Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2023 i Decanter

Look out for more Rhône white wines in restaurants and retailers in the next few years, after regional body Inter Rhône said it wanted to increase production and focus. ‘Rhône Valley vineyards have always produced great white wines,’ said Inter Rhône president Philippe Pellaton, adding that they ‘deserve more recognition’. There are ‘many real gems’ across different appellations, from ‘fresh and lively wines, to more fleshy and fruity wines, to wines for ageing’, Pellaton said. Star Napa Valley winemaking couple Andy Erickson and Annie Favia will move the home of Favia wines from Coombsville to an estate in the prestigious Oakville area, via a partnership with the Huneeus family. A new winery will be built. ‘It’s a great opportunity to bring our philosophy of farming and winemaking to a broader…

WIN A MAGNUM OF CHAMPAGNE BOLLINGER Wine is all about opinions, so why not share yours? If you are amused, enraged or intrigued by anything you’ve read in Decanter or on decanter.com, write or email us at the address listed above. Each month the sender of our star letter will receive a magnum of Champagne Bollinger, courtesy of Mentzendorff, the UK agent (mentzendorff.co.uk). An intense discussion I’m sure I wasn’t alone in enjoying Hugh Johnson’s column in your December edition, lured in as I was by the use of the word ‘comatose’ in the quote. At the end of the article he muses that ‘intensity’ is not one of the key words in wine textbooks – which I was surprised to read. As a WSET student I would like to…

S ippingon the delicious Hambledon Vineyard, Première Cuvée Brut last night, I couldn’t help thinking about the late Steven Spurrier and his Judgement of Paris blind tasting in 1976, which single-handedly put Californian wines on the map. I’m a massive fan of English sparkling wines, which are getting better with every vintage, aided by the changing climate, of course – the grapes are filling up with sun, and you can taste that in the glass. So how can we convince consumers not to overlook English sparkling wine, and show them that it is a real contender: often just as good, if not better than Champagne? Perhaps by pitting the two against each other in a special blind tasting by the experts, Judgement of Paris style. Judgement of London, let’s say……

Among Spain’s regions, with their unrivalled patchwork of terroirs and old vines, Catalonia is often seen as something of an underachiever: a region characterised by the wholesale dominance of big players – of Cava and cooperatives; by a lack of confidence in its winemaking heritage. Thankfully this is changing. Across the region – atriangle of territory in Spain’s far northeastern corner – wines of individuality, vitality and terroir expression are being made by winemakers with a newfound confidence in their own grape varieties and their own land. Typically these are young winemakers who have travelled widely, have studied together, and now work in a spirit of community to learn, improve and promote their region’s identity. REFRESHED TRADITION Priorat has had its Burgundy-style quality pyramid since 2019 (applied retrospectively from the…

The world of rum is an exciting place to be at the moment, particularly when it comes to dark and spiced rums. A host of innovative players are developing new products, and there are a number of brand-new, craft producers opening up in unlikely, distinctly ‘un-rummy’ locations. It’s easy to see why. According to data from market analyst NielsenIQ, the rum category surpassed £1 billion in sales in the UK in the 12 months to July 2022, actually putting it ahead of whisky for the first time. This achievement is said to be driven by increased interest from younger drinkers (aged 18-34) and also by the perception of freedom that comes with rum for both producers and consumers: a spirit with limitless serves and flavour potential. A COLOURFUL CONUNDRUM ‘Dark…

Wendouree pilgrimage TINA GELLIE After visiting 20 wineries, meeting many more winemakers and tasting countless wines in Western Australia’s Margaret River in late November, I flew to South Australia for a second, even more hectic week of visits and tastings on my whistlestop ‘Decanter Down Under’ tour. In the Clare Valley, I was lucky enough to secure a visit to Wendouree Cellars, run by Tony Brady and his wife Lita since 1974. The Bradys are wonderfully lo-fi. There is no website or email, or any sales, marketing or distributor to contact. There is not even a cellar door to drive up to. You have to make a (rarely secured) appointment by phone or letter. Tony keeps paper records of his loyal customers and posts an annual mail order form. Snail…

Sotheby’s has reported record wine and spirits auction sales of US$150m (£123m) during 2022, with momentum propelled by more first-time buyers. Sotheby’s said auction sales rose by nearly 14% on the previous year’s total of $132m, which was itself a record. In a further sign of the fine wine market expanding its reach, Sotheby’s said 50% of buyers were new to its auctions. Jamie Ritchie, worldwide chairman of Sotheby’s Wine & Spirits, told Decanter: ‘We’re growing the spirits business pretty aggressively, particularly in the Americas, and that will naturally bring in new buyers, but we’re seeing it in the wine market as well, and we’re seeing it across all locations.’ Burgundy wines made up 51% of the sales total, while Bordeaux accounted for 20%. Spirits made up 15% of global…

TIM ATKIN MW is a Decanter contributing editor and awarded wine journalist, author, broadcaster, judge and photographer. He publishes timatkin.com, where his 2022 Rías Baixas Top 100 report is available now at just £5 SARAH JANE EVANS MW is an awarded journalist, author and broadcaster, a DWWA Co-Chair, and chair of Spain’s Gran Orden de Caballeros del Vino. Her new book The Wines of Central and Southern Spain is set for release in early 2024 SHAWN HENNESSEY is a food and wine writer and a Sherry educator. Born in Canada, she has lived in Seville, Spain for 30 years. Find her work, life and details of her Sevilla food and wine tours, at azahar-sevilla.com NEIL RIDLEY is a writer, educator and consultant on spirits and cocktails. Author or co-author of…

The current chair of the board of directors for the Court of Master Sommeliers, Americas discusses the current state of the Court in the US, her favourite wines and the upcoming Women’s Sommelier Symposium, taking place on 19-22 February in Santa Barbara County, California ‘Certainly, we’ve had a lot of drama with the Court of Master Sommeliers, as well as scandal. The symposium, though, came about as a larger question… As Master Sommeliers, we would look at our programmes and see that, at the beginning levels, we have a lot of women participating. [But] as we go up to the higher and higher levels of exams, it was clear that the ratio of men to women dramatically changes. ‘Much of it came down to women not feeling that sense of…

With its complex history and culture, generally fine weather, wide variety of landscapes, and top-quality food and wines, it’s no surprise that Spain is one of the world’s top travel destinations. But given such a range of choice, especially for the wine-loving traveller, decisions need to be made when planning a trip. Is it better to travel around and see as many different places as possible? Or should you explore just one or two places in sufficient depth to feel that you really get to know them? Somewhere in between is the art of the day trip, choosing a place as your base of operations to explore properly, while supplementing your visit with excursions to other nearby locations. Here we’ve put together a selection of day trips from popular destinations.…

Decidedly distinct from one another, Italy’s 20 regions present fascinating diversity in their grapes and wines. Each region has its own identity, but when considered as a whole, the country’s production regularly rivals that of France as the largest producer in the world. For its scale and notable breadth, judging of Italian wines at the Decanter World Wine Awards involves six regionally focused panels including Piedmont, Veneto, Northern Italy, Tuscany, Central Italy and Southern. Each team of specialists is led by a Regional Chair; flights are categorised and judged within each region by colour, grape, style, vintage and price, with top results highlighting outstanding wines of typicity. In the 2022 competition, Italy was awarded more medals than any other country. There were many top-medal best performances, from Sardinia and Marche…

A fewyears ago, I found myself with a free afternoon in the Priorat region of Catalonia in northeast Spain and set off on the back roads to lose myself (and all sense of direction) in its rugged hills. Through the rolled-down windows, the breeze carried the wonderful scents of wild flowers and sotobosque (garrigue) undergrowth and, while the summer sun was harsh, at times blinding, it gradually gave way to the softer hues of a Mediterranean evening: glowing, shimmering, a final warm embrace before nightfall. This Decanter tasting of Priorat wines brought to mind that moment in time and took the judging panel on a journey through the region’s varied landscapes, its bright and bold styles as well as its more subtle nuances and its unique Catalan character. The panel…

88 Menestrello, Prosecco, Veneto, Italy NV V £8 Morrisons A mouthwatering Prosecco featuring salted citrus on the nose, and crunchy green fruits with a touch of ripe red apple peel on the palate. Just off-dry, 85% Glera and 15% Pinot Bianco, the 14.5g/L of sugar is refreshed by a solid line of acidity, leading to a clean finish. SW Alcohol 11% 92 Château la Canorgue, Luberon, Rhône, France 2021 O £17.75 Yapp Bros The vines for this blend are grown at altitude on the Montagne du Luberon. 2021 was a cooler vintage, too, so this has a leafy freshness and crisp acidity. Unoaked, it spends four months on fine lees before bottling. Juicy stone fruit, and a sprinkling of herbs. Delightful. AW Alc 13% 92 Kurtatsch, Caliz Chardonnay, Alto…

Following a boozy festive period, I decided to start the new year under alcoholic austerity and partake in Dry January. This made reading January’s edition rather challenging, particularly perusing through ‘Wines of the Year’, where the judges’ descriptions led to a Pavlovian response. In particular the López de Haro 2004 Rioja seemed a fitting way to break my abstinence, so I ordered a bottle in preparation for February 1st. I also liked the look of the Mauro Molino 2017 Barolo – perfect for February 2nd. As it stands I have a bottle lined up for each day until the 14th – I’m not too sure this exercise in willpower has achieved much... Alex Segar, London Coincidentally, recent research suggests that while alcohol sales take a hit during Dry January, our…

Rías Baixas My first visit to Galicia a decade ago was on a wine trip. Or so I had been led to believe. The invitation had come from the Rías Baixas regional consejo, after all, and, as I leafed through the schedule over breakfast on my first day, I found a list of producers’ addresses that, put together, charted a mazy course around the fjords, estuaries and wide beaches of the home of Albariño. But the first stop of the week was not a winery or a vineyard or a tasting room. Our hosts had instead decided to collect us from our hotel in the centre of the estuary town of Pontevedra and take us on a short stroll to the Lérez river waterfront to visit the Mercado de Abastos…

Côte-Rôtie 1 KEY PRODUCER Domaine François Merlin 96 Introverted on the nose, then powerful and concentrated on the palate. The muscular, rounded tannins are a Côte Brune-side calling card, further buttressed by firm, dry oak tannins. It’s long and powerful but fresh, with the piercing acidity to propel it long into the future. A mineral edge brings further freshness and texture. Grown on lieu-dit Montlys, aged 18 months in four- to nine-yearold barriques and demi-muids. 4,000 bottles produced. Drink 2026-2037 Alcohol 13% KEY PRODUCER Domaine JP Jamet, Côte Brune 96 A gorgeous floral nose, like a rose. It’s silky and approachable. A drier impression than a typical year but great freshness and energy. Balanced acidity, no greenness, just ripe. Not as long as in some years, but precise and…

The arrival of premium vodka can be traced back to the 1990s, when the category’s overall popularity had gone stratospheric. Led by new brands such as Belvedere and Grey Goose, these spirits came in sleek, eye-catching bottles, and captured the imagination of drinkers around the globe. 1 Absolut Elyx, Sweden £33.95-£45/70cl Amathus Drinks, Amazon, Drink Supermarket, Harvey Nichols, Milroy’s, Ocado, The Champagne Co, The Whisky Exchange The luxury expression of Absolut, Elyx is made with winter wheat from the Råbelöf estate in southern Sweden, where wheat has been grown since the 15th century. Distillation occurs in a manually operated copper column still, and the result is a silky vodka with flavours of nutty granola, ginger, fresh-baked baguette and fudge. Alcohol 42.3% 2 Belvedere,Poland £31.49-£40/70cl Amazon, Drink Supermarket, Gerry’s, Harvey Nichols,…

Albariño is the star white variety of Galicia, and specifically of Rías Baixas. Other producers in Spain may make it, in Mediterranean and central regions, but nowhere does it do better than on the granite soils and in the maritime climate not far from the pilgrim city of Santiago de Compostela. Pilgrims are important to Albariño’s story – just as they are with so many varieties. Possibly Albariño came from the pilgrims journeying north through Portugal. Or possibly it went back south with them. Whichever it was, I have – as an Albariño lover – to confess that northern Portugal’s Alvarinho, especially in the Monção e Melgaço region, is a delight. (In the comparative panel tasting in Decanter’s September 2021 issue, the Spanish and Portuguese versions came neck and neck.)…

93 Artelium, Blanc de Blancs, East Sussex, England 2015 £48 Artelium Sourced from a single vineyard in Hampshire, this is a delicate 100% Chardonnay. There’s a touch of peppery spiciness on the attack, followed by juicy grapefruit, egg tart and citrus zest. High acidity leads the way, with umami and brioche catching up on the finish. SW Alc 12% 92 Talbott, Sleepy Hollow Chardonnay, Santa Lucia Highlands, California, USA 2018 £33.50 Strictly Wine A spiced butter creaminess dominates – almost Indian spices – with notes of orange citrus, pineapple and juicy apple. There’s a warmth from the toasty oak, and a mealy, yeasty roundness. Cool-climate elegance with generosity of fruit. AW Alc 14% 92 Elena Walch, Vigna Castel Ringberg Pinot Grigio, Alto Adige, Italy 2020 £29 Armit An impressive Pinot…

Inside a professional’s everyday life How did you get here? I knew nothing about wine until a colleague ordered a bottle of Riesling at a working lunch in Frankfurt (I was working in finance, in Germany, at the time). That first sip made such an impression that I immediately started studying wine and visiting wineries in Europe. I was convinced that my skill set was transferable to the wine business, and it was easy to visualise the impact I could make in Africa, so when the timing was right I made the leap, and haven’t looked back since. What’s the best thing about your job? Helping people discover new wines and ensuring that varied wines are available and appreciated in this market gives me a huge sense of accomplishment. And…