-and-coming varietal from North-west Spain. The region of Rias Baixas is located in Galicia and is now...

As you arrive at Bordeaux airport in Merignac, you are greeted by a smartly dressed driver who immediately takes your bags. Stepping outside the terminal building, a gleaming 1969 Rolls Royce Silver Shadow is waiting to whisk you off to your Chateau. Passing row after row of vines responsible for...

And if there is one place to do it, this is it. Chateau Lafaurie-Peyraguey in the tiny village of Bommes south of Bordeaux, not only produces one of the best sweet wines in the world, classified as Premier Grand Cru Classé, but since last year has now become a luxury...

Wines from the so called ‘New World’, are now as popular in the UK as those from the Old World, otherwise known as Europe. Sauvignon from New Zealand, Chardonnay from California or Cabernet Sauvignon from Australia, all have established a firm place in the UK wine market. But a bit...

Summertime. Time to travel, discover new places and experience more of the world’s wonders. For wine lovers everywhere, there is no better place to visit than Bordeaux. The first thing you notice when visiting the centre of one of France’s major cities, is the quietness. Traffic has been replaced by...

With our increasingly busy lives - whether working or retired, there always seem to be a million things to do - the need for a short getaway soon works its way to the top of the priority list. European city breaks are all the rage, but why not avoid the...

Often forgotten amongst the wide range of wines from around the globe, which are available to us in the UK, the wines of Austria are now highly acclaimed both by wine experts and wine lovers all around the world. Crafted by new generation winemakers, using a combination of traditional artisan...

“Since 1840, we have developed a distinctive culture that can be defined as a special bond with the soil, team spirit, a love for the finer things and a quest for perfection”. Such are the words of Patrick Jestin, President of wine company Dourthe, which express the philosophy of one...

For those that love wine, apart from the liquid nectar itself, there is nothing more pleasurable than learning more about it. What are the grape varieties, how is it made and where exactly does it come from? What is the climate like where the grapes are grown, what is the...

The Warmth of Spain is on Your Doorstep
Signs of Spring at last! March is the time to start seriously planning some holidays in the sun – the Cote d’Azur in France, the Italian lakes or perhaps Andalucía in Spain, with its warmth not only of climate, but of its people,...

Head to the far east of France, just before you hit the German border, and you’ll discover a land of pretty towns and villages, with an array of half-timbered houses, each with their window boxes cascading with flowers. This is the Alsace, one of the driest and sunniest regions of...

By George! These wines are good!
  
Recently I had the privilege of having lunch with the owner and founder of Villa Maria - the most awarded Wine company in New Zealand. At the age of only 21, Sir George Fistonich founded the company back in 1961, when the wine industry...

Burgundy, where some of the best, and most expensive, wines of the world are made, is complicated. In fact, the Burgundy Wine region is one of, if not the, most complicated regions in the World. Even those that have been in the wine trade for decades, are constantly surprised by...

Wine Tourism comes to Sussex
 


For those of us fortunate enough to live in the beautiful, sunny counties of Sussex, it is impossible not to be impressed by the number of vineyards popping-up at what seems to be ever-increasing speed. From the far west of the region around Chichester,...

Chardonnay is perhaps one of the most mis-understood of all wines, which is somewhat ironic as it is produced in virtually every wine-making region of the world. Sometimes it is forgotten that it is actually a grape variety as opposed to a wine, although many wines carry the name of...

The Wine World Continues to Change


There is an old French saying, which goes “Plus ca change, plus c’est la même chose”, which roughly means ‘the more it changes, the more it stays the same’. This erudite expression can be applied to many things - such as Governments...

Bordeaux Inhabitant finds new home in South America
 


This could have been a headline in the mid-nineteenth century, when people from many European countries were flocking to the New World to take advantage of the opportunities there. However, it applies not just to people, but also to other items...

Arundel Wine Society Celebrates Fifth Birthday

As the world of wine seemingly gets more complex and confusing day by day, particularly in this country which imports wine from every conceivable wine producing region of the planet, wine education of one sort or another is becoming ever more popular. Whether...

Try the Elegant Wines of Sancerre
 


The Christmas festivities are now but a fading memory, we’ve done battle with the ‘Beast from the East’, the daffodils are well and truly out and the buds are beginning to burst. Spring at last, and with it comes more celebrations in...

Look Out for the Delicious New Spanish Wines


A couple of weeks back, I wrote about a group of very authentic Spanish restaurants in London called Iberica, well worth a visit when you're up in town. I also mentioned how Spanish wine has re - invented itself in...

Wine, Women and Secateurs


Did it all start with Madame Clicquot? Perhaps, but even she had a tough time and, rather than operating under her own name when her husband died in 1805, she had to carry on as 'The Widow Clicquot'. Nevertheless, she was the first woman...

An Authentic Spanish Experience on Your Doorstep


The hubbub of the busy tapas bar surrounded me in a friendly, comforting atmosphere, as I sipped a top quality bone-dry manzanilla sherry, accompanied by the best Iberico ham that money can buy, freshly cut in front of me. The Spanish barman...

Wines to Fuel Your Passion

Despite the best efforts of our dear American President to convince us otherwise, 'Fake Noos' may not be such a new thing. When it comes to Saint Valentine and the origins of this much celebrated day of romanticism, there is much controversy as...

There are two great wine regions of the world which vie with each other for first place in the World Wine Stakes. These are Bordeaux and Burgundy, both in France, still the central planet of the wine universe, one in the west and one in the east. My wife comes...

For those of you who have done 'dry January', well done! I salute your forbearance and will-power which is far greater than my own. Having been a member of the wine trade for quite a long time, my congratulations are, understandably, somewhat muted. Wine needs to be consumed to make...

It's one of those debates which will probably carry on forever. Is varietal labelling a good thing or a bad thing and is region of production, or even producer, far more important? I even have arguments with myself over the question. On the one hand, labelling a wine 'Chardonnay', can...

Wines from Chile give Burgundy a Run for its Money

Time was we used to consider Chilean wine as quaffable, inexpensive, 'everyday' wine, albeit well-made and packing a considerable amount of fruity flavour. And indeed, there is a very large amount of wine still produced in that country which is...

High Quality Sparkling Wines from Saumur’s last Independent Producer.
'Infinitely Loire'. Such is the leading statement on the website of a producer of top quality sparkling wines in the Loire Valley. The company is called Louis de Grenelle, known more often as Caves de Grenelle, and is located in the heart...

Restaurant Wine Lists Should be Both Affordable and Interesting
Last week, I was invited to a fascinating evening at the Institute of Masters of Wine in London. The event was designed to launch the Institute’s 9th International Symposium called ‘Living Wine’, which will take place in June 2018, in Logrono...

Wine Labels are not just about looking pretty.
Choosing a bottle of wine from the shelves of your local wine store or supermarket is not always an easy task. If you know exactly what you’re looking for, then there’s no problem – provided it is in stock. But looking for something...

English Wine in the Ascendancy
Another very successful Arundel Festival has just come to a close, when thousands of visitors had the opportunity to enjoy the many events and exhibitions which took place over the ten-day festival. For the third year running, a number of wine events were run by...

Choose your wine for National Burger Day!

Are you ready for one of the year's great culinary events which takes place this week? Perhaps you have been looking forward to it for weeks, or maybe you've never even heard of it. Shame on you, since this Thursday 24th August is...

Lobster and Champagne – Just find an excuse!
When it comes to food and wine, there are certain things that just seem right together. Beef and horseradish, lamb and mint, fish and chips are some of the incontrovertible food pairings. But with food and wine together, there are also some pairings...

The Benefits and Risks of a Glass of Wine
A report in the International drinks trade magazine 'The Drinks Business' reads "A 29-year study into the effects of alcohol and dementia has found that older adults who consume alcohol on a regular basis are more likely to live to the age...

Perfect Wines for a Less than Perfect Summer
August is here and our Mediterranean style summer has transformed itself into the normal English Summer. It had to happen of course. The one thing you know for sure is that as soon as the kids break up the weather will be...

Unexpected California

What do you normally think of when you hear the words 'Californian Wines'? Depending on what your taste profile is, the answer can be somewhat different. At the lower end of the market, there are some ranges of easy drinking, relatively characterless white, red and rosé...

Time to Explore a Different Part of Burgundy
Summer's here and holidays are around the corner. If you've not yet booked, or are off on one of those 'take pot luck' driving holidays in Europe, and you enjoy a glass of wine or two, head for the hills of Burgundy. An...

Bordeaux International Wine Fair is Huge Success
Last week saw the 19th International Wine Fair called Vinexpo take place in Bordeaux. A 'trade only' event, it happens every other year and is probably the largest, and certainly the most important, event of its kind in the world. The size of...

Sunshine in a bottle - the wines of Sicily

Open a bottle of chilled Sicilian white - or red for that matter - and you can almost feel the sunshine that has ripened the grapes to produce these delicious and eminently affordable wines. Sicily is the largest island in the...

Sherry can make an interesting picnic wine

With mid-Summer's day just around the corner, it's time to make the most of the sunshine, find the picnic rug at the back of the cupboard, put the folding chairs and table in the boot and pack the picnic basket. The...

Line-up for Summer Wines from M&S
Summer has come early, or at least it had last week. May is traditionally a month of ups and downs as regards the weather in this country, and this year it has certainly been true to form. Earlier in the month we had...

Great Skill is needed for Blending Wine

Often misunderstood by the consumer as a technique in winemaking, blending is one of the greatest and most versatile of tools in the oenologist's, or wine-maker's, armoury. The reasons why wines, or grape varieties, are blended are many and differ according...

38,000 vines planted. 962,000 to go.
Underlining the exponential growth of English wine, particularly the sparkling variety, the UK wine industry recently announced that one million vines are expected to be planted in 2017. An astonishing number, but a little less since last week when 38,000 vines were planted in...

Hungary for Cabernet Franc
No, it's not a spelling mistake in the title. The red grape variety Cabernet Franc is making a bit of a name for itself in a country which, more recently, has been more known for its delicious sweet wines from Tokaij and some rather variable reds -...

Muscadet Re-invents Itself.
The French dry white wine produced in the Western Loire valley, not far from the Atlantic Coast, has been around for a long time, not just in France but also on the UK market. It's one of those wines which wine-drinkers of 'a certain age' remember alongside...

The Alternative to Champagne - and it's Not Prosecco.
Last week (March 2017) saw a gathering of sparkling wine producers at a tasting in London, determined show that the (more affordable) alternative to champagne does not have to always be Prosecco, despite what the marketers would have you believe. This was...

"Contains Sulphites" Friend or Foe?

Words to strike the fear if God into you or superfluous information? Well, neither actually. It is a legal requirement that wines that contain sulphites must show the fact on the label. Since all wines contain sulphites, all wines have this information on...

Drinkable Wines can be Found Under £6 per bottle
The vexed and eternal question of "how much do you have to pay to get a decent bottle of wine?" The question itself is not as straight forward as it may seem, since it depends on A, what is your definition of...

Champagne the best for Celebrations.
 A headline in the Wine Trade Press caught my eye recently, concerning the plight, or otherwise, of champagne. Latest import figures for the UK showed that the quantity was down by some 3 million bottles, a ‘not insignificant quantity’ as John Major would have said. The...

Keep away the Winter Blues with a little Apple Brandy

Mid-January and the end of year celebrations already seem like a distant memory. Winter weather is truly here and the first signs of Spring may still be a long way off, as we sit and look out at cold, grey skies...

Hop across the channel for a little re-stocking

Assuming that your only acknowledgement to 'Dry January' is to avoid sweet wines, now is the perfect time for a hop across the channel to re-stock the 'cellar', which has been ransacked and pillaged over the last few weeks. Living in the...

70 Burgundy Wines Served by the Glass

Every year in the third week of November, the most famous wine auction in the world takes place in Burgundy. This is the wine sale at the Hospices de Beaune and this year was no exception. Founded in 1443, the...

Family of 12 Adopted by Arundel Wine Society
Much as the members of Arundel Wine Society support many of the local charities, this event was nothing to do with social services, but about a family of wine companies. In 2005, twelve of New Zealand’s most prestigious and enduring wineries got...

2 Star Michelin Chef Franck Putelat favours Wines from Languedoc

One of the most iconic fortified cities in South-west France is Carcassonne, located 60 miles south-west of Toulouse and about 50 miles inland from the Mediterranean. As you approach the old historic part of the city, it is...

A Taste of the Future at Bordeaux’s Cité du Vin

If you ever needed another excuse to visit the fabulous city of Bordeaux (as if!), then this is it. The Cité du Vin opened its doors in June this year, the culmination of a huge project of three...

The Golden Hills of Burgundy

Last week I was visiting vineyards in Burgundy, where some of the best, and most expensive, wines of the world are made. The Central area of the Burgundian vineyards is called the 'Cote d'Or' literally translated as 'The Golden Hill'. This name...

Domaine de Ferrant in the heart of the Cotes de Duras region is exclusively represented on the UK market by WineWyse as from January 2016.
The 13 hectares of vineyards produce great...

Further recognition of the tremendous quality and value for money of the champagnes from de Barfontarc was seen recently when awards were announced at the London Wine Fair in...

Champagne de Barfontarc was launched on the UK market at a consumer tasting on Saturday 3rd May in Arundel, West Sussex. The tasting of a range of champagnes from...

At a recent tasting in London of Pinot Noir wines from around the world,  Champagne de Barfontarc was awarded a Silver Medal for its Blanc de Noirs. The Global...