
In search of Portugal’s national treasures
Justin Keay looks at the Portuguese regions once passed over by importers.
Read more...Justin Keay looks at the Portuguese regions once passed over by importers.
Read more...Champions of Spain’s diversity articulate a wine scene that has for some time been generating excitement, revealing an increasingly compelling collective offer, with individuality, accessibility and sense of place to the fore. The country has been dubbed by some as the ‘New World of the Old’, in recognition of its ongoing innovation.
Read more...One hundred years on, Zweigelt is a variety that’s in tune with the times, writes David Kermode.
Read more...Years of research have helped to develop a deeply cultivated understanding of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc at home and abroad, with clear messaging and a finely tuned wine style that appeals the world over. Jo Gilbert asks, where does the story go from here?
Read more...In the first of our new series, Andrew Catchpole invited a panel to put Tasmanian and English sparkling wines through their paces.
Read more...James Lawrence looks at the likely shapers of Australia’s wine industry into 2023.
Read more...South Africa’s industry has had a roller-coaster ride, but it may just come out stronger, as Andrew Catchpole reports.
Read more...While global stock and bond markets had a turbulent 2022, the fine wine sector has continued to perform strongly. Thanks to its low correlation with mainstream asset classes and defensive characteristics, fine wine is attracting a wider investor audience.
Read more...Chianti Classico is ramping up focus on its diversity as its new UGA Gran Selezione wines reach the market. Andrew Catchpole reports.
Read more...In a Harpers exclusive, Lebanese expert Michael Karam shares his new, in-depth report on his native Lebanon’s wine industry, with a scene-setting introduction here and the full content published online at Harpers.co.uk
Read more...In a Harpers exclusive, Lebanese authority Michael Karam has released his 2023 Lebanon report, available to read for free on the Harpers website.
Read more...Wines from Spain has released its annual harvest report for the 2022 vintage in Spain.
Read more...James Lawrence looks at how Chianti Classico has evolved to build sustainable winemaking practices and rigorous tasting processes into its traditions to premiumise its wines.
Read more...Andrew Catchpole looks into the innovation and excitement being generated by France’s compact Catalan wine region.
Read more...There’s no denying that Bordeaux is a big beast when it comes to wine. Not only do its most famous names dominate the heady heights of investment portfolios, well-heeled cellars and critics’ scores, but it also produces some 25% of all French AOC wines. It’s the biggest appellation in France, with some 111,400ha under vine. And, to put that into perspective, the whole of Australia’s vineyard area tallies 146,244ha (2021 figures, CIVB and Wine Australia respectively). As such, it’s a powerhouse of vinous production.
Read more...CIVB president Allan Sichel talks to Andrew Catchpole about the challenges and changes faced by this multi-faceted region.
Read more...The famous fortified’s efforts to attract a younger demographic look to be paying off as travel plays favourably to its home nation. James Bayley has the details.
Read more...In 2024, Ramón Bilbao will celebrate its centenary, 100 years of fine winemaking that has firmly established it as one of the leading producers in Spain and one of the world’s most admired wine brands. However, since the start of the current millennium Ramón Bilbao has become famous for more than just great winemaking. Under head winemaker Rodolfo Bastida, who assumed the reins in 1999, and the ownership of the Zamora Group, the Haro-based producer has been at the forefront of innovation in Rioja Alta and beyond. While pursuing excellence, it has cast aside many of the conventions that led many people to brand Rioja as boring and predictable.
Read more...In many ways, Rueda has been a counterpoint to Galicia’s roll call of increasingly sought-after (but often niche) whites. As Spain’s premier white wine-producing region, Rueda has long provided crisp, easy-going styles, with the ‘green’ notes of its flagship Verdejo grape dubbed the ‘terrace tiger’ for its popularity as a summer refresher. Not that Rueda is without quality credentials; sitting at 700-800m above sea level on pebble-infused sandy soils, with big diurnal shifts in temperature and many old vines, these green (‘verde’ – Verdejo) wines have thrived here for up to 10 centuries. But as a category, it has more often played the everyday crowd-pleaser to Galicia’s more exalted status among independents and sommeliers.
Read more...Spain’s north-west corner challenges the cliché of full-bodied, fully ripe wines associated with the country. Galicia is the gateway to Atlantic storms and Rías Baixas, its largest DO, a succession of estuaries that allow the ocean to penetrate inland and one of the world’s wettest wine regions with an average rainfall of 1,400–1,600mm. Its lush vines trained mainly in pergolas yield small, thick-skinned Albariño berries that are behind some of Spain’s best whites.
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