Winner of the Drink Prize in the André Simon Food and Drink Book Awards 2014, Jura Wine uncovers the secrets of the fascinating wines of this gorgeous region in eastern France. Don’t go to the Jura without it! Wine writer Alice Feiring wrote: “I find myself consulting your book all the time, every time I dip in again,… View more
Last weekend the Savoie wine region celebrated 40 years of being classified Vin de Savoie AOC with an array of local Michelin-star chefs serving impeccable food to over 300 invited guests. In the marquee erected for the occasion in perfect surroundings by the Lac Saint André circled by the vineyards of the largest crus, Apremont… View more
Today I received a transfer of approximately £12.5k into my bank account accumulated from 375 people who had pledged to the Kickstarter project I ran recently. The project was to raise funds for the production of my book Jura Wine that I will self-publish early next year. Some of the people who pledged are friends… View more
For those not subscribed to the Jura blog, perhaps you have not yet seen my rather daring Kickstarter Project to crowd-fund my proposed book on the Jura wine region. With the little eastern France region going from strength to strength on export markets there is also news specifically for the wine trade in the UK,… View more
In the past few months the unusual Savoyard grape Persan attracted attention from American wine lovers in New York and from Vinocamp – the French social media and wine meet-ups. It’s as if there is a rare Alpine grape ripple effect, or perhaps a wonderful spider’s web in which wine professionals and geeks tiptoe around… View more
The new Wine Grapes book by Jancis Robinson, Julia Harding and José Vouillamoz is now weighing down my book shelf, or more often grappling for space on my desk or dining room table. However, I have resisted taking this heavy tome on the plane to Turkey where I have come in advance of EWBC 2012…. View more
When 15 years ago the owners of the Cottanera wine estate in Sicily’s Etna region discovered they had been sent 14,000 vines of Mondeuse as part of a consignment of French varieties purchased from a French vine nursery, they were not well pleased. After all, no-one knew then that Mondeuse was a close relative to… View more
To reach my place in the French Alps, the usual route from Geneva airport or even all the way from England is along the A40 motorway heading towards Chamonix-Mont Blanc. On a clear day as you approach my exit, there is the perennial snow-covered Mont Blanc chain and closer, the much lower, rather distinct almost… View more
On my recent visit to the USA, my first for four years, I was partly there to explore at first hand the buzz about Jura wines, most particularly in San Francisco and New York. I already realized there was interest in this obscure little French wine region on my last visit to the USA, but… View more
Mountain wines! The term sounds romantic to any wine lover who also loves the mountains. Beautiful scenery springs to mind, but for anyone with a little knowledge on growing vines and making wine, mountain wines also conjures up an image of difficult, challenging or even extreme conditions leading perhaps to fine wines born out of… View more
