Keeping Cool in Casablanca
When imagining âcool climateâ wines, what springs to my mind first is the image of soggy, wet vines and miserable days of drizzle that leave your head firmly in the clouds â and not in a good way. Spending the first 25 years of my life in England probably didnât help that image. But in […]
Argentina’s 10 Most Expensive Wines
Written for Wine-Seacher, 8 Jan 2014 You wonât see Argentina headlining wine auctions yet, but the worldâs fifth-largest producer is beginning to make collectible wines. At this stage, buyers are more likely to have romantic reasons for embracing Argentina, though producers hope that wine investors may soon follow them into the market. âMost of our […]
On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me⊠Luigi Bosca Icono!
Greedy as I am, Iâm going to open a nice bottle of wine each day that leads up to Christmas. Today a bottle of Luigi Bosca Icono arrived on my doorstep â holidays are coming! A fourth generation family in Argentina, the Arizu clan have been pumping out wine in Mendoza since the Italian immigrant […]
My night in with Angelica…
When you have a good wine in your hands, it can actually be very difficult to open it. I’ve been harbouring a special bottle of 10 year old Angelica Zapata Malbec from Mendoza for a while now and although I have no doubt the wine would keep for a couple more years (I can’t say […]
36 hours in Santiago: Gourmet Tour
Chile is a foodie’s paradise. With almost all the climates you can ask for, the long stretch of this thin country has mountains, valleys, forests and a massive coastline. But fortunately for those with only a short time on their hands, you don’t need to travel the entire length of the country in search for […]
36 hours in Mendoza: Wine Lover
When you come to the land of sunshine and wine, there’s no excuse not to emerge yourself in the juice of the gods for the entire length of your stay. Whether you are a novice or a complete oenophile there are plenty of indulgent wine related activities to keep you merry for your entire trip. […]
Taming Torrontes, Argentina’s volatile grape
© Amanda Barnes | Marcos Etchart’s boutique winery, Yacochuya, in high-altitude Cafayate Just like an adolescent, the torrontes grape is unpredictable, idiosyncratic, and has yet to settle on a permanent style. By Amanda Barnes | Written for Wine-Searcher When wine lovers think of Argentina, it’s usually the malbec grape that springs to mind. But that could be set to change, […]
Sicily: A rummage through Godâs larder
Written for the Circle Update, Circle of Wine Writers Some people call Sicily âGodâs kitchenâ and its not hard to see why. A bountiful coast filled with sea creatures coming from the Mediterranean Sea and coast of Africa; an agriculturally rich land with sunny climes with cool coastal areas as well as sub tropical heat; and a […]
Touring Sicily’s vineyards…
Written for the Circle Update, Circle of Wine Writers Tasca dâAlmerita âYou are home!â Conrad Maurigi said as we arrived. âIf only!â would have been my response, not from being tired on last stop of the week but because Tasca dâAlmerita is a place of sublime beauty. Lolloping hillsides striped with green vines and studded […]
Mapping out Chilean wine and gastronomy
 Written for The International Wine & Food Society There arenât many places that can boast the prodigious geographical diversity of Chile: deep forests buffeted by creeping glaciers; sun cracked deserts and white washed salt flats; snowcapped mountains, smoking volcanoes and the dizzying heights of the Andes; fertile valleys with rolling hillsides; and an enviable expanse […]
