Secret Sommelier - Wine blog UK
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Wine interview series with producers and experts. Vineyard visits and tastings. Immersed in the enjoyment of everything associated with wines and vines, from the source to the glass...
Secret Sommelier - Wine blog UK
2w ago
Blend of Tempranillo, Graciano, Viura grapes - I asked for an unusual Rioja with a lighter touch. An interesting chat about Graciano ensued. It is being used more widely in Rioja adding perfume and a higher acid freshness. Evident in the primary floral note aromas.
Interesting to have the familiar tannic structure restrained and balanced by acidity.
Viura, the white grape widely planted in Rioja (Macabeo in France), also adds to the floral character. Viura also has decent aging potential so with these two grape varieties blended with more familiar Tempranillo, this is an unusual ..read more
Secret Sommelier - Wine blog UK
2M ago
88% Tempranillo, 9% Garnacha, 2% Graciano, 1% Maturana Tinta
12 months in American (70%) and French (30%) oak barrels ..read more
Secret Sommelier - Wine blog UK
2M ago
We are tasting with Nicola Chiucchiurlotto, founder of the organic Madrevite estate located on the border of Tuscany and Umbria on the undulating hills around lake Trasimeno.
A common thread in his wines is personality and accessibility, from the labels through to the energetic character of the wines themselves ..read more
Secret Sommelier - Wine blog UK
5M ago
On tis visit to Domaine Terra Noé in Ardeche, France, we meet Philippe Dry, the Diector General on a mission to improve winemaking and quality of the wines. After eight years, we get a chance to assess.
My first reference point for Ardeche wines is a black tie dinner about a decade ago. An elderly gentleman to my right, in an approving reference to the Ardeche Chardonnay being served with the smoked trout said, ‘When I’m driving through France, I always buy myself a few cases of deliciously rough Chardonnay from the Ardeche.’
"I think in the future, we have the ability here to prov ..read more
Secret Sommelier - Wine blog UK
6M ago
We are standing on the edge of the plot of vines called Madonnino (Little Madonna); vines laden with healthy tight dark bunches of Sangiovese grapes, waiting patiently for their divine passage through the pickers hands (mine in this case!), to the imposingly large red cement fermentation tanks, eventually seeking refuge in the large Slovenian oak barrels to begin the journey of maturation.
La Madonnino Vineyard - Tenuta Luce
The drive down towards Montalcino from Florence is a good opportunity to glance the Tuscan landscape, at times rising steeply into woodlands of chestnut and stone pine ..read more
Secret Sommelier - Wine blog UK
10M ago
The sun comes up over the vineyards, set among the Monferrato Hills, illuminating each undulation in subtle pinks against the Western Alps soaring skywards ..read more
Secret Sommelier - Wine blog UK
11M ago
I have a lucid memory of January 2006, standing with a friend in the biting cold (-6ºC) North Italian town of Bassano del Grappa, watching huddles of ladies wrapped in animal furs, generating heat with the ferocity of their chatter, set against the majestic mountain from which the town gets its name, as does a familiar digestivo, itself a warming rejoinder to the icy breeze chapping my lips ..read more
Secret Sommelier - Wine blog UK
11M ago
The London Wine Fair 2023 (LWF23) is partnering with the Porto Protocol and Sustainable Wine Solutions to collect data by analysing the estimated 30k empty bottles consumed at the fair. The data sample will be used to inform reusable wine bottle schemes, in an effort to reduce carbon emissions. Reusing bottles is not new but is currently underutilised. It is also a pragmatic way to engage wine producers and consumers in moves towards sustainable and circular economy based solutions.
The emissions generated from packaging have been identified as the largest and wine professionals have been l ..read more
Secret Sommelier - Wine blog UK
1y ago
There’s a cool breeze blowing in across Lake Garda and, despite the record breaking drought of Italy’s ’22 summer, the horizon line between the lake and sky is a silky, silvery grey, with the lower ranges of mountains fading in and out of vision; rain threatens.  ..read more
Secret Sommelier - Wine blog UK
1y ago
Brendan Barrett tastes two rosés with varied responses. But the big question he is asking is whether rosé might actually grow up into something much more revered ..read more