With the end of year in sight, a few rays of sunlight have brightened the fine wine outlook over the past month. Christies reported a series of lucrative fine wine auctions in Hong Kong (23rd-25th November) including a rare private cellar focussed primarily on Bordeaux. Decanter published an article headed ‘Bordeaux prices ‘stabilising’: analysts’ supporting […]

Creating a bottle of Champagne is a game of two halves: from the first fermentation with its viticultural processes of harvesting and fermenting for a pure and raw still alcohol, to the second fermentation of adding dosage and yeast to create bubbles for the glossy finished product. Two different processes, culminating in the same thing. […]

Whilst the streets of London were being battered by gusts and heavy showers almost designed to test the resolve of the doughtiest of Hallowe’en trick-or-treaters (but no sign of an American werewolf), I was privileged to attend a tasting of two illustrious champagne cuvées at the very smart Belgravia headquarters of Moët-Hennessy.  Initial signs were […]

It has been said that many of Italy’s prized wines rarely leave the country. One such wine would be the ‘champagne method’, bottle-fermented sparkling wines of the Franciacorta region in Lombardy, near Brescia. For years the market for these Champagne-like wines was Italy, notably the local Milanese. But a recent visit along with my colleague Edwin […]