February 4, 2021
WritingPeter Richards MW
Winemaker Lockdown Stories
Wine is all about being social and sociable - so the various pandemic lockdowns around the world have had major ramifications on an industry that relies on global and personal interactions. This feature for Decanter was fascinating to research and write, relating how people all around...
January 17, 2021
WritingPeter Richards MW
Decanter Retailer Awards 2020
Judging awards in a pandemic lockdown is a strange affair. But we wanted to press on with our annual Decanter Retailer Awards more than ever in 2020, to reward and champion those people who had worked tirelessly to keep our spirits up and our glasses full...
December 29, 2020
Top TipsSusie Barrie MWMellow Yellow
Vasse Felix Filius Chardonnay
Vasse Felix Filius Chardonnay, Margaret River, Australia, 13.5%, (£12.99, Majestic, Waitrose and others) So this...
December 15, 2020
WritingPeter Richards MW
What’s hot in Chile
Back in February 2020, just before the world started locking down due to Covid-19, I enjoyed an eye-opening trip round Chilean wine country. These trips are always eye-opening. Chilean wine is a scene seemingly stuck on fast-forward, such is the pace of change and novelty. And...
November 8, 2020
WritingPeter Richards MW
South American Syrah tasting
Is Syrah the Cinderella of South American wine? That's the question I ask at the start of this piece, noting how often Syrah is overlooked in favour of more glamorous rivals (Cabernet, Malbec, Tannat etc). But it's a shame because Syrah has huge potential in South America,...
September 24, 2020
Top TipsSusie Barrie MWMellow Yellow
Aristargos 2018
David & Nadia Aristargos 2018, Swartland, South Africa, 13.5%, (£25, Justerini & Brooks) We cracked open this voluptuous but energising white to mark South Africa’s Heritage Day (24th Sept). You can see a short vid we filmed for the occasion, as below. Many wine industries around the world...
September 17, 2020
WritingPeter Richards MW
Lighter Wines for Summer Drinking
I don't know about you, but one of our greatest pleasures is discovering a wine that's packed full of flavour - but under-delivers on alcohol. And even better if it's reasonably priced. Quite simply, it means we can drink more without falling off our chair or,...
July 22, 2020
WritingPeter Richards MW
Chile transformed
If you think you know Chilean wine, think again. Chile is a wine nation transformed. This is a piece I wrote for The Wine Society. They have a long and venerable tradition of publishing notable wine writers for their members' newsletters and magazines, and now also...
June 29, 2020
WritingSusie Barrie MW
Our desert island wines
So what would YOU go for if you had to choose three desert island wines? It's the question every true wine lover fears. Yet we gamely took it on in the name of entertainment...