Grower Champagnes have been increasing in stature and popularity for a number of years – and with good reason. Often, they present better value than the major houses with smaller production, meticulous winemaking and a passion for both their terroir and their wines that is hard to match in Champagne
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It is no secret, and widely documented here, that I am a big fan of Burgundy. If I could drink nothing but white and red Burgundy, I’d be a happy lad. There is a lot to know when it comes to Burgundy, but once you’ve done the hard work the rewards are well worth it.
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Last year I featured Vino Intrepido winemaker James Scarcebrook on the blog and at the time I promised a tasting note of the Nebbiolo. Well, I drunk that bottle and forgot about the note, but since then he’s gone from strength to strength so now felt like a good time to check in on some new release wines that will be hitting shelves soon.
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And now for something completely different…
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In the past I have made it known that I do not taste Hunter Valley wines for the blog, given that I was working for a Hunter Valley winery. Now that that has changed, I don’t feel compelled to live by that mantra any more. I still live in the Hunter, but I work with wineries from all over…. so everything is fair game in my books. And anyway, one of these wines is from Orange, NSW.
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Give anyone who has ever said ‘oh, I don’t drink Chardonnay’ a glass of high quality Chablis and I will almost guarantee they change their tune.
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Buying wine for tastings as part of the WSET Diploma has led me to some amazing bottles, but every now and then some of those bottles are kept for drinking, not tasting.
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Been a little bit of time since I wrote a tasting note here – writing tasting notes for study purposes drain the life out of you at times, but this wine is a cracker and I couldn’t resist putting something down. Full disclaimer: the wine was provided by the winemaker.
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When it comes to a wine to celebrate a special occasion, little comes close to Champagne. For me, however, Champagne doesn’t have to be simply reserved for times when a celebration is on the cards. If money was no object, I’d be drinking Champagne (by which I, of course, mean sparkling wines from the region of Champagne, France) every day.
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A passion for wine underpinned by a degree in winemaking and viticulture as well as the highest certification offered by the Wine & Spirits Education Trust - the Diploma in Wines, Phil Jones DipWSET provides a no-nonsense, no-BS, look at wine. You won't find scores here, just a brief window into some of the wines I like, some of the wines a love, and some that I clearly don't.
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