I've decided that I love Nebbiolo. It's so uncommercial, making wines that are pale in colour, brutally tannic, high in acid, complex in flavour, and generally hard to get.
Far too much serious wine talk of late. Haven't mentioned Rosie The Labradoodle (RTL) for ages. 
Over recent years I've focused a lot on Portugal, but not so much on Spain. It's something I may change: I'm tasting quite a lot of interesting Spanish wines of late, but in the past I had problems with the Spanish tendency to use too much [...] 
Just come back from a quick trip from Bordeaux with fellow wine journo Tim Atkin. We were visiting Dourthe, one of the larger negociants who own several properties spread across the region.
Last year I really enjoyed visiting Oregon for the first time, and developed a liking for Oregon Pinot Noir. Here's a really good one that I cracked open last night, and am finishing off tonight.
Really enjoying this world-class dry Riesling from Luxembourg. It's just perfectly balanced.
Americans like to eat dinner early. When I arrived at Bottega for dinner with Steve Lagier and Carole Meredith, some people we already finishing their main courses, and it was just 6.30 pm.
Just about to catch the BART to the airport on my way home from San Francisco. It has been a really fun trip. I spent this morning wandering around the city, and bought a bag, some bubblewrap, sticky tape and scissors. This was to pack three [...] 
Tonight was the last of my brief California trip. The focus today was on closures, and a large panel of technical people were gathered to discuss the structure of a forthcoming closures trial which will be sponsored by Oeneo. Actually, it's not a closures trial, but [...] 
For my next visit I was off to Carneros, the cooler-climate bit of Napa at the south of the valley, where the influence of breezes from the San Francisco bay are more keenly felt. This is where Pinot Noir and Chardonnay thrive, and Saintsbury was my [...] 
Schramsberg is my second visit. On a spellbindingly crisp, sunny morning I meet with Keith Hock, the winemaker here. Schramsberg reeks of history. When Jack and Jamie Davies brought the property in 1965 it was pretty much abandoned, and they decided to make wine here again. [...] 
I arrived at San Francisco airport on a gorgeous late autumn day, just after 2 pm. After clearing homeland security and picking up a hire car, it was already 3.15 pm – travelling with just hand luggage, something I was very proud of, hadn't really saved' [...] 
The biggest threat to the wine trade in the UK isn’t supermarket 3-for-£10 offers.
It’s neoprohibitionism. I think the moral panic surrounding alcohol is a huge threat to the drinks industry, because I can’t see it stopping.
The targeting of middle-aged drinkers enjoying a bottle of wine over dinner is [...]
I followed the recent Wine Future conference via a combination of Twitter and the live feed on the Catavino blog. I’m so glad I didn’t go. By all accounts, several of the speakers misjudged the event and simply used their slot as a promotional vehicle for their own ventures. [...]
Spent today in Leeds. It’s actually the first time I’ve been to this city, although aside from three nice pubs, I didn’t see all that much of it.
I was one of the four judges of the annual beer writers’ awards. In case you are wondering, [...]
So you've got your head round the new Chilean cool-climate regions: Leyda, San Antonio, Elqui, Limari. Here's another for you - coastal Colchagua. And this Sauvignon Blanc is the first wine to be released from this new region, in vineyards recently planted at Paredones, just six [...] 
On my last visit to New Zealand, one of the many highlights was visiting Daniel Schuster in Waipara. He wasn't there, but the vineyard was spellbindingly beautiful, and the wines elegantly European in style.
So, after my recent trip, here are my thoughts on the state of South African wine. [Caveat: I'm not pretending that this is in any way anything more than my own personal perspective, so please excuse the presumption. And I know that I have just scratched' [...] 
The final day of my South African itinerary was a really good one, only partially spoiled by some really awful weather. From lunchtime onwards, it poured with rain in true English fashion. This was pretty annoying, because we had left some time free in the afternoon [...] 
Had a great day today, even though for most of it the rain was lashing down in vast sheets. We began with another larger producer, continuing yesterday's theme: DGB, hosted at Boschendal. They have a range of brands, including Douglas Green, Bellingham, Franschoek Cellar, Boschendal and' [...] 
I'm off soon (50 minutes) to South Africa for a five-day trip. It's the first time I've been since December 2005, when I tagged on a three day wine segment on the back of a scientific conference - those were the days when I had to' [...] 
Got a good deal yesterday. I was allowed to take my brother-in-law Dave out to watch Quins vs. London Irish at the Stoop (for the benefit of non-sporty types, this is rugby union), while the rest of the extended family went off to Thorpe Park for [...]
Some pictures from a truly exciting day spent in Tulbagh, Paardeberg and Paarl.
