Jasper Morris MW brings us up to date with the Burgundy harvest, as the vignerons tread the delicate balance between ripeness and rot. The days leading up to harvest are the usual battle of nerves: to hold on for full maturity or to get the grapes in before rot can further diminish an already small […]

Alsace has for many years been an example of the very best of French and German gastronomy and wines, having been occupied by both nations at various times in history. Now firmly under French rule there are constant reminders of the past in village and family names. With some 15, 000 hectares under production on […]

The middle of May is a time normally dominated by the unrelenting force of a Bordeaux En Primeur campaign, however for one afternoon my Fine Wine colleague Martyn Rolph and I were to be wowed by the excellent wines of Domaine Faiveley alongside the food of Philip Howard at his two-star ‘The Square’ in Mayfair. […]

2011 is a sensational vintage in the Douro valley. I remember speaking to one of our producers in December of 2011 and remember vividly their confidence in the harvest (though cautious to point out that a declaration was not to be confirmed until 2013). Reports about the vintage have continued to be enthusiastic and the […]