Decanter

After visiting many wineries around the world over the past two decades, I’ve concluded that one of the greatest assets a wine region can have is a spirit of cooperation and collaboration among its producers. Not something you can take as read. But i

Initial releases of Brunello di Montalcino 2019 wines have created a buzz not seen since the lauded 2016 vintage, according to merchants. Decanter’s Michaela Morris said Brunello enthusiasts ‘will be spoiled for choice’ in the 2019 vintage (see her r

Airy, it was: a high saddle at the seaward end of the Mayacamas ridge. The newly planted vineyards splayed upwards from the crux of tracks that met there. Smaller ridges, hazy fingers of blue and purple, broke the view down to San Pablo Bay. There wa

In Italy, soils are rich in magnesium, which is responsible for the bitterness in wines,’ Lydia Bourguignon told me in Franciacorta, on the sidelines of the presentation by founder Maurizio Zanella of the redisgorged 1980 Annamaria Clementi Franciaco

PHOTOGRAPHS: ELLEN RICHARDSON, CHLOE HASHEMI ■

Italian wine is in full swing. While the leaders of the quality revolution of the 1980s and 1990s are progressively passing the baton to the next generation, new faces are also rising to prominence. Whether they are modernising family businesses or s

TASTED NON-BLIND Nebbiolo is the classic ‘less-ismore’ style of wine. It’s perhaps no coincidence that today – when this is a style that’s very much in vogue – demand for young Nebbiolo has increased significantly, according to Piedmont’s Consorzio d

When a year is great, there is no need to say anything,’ quips Gigliola Giannetti at Le Potazzine. ‘Everything was as it should be.’ Mostly, that is. It should be noted that winter 2018-2019 was typical of the current worrying trend – slightly warmer

1 Canalicchio di Sopra 2019 95 £110-£125 (ib, magnum) Goedhuis Waddesdon, Mann Fine Wine, WoodWinters US$114-$140 Art of Wine, Convive, DVNO Wine, Eataly Vino, Hi-Time, Manhattan Wine Co, The Wine House, Wines of Kings Canalicchio di Sopra’s impressi

In a small pocket of the far southeastern corner of mainland Australia lies the Moorabool Valley, a lush, cool, undulating oasis etched into a barren, windswept plain about 20 minutes’ drive from the city of Geelong. Once part of the ocean floor, the

Soon after he bought his 2ha farm in the Polkadraai Hills, renowned South African winemaker Bruwer Raats got talking to another well-known producer on the Helderberg, widely considered one of Stellenbosch’s most prestigious sub-regions. His interlocu

Born in South Africa but brought up in Scotland (hence a slight accent), Angus Paul came to Stellenbosch to study. The youngest winemaker in the Polkadraai Hills, he released his first reds and whites as recently as 2021. Working out of the communal

£30-£36 Carruthers &Kent, Cru, Harrogate Wines, Hedonism, The Fine Wine Co, The Wine Reserve Apair of biodynamically farmed, warmer south-facing parcels are the source of this brilliant Sauvignon Blanc. Fermented predominantly in deftly handled 85% n

There’s something poetic and magnetic about the sight of Mont Ventoux, with its white peak towering over the expanse of the eponymous appellation. Its limestone summit gleams all year round, whether snow-capped or not, sitting beneath the clouds or e

Ditching the plastic straws. Taking out the recycling. Beyond the basics, though, what are today’s top bars doing to minimise their eco-footprints? We spoke to four representatives from forward-thinking bars to see what sustainable cocktail-making lo

For those of us who were fans of Russell Norman’s restaurants, his book Brutto has a particular poignancy. Sadly, he died shortly after its publication, but it remains the perfect tribute to both the man and his simple but always stylish cooking. Nor

The Emilia region in northern Italy is home to all but one of Italy’s DOC and IGT denominations for Lambrusco – a wine name that’s still well known in the UK and US especially, thanks to its heady popularity in its simple, fun fizz guise back in the

£40.95 Penzer Wines This traditional-method wine spends more than 36 months on lees. Classified as red but closer to a dark rosé, its candied raspberry and potpourri aromas mingle with autolysis-derived notes of amaretto biscuits, cinnamon and flint.

Right in the centre of the country, just southeast of Tuscany and north of Rome, Umbria epitomises the best of Italy, its green hills a patchwork of olive trees, vines, fields and woodlands peppered with picturesque stone villages and an alluring arr

Situated in the heart of the subregion of Sarcidano, in southern Sardinia, Tenuta Olianas lies 50 minutes to the north of Cagliari. Boasting 35ha of vineyards, the estate – the only Demetercertified company in Sardinia – focuses on key native varieti

Each month our experts answer your burning wine questions. Email your queries to editor@decanter.com What is Susumaniello? Caroline Marshall, by email Marisa Finetti, Decanter writer, replies: Susumaniello is an ancient and wellregarded red blending

My love for Riesling comes from fond memories of living in the Swiss Alps, where we would often sit down and enjoy traditional cheese fondue with locally produced charcuterie, accompanied by a glass of Riesling. It was the perfect hearty meal on a co

104 EDITORS’ PICKS Highlights from recent tastings 106 MONTEPULCIANO 105 wines tasted 2 Outstanding, 32 Highly recommended in this popular red category 116 AROUND ABRUZZO Visit the heartland of Montepulciano with Sarah Lane’s travel guide to the ar

Each month our editorial team tastes a lot of wine, but not all of it makes it onto the page. So here’s our in-house pick of other great wines we’ve tried At a recent tasting in Napa, I was smitten by the Somerston Estate wines. Away from the valley

In Sarmiento in southern Chubut – a province in Argentine Patagonia – Bodega Otronia is the latest project of Grupo Avinea, best known for Bodega Argento (Mendoza). Eager to explore the extreme terroir (one of the world’s southernmost at 45° 33’ lati

Mount Fuji was hidden behind clouds upon our arrival at Grace’s Akeno site. Up at 700m, the towering mountains surrounding us reminded me we were in the heart of Yamanashi, a region renowned for being one of the sunniest in Japan. The Grace, Misawa V

It’s fortunate that Irish-born Dermot Sugrue thrives on stress. The past few years have been a whirlwind for England’s most talented winemaker, who has 20 years’ experience under his belt with a raft of well-known English winery names. In that time h

Abruzzo’s landscape is astonishing: a backdrop of statuesque mountains soaring to nearly 3,000m above sea level and capped with snow for six months of the year, with river valleys running down to the Adriatic coast through a band of hills where cool

With top SuperTuscan and Brunello di Montalcino wines recently having hit the market, Decanter reports on the secondary market performance of these Italian vinous gems... Newly released Sassicaia 2021 (99 points, Decanter) was the most traded wine by

Inside a professional’s everyday life How did you get into pruning? I grew up in Collio in Italy and wanted to be a vet. Unfortunately, family circumstances meant I couldn’t study for that, so instead I worked as an agronomist. I always liked to ske