Nivola Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro NV, 10.5%, Italy (£11.99 on mix 6 until 22nd April, then £9.99 until 29th April 2019, Majestic) Lambrusco is having a moment. This brilliant wine shows why. It’s hard to know what to do with sparkling red. But the Italians are resourceful, and...
Robert Mondavi Winery Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1976, Oakville, California, 13% (Not commercially available) California’s Mondavi Winery is owned by Constellation Brands, a principal supporter of the Institute of Masters of Wine and sponsor of the IMW’s Robert Mondavi Winery Award. This award is given each year to...
Château Lynch Bages 2014, Pauillac, Bordeaux, 13.5% (c £70 per bottle in bond, BBR, Farr Vintners etc) This was a standout wine at a big tasting of 90+ Bordeaux wines from the 2014 vintage held at Vintners Hall by the Institute of Masters of Wine. Also impressive were the...
Pinot Noir in Essex?! Pinotage in Sussex?! It's all happening in English still wine at the moment. The sparkling wines of the UK go from strength to strength - and now they are being joined by a raft of still wines rapidly gaining critical mass and...
Is old wine better than young wine? It’s a common question. And the answer is, as ever, a qualified one: it depends. Largely, it depends on your preferences. Which do you prefer? The freshness and firmness of youth? Or the smoothness and so-called secondary or tertiary characters...
Chateau de Bel Franc de Bel NV, Bordeaux, France £23.90-29, Jaded Palates, Queen's Park Wines or via Wine Searcher This is Bordeaux, but not as we know it. Olivier Cazenave has a broad smile and big ambitions. He's going against the grain in Bordeaux, one of the most...
The BIB Wine Co Straka Blaufränkisch 2017, Burgenland, Austria £33.50 per 2.25-litre box (bottle equivalent = £10.05 per 75 cl) The BIB Wine Co What's that famous saying about middle age? It's when your broad mind and narrow waist begin to change places. Wine lovers (and producers) aren't...
Familia Deicas Massimo Deicas Tannat 2013, Uruguay Right at the end of a short but intense visit to Uruguayan wine country, I stopped at Familia Deicas winery. Their consultant, the well known international winemaker Paul Hobbs, also happened to be visiting, so it was a great chance...
Pisano RPF Tannat Family Reserve 2013, 13.5% (£19.50-22, The Wine Reserve or globally via WineSearcher) It was shortly before I headed out to Uruguay that I realised how little I really knew about it. The learning curve was fast and fascinating. After all, it was one of the...
Errázuriz Aconcagua Costa Pinot Noir 2016, Chile, 13.5% (£15.50-17, indies inc Stone Vine & Sun, Ocado, Oxford Wine Co, Eton Vintners) Last night at the Lanesborough Hotel in London, Eduardo Chadwick was officially crowned Decanter Man of the Year 2018. It was a typically showy, enjoyable occasion -...