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...

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...

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...

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,...

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,...

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...

Eyrie Original Vines Pinot Noir 2016

Eyrie Original Vines Pinot Noir 2016, Dundee Hills, Oregon 14% (£80-90, Savage Selection) This was a lockdown wine to remember. And remember we did, because we only had about 100ml of the stuff (whole bottles tend to interfere with memory, we find). That's because this wine was part of...

Top South American Chardonnay under £20

According to the US parenting website BabyCenter, the girl’s name Chardonnay (with connotations of ‘popularity’) saw its usage peak in the 1990s, at 47 babies per million. Its frequency has declined since, to the point where Parents.com ranked it as the fourth worst baby name...

Exquisite Collection Organic Malbec 2019

Exquisite Collection Organic Argentinian Malbec 2019, 13.5% (£6.99, Aldi) This juicy, fresh, easy-going red will give a lot of drinking pleasure. It’s worlds away from the body-builder reds that have fallen out of fashion in Argentina lately. This is upbeat, friendly stuff that also happens to be organic....