Category: Old World

The first fifteen

As we see the first handful of 2015s from the Rhône released, and promptly snapped up by customers, our Buyer for the region Simon Field MW reports on the auspicious vintage Being a Northampton boy is conspicuously less evocative than being a Shropshire lad, but at least we have a first-rate rugby union team, known […]

Saving grapes

The wines of Greece have been experiencing a resurgence on our shores. While Assyrtiko and Agiorgitiko weave their way into wine drinkers’ hearts, one producer is reviving other, more obscure grapes from Greece’s past. Here, Buyer Will Heslop introduces Domaine Lyrarakis Few producers can be credited with reviving a grape varietal on the brink of […]

In pursuit of purity

With a continuing eye on Riesling this month, we caught up with the doyen of Austrian wine, Willi Bründlmayer to talk favourite grapes and wine fads. Sophie Thorpe reports At the turn of the millennium, Decanter magazine named Willi Bründlmayer as one of the 50 people most likely to change the face of the world […]

Germany: the home of Riesling

Due to its ability to express terroir and its susceptibility to noble rot, Riesling is a grape that yields a vast array of wine styles. Here we look at the grape’s native home, Germany, in an extract from our introductory book, Exploring & Tasting Wine.  Riesling’s identity was forged in the steep valleys of western […]