The Muscat grape variety has always appealed to me, because of two particular attributes, possibly linked. Firstly, the simple one that it is a wine educatorâs dream to discuss â we can say to students: âYes, this is the only major grape variety from which wines generally do smell of grapesâ. And secondly, Muscat (in… View more
It’s nearly 30 months since the Wine Travel Guides website went live and I’ve just made some big changes in a bid to keep the site alive. The website has received a gratifying amount of praise from users, writers and those in both the wine and the travel industry, but as with many websites, it… View more
To truly understand the world of wine and indeed the liquid itself, it helps to develop an expertise in world geography, geology, climatology, environmental science as well as world history, politics, economics, marketing and current affairs; sciences including plant biology, microbiology and chemistry; and last but not least the art, or is it the craft… View more
For as long as I’ve owned a property in the Aravis mountain area above the beautiful lake town of Annecy, I’ve always wanted to eat at Marc Veyrat’s restaurant in Veyrier on the shores of the lake, elevated to three Michelin stars at least a decade ago. I remember about 15 years ago discussing a… View more
I reported on this blog back in April, and Decanter have now (4 months later) reported, that Dorling Kindersley will no longer publish Wine Report, the annual wine guide that I have written for since its inception with the 2004 edition. However, all is not lost. Firstly, the author Tom Stevenson still has hopes of… View more
Please help spread the word! Iâm offering an opportunity for an experienced business person to help me turn Wine Travel Guides from a well-regarded niche website into a highly successful one. I am looking for a motivated individual with proven business skills with time to help develop the Wine Travel Guides website. I need to… View more
Vineyards in Maule © O. Fournier If you know just a little about Chileâs wine regions and imagine it as a ânewâ, modern wine country with high altitude vineyards, then the following wonât add up: Chileâs most important wine region has not only some seriously old vines of classic red wine varieties, ungrafted of course,… View more
Readers of this blog and other articles I write will know that Iâve developed a speciality of wines of the Jura, Franceâs smallest wine region. Since Jura is synonymous with Vin Jaune, the curious wine from the Savagnin grape, I often mention and discuss it. But now, Iâve fallen for another curious yellow wine â… View more
Back in 2002, when Tom Stevenson asked me to write on Jura and Savoie for his new annual guide Wine Report, to be one of 40 contributors, I was flattered, but resigned to doing what I knew would be a huge amount of work for not great financial return. But I didnât know what real… View more
Itâs always a fascinating experience to taste a wine thatâs older than you are, but inevitably as time goes on, well, it becomes increasingly difficult (and/or expensive). A few weeks back over a wonderful themed dinner with winey friends who were all somewhat older than me, the culmination of our meal was a wine older… View more
