Vineyard Dispatches

Champagne Vaucelle in the Cote des Bar has just finished harvesting its grapes. A record early harvest with high sugar levels. Promising.

Clotilde Legrand took over the family estate in Saumur-Champigny some years ago. Her cabernet franc wines are magnificent. She releases them late, now she is selling vintages 2016 and 2018 (except for the lovely easydrinking

Chateau du Petit Thouars in Chinon is a beautiful 15th century castle. Wine has been made here for more or less 400 years. Sebastian du Petit Thouars is the 12th generation! White and red Chinon

Chateau Gaudrelle in Vouvray shows the different sides of the chenin blanc grape with its superb wines. Unorthodox labels! As always in Vouvray, a cool, pleasant (especially when visiting during a heat wave!) limestone cellar.

Already the end of flowering at Domaine du Mortier in Saint Nicolas de Bourgueil. Tasted some lovely wines with owner Fabien Boisard. Cabernet franc of course but also pet nat and some unusual wines made

Beautiful views over the vineyards in Roussillon. Most of it is probably grenache. After the first morning session of Grenaches du Monde

They do some odd things in New Zealand. For example, gigantic dogs and sheep in corrugated iron. And moses (?). I missed the stork in high heels. This is in Tirau, south of Auckland, New

Waiheke Island in Auckland Bay, New Zealand, is not a big wine region but it has several interesting wine producers. The biggest is Man O’War but we prefer to go to a smaller one. Podere

Admiring some of the most expensive farmland in the world. Looking out over the vines in the vineyard Le Montrachet in Puligny-Montrachet in Burgundy. They produce some of the world’s most highly appreciated chardonnay wines.

One of our favourite stops in Piedmont is at Bera. They are in Barbaresco but also make a number of other wines. For example, a vineyard barolo. We had a fabulous tasting of almost all

Sometimes it is not the most famous that impress. Not that Domaine Michel Magnien and Frederic Magnien, Morey St Denis, Bourgogne is a unkwown name. But it is slightly unusual. Eschewing barrel aging, in favour

If it is good weather, you’ll get brilliant views of the sea and of Auckland when you arrive in New Zealand. Auckand is not a very big city but do take a few days in

At small producer Champagne Michel Tixier in Chigny-les-Roses in Montagne de Reims, the riddling is made by hand.

Travelling with us to New Zealand, it is quite possible that you will meet some legendary pioneers, like Nigel Greening at Felton Road, Central Otago, New Zealand. Felton Road is one of the *greats* in

Maria Luz Marin is a true legend and pioneer in Chile. She created Casa Main and faced a lot of resistance from the “establishment” in the Chilean wine industry. Today she is supported by her

It is almost overwhelming, the aromas of truffles. There is plenty of truffles on the market in Alba that we visit on the Piedmont wine tour. But there are also many other delicious things, porcini

We had a fabulous lunch in Barolo, Piedmont, with some very nice barolos when we did the October Piemonte wine tour. GD Vajra,  Vietti… Food was delicious, just like the wines. It was hard to

Champagne Rutat in Vertus in Côte des Blancs is managed by brothers Flavien and Baptiste. A visit here is always very informative. Flavien showed us the winter pruning – here they use the chablis pruning

A quite exceptional tasting and cellar visit at Domaine Joseph Drouhin, Beaune, Burgundy. In the centre of town, underground, lurk some exceptional cellars and wine. After a windy walk in dark corridors, where we pass

When in Reims, don't miss the cathedral, a masterpiece and a part of French history. Tomorrow we start our wine tour.

Indeed it does. A wine tour in Tuscany often starts in Florence. That's a great opportunity for an evening walk. Perhaps a pizza and a glass of wine (or two). Florence is a*very* popular tourist destination

It is an amazing experience to go out on a tiny boat on the Tasman Glacier lake. It is next to New Zealand's highest mountain  3 724 m altitude,You float on the milky water (milky because of

What a magnificent lunch we had at the Villard Winery in Casablanca Valley in Chile. It is tucked away far awar from the motorway (where most wineries are) in a little side valley. Calm and

Lunch in gorgeous spring weather at Restaurant Prosper in pretty Burgundy village of Saint Aubin. Restaurant is owned by producer Prosper Maufoux and our view from the terrace was their vineyard Saint Aubin 1er Cru

It really feels very Italian when Signore Cassone receives us at the Bodega Familia Cassone Winery in Mendoza, Argentina. The enthusiasm, the engagement. And of course, the delicious wines. Having the tasting amongst the fermentation