An Appreciation of Blanc de Noirs Champagne (Malmö, March 2022) Just what is it about champagne and Scandinavia? The crystalline air; the purity of vision, the taste for luxury? Who knows? One thing is for sure; between them, the Scandi countries can offer three of...

It is often said that the wines of Margaux are more perfumed and less powerful than those from Saint-Estèphe, Saint-Julien and Pauillac, but within the appellation, the wines vary still further in style due to the differences in terroir and the characteristics that...

There are 15-second growths in the 1855 Bordeaux classification and one-third of them come from Margaux. Wouldn’t it be fun to hold a Margaux party, and invite Durfort-Vivens, Brane-Cantenac, Rauzan-Ségla, Rauzan-Gassies and Lascombes – the five-second growths – along...

What to say of Anthony Barton, the late patriarch of Châteaux Langoa Barton and Léoville Barton, that hasn’t already been said, especially since his death last month at the age of 91? Not much is the answer. However, being lost for words, in this case, is not a...

When contemplating burgundy, most consider the Côte d’Or paramount, expressive of the very best Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wines globally. Few can doubt the quality and longevity of this area, literally translated as ‘the golden slope’, providing a varied terroir that...

Canada’s ‘Okanagan is indeed on the up’, concluded Steven Spurrier after presiding over a series of comparative tastings in 2019. As always, a measured and accurate observation. Despite the many recent challenges brought about by pandemics, wildfires and climate...

There is something about sipping really good champagne at Christmas. You can open the bottle with a bang and even let the cork carom off the ceiling, but once your fluted glass is full, make sure you take a good look inside. You won’t see oversized bubbles exploding...

When, in 1976, Steven Spurrier invited a panel of high-profile professionals to gather in Paris and blind taste a range of Californian wines alongside their French counterparts, he proved to the world that California played in the same league as the world’s finest...

‘For anyone who is doubtful about climate change, just spend some time in a wine grape vineyard,’ states a winemaker in Mendocino County, California. ‘Because of the increasing temperatures, the grapes are ripening two to three weeks earlier than they did 20 years...