For Channel Four to devote a whole hour to the Wine Trade, at peak time, is a rare enough event – good news one might think. But wait, do I not recognise the Dispatches correspondent? Is it not The Sun’s fragrant trouble-maker at large, Jane Moore? A putative ignorance of wine is of course essential, […]

We are nearing the end of the 2007 Bordeaux en-primeur campaign, with the last few wines expected to be released in the coming days. This time of year is usually a busy and hectic one in the Fine Wine office, though this year it has been a little quiet. Our favourites have sold relatively well, […]

  I have just returned from a brief visit to a rain-drenched Rioja, tasting and assessing the new releases. The wines in general are elegant, fresh and focused but even in youth seem to  lack  something of the concentration and tannic grip of more illustrious forebears such as 2001 and 2004. Overall, I would say, of the major Bodegas visited La […]

  Well, what an interesting week. And what have we learnt? Well, 2007 was about as good as it could be given the dreadful growing season up to the end of August. It was never going to be as good as 2005, and for once no one has pretended otherwise. However good the winemaking, vineyard […]