Insider’s Guide: Where to eat & drink in California
It’s hard to eat poorly in California. The state is a hotbed of fusion cuisine and has a pantry filled to the brim with delicious local produce – from the garden, farm and sea. Californian cuisine today is known for its blend of Italian, French, Mexican, Chinese and Japanese cooking styles using the plethora of […]
Wine festivals in South America
South Americans know how to throw a party, and almost before the first grape has been picked, the harvest is being celebrated with wine festivals across the Southern Cone. Traditionally the fiesta de vendimia (harvest festival) was a small celebration in the villages to celebrate the end of the harvest and a good vintage – […]
Pioneering island viticulture in Chile
Montes planted two hectares of vines this month on the small isle of Mechuque, on the eastern side of the Chiloé Archipelago, which lies more than 600 miles south of Santiago. It is one of the world’s southernmost plantings at a latitude of 42.6° S and a landmark experiment for island viticulture in Chile. Despite its […]
Climate change: The next frontier
Some areas of Chile and Argentina are experiencing changes in the frequency and severity of weather extremes. While many winemaking regions struggle to adapt, there are some visionary producers who see it as an opportunity to explore. Amanda Barnes investigates… Decanter July 2017Decanter July 2017 THE WINE MAP is undeniably changing. The worldwide phenomenon of […]
Argentina Harvest Report 2017
Off the back of a very wet El Niño vintage last year, it was a relief for winemakers in Argentina to return to its more characteristic dry climate. Although quality is considered high across the board, damaging spring frosts significantly reduced the quantity. ‘2017 is a fantastic harvest in terms of quality,’ said Santiago Achaval, winemaker […]
Harvest Report Chile 2017
‘It has been the earliest harvest I remember,’ said winemaker Marcelo Retamal, comparing 2017 to the last two decades of Chilean vintages. Chile’s 2017 harvest arrived up to a month early in some regions, but was also notable for high temperatures and low yields. ‘2017 is clearly an atypical vintage, marked by extremely high temperatures, […]
Chile fires: 100-year-old vines lost in ‘national catastrophe’
Written for Decanter, January 2017 Century-old vines have been destroyed and up to 100 vineyards damaged in wildfires that Chilean authorities have declared the ‘worst forestry disaster in the nation’s history’. The viticultural fallout of the forest fires still raging in Chile has begun to emerge, with century-old vineyards burnt to cinders and small producers […]
North America 2016 Harvest, Decanter October 2016
Written for Decanter.com North America’s 2016 vintage saw advanced harvests across the board, with some of the earliest picking dates on record. Despite the early start many regions experienced cooler ripening periods, and drought was less of a defining characteristic than last year. California A warm spring jump-started the Californian season up to a month […]
Uruguay: More than Tannat, Decanter October 2016
A vast array of soils and terroirs gives this diminutive but plucky nation the tools it needs to forge a strong identity of its own, says Amanda Barnes. And it’s the growing reputation of Uruguay’s white wines that’s grabbing the attention… Read the full article here, Decanter October 2016 Read more on Uruguay on […]
Chile Harvest Report 2016
Written for Decanter April showers hit the Chile 2016 vintage, with some producers describing conditions as more like those on France’s Atlantic coast and overall production down by a fifth versus 2015. With wine regions spanning over 1000km, the Chile 2016 vintage was always going to have regional variation. But, most areas experienced a cooler […]
