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The heavy cost of severe spring frosts
As we edge towards summer, it is all too easy to forget that much of Northern Europe suffered devastating spring frosts only a matter of weeks ago. A lack of cloud cover over many of Europe’s vineyards on several consecutive nights in early April allowed Jack Frost to wreak havoc on vines, freezing and killing a significant amount of young
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The Judgement of Paris: The contest that put California on the wine map
45 years ago – on 24 May 1976 – wine history was made. A high-powered panel of nine French wine experts took their seats at a blind wine tasting in Paris where some of France’s finest wines, from the hallowed cellars of Bordeaux and Burgundy, were pitted against relatively unknown Californian offerings. What followed has since become
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Hello Darkness, my Old Friend…
There are some occasions when only a deep, dark brooding wine will suffice. And one of the darkest (almost inky-black) wines is made from the thick-skinned Tannat grape. Its thick skins mean that the resulting wines can have very high tannin levels. So high that, in the grape’s Southern French birthplace of Madiran, they use the
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How to open a bottle of fizz with finesse
Is there anything more satisfying than the pop of a Champagne cork to signal that your favourite fizz is about to be served? However, cracking open a bottle of sparkling wine can be a dangerous affair. This is because built up pressure can force the cork out of bottle at a speed of almost 25 miles per hour!
Be honest: Have
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Celebrate International Women’s Day by Raising a Glass to Wine’s Female Trailblazers
What better day is there than International Women’s Day to raise a toast to the inspirational women in wine who have helped shape, what has traditionally been, a male-dominated industry? There have been so many trailblazers that it is impossible to put together a comprehensive list. However, here are three dynamic women who have broken down
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Txakoli: The Basque Country’s Spritzy Secret
If you’ve been lucky enough to visit the charming seaside city of San Sebastián in Spain’s fiercely independent Basque Country or wander through the dark crooked streets of Bilbao’s old town, you are probably familiar with the region’s very own style of tapas – pintxos. What you may not realise is these small pieces of bread –
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Sherry is becoming chic again
Sherry is possibly the most misunderstood and under-rated style of wine in the UK, with many consumers still perceiving it as a sticky sweet tipple for grandmas at Christmas or a key ingredient in a boozy trifle. Either way, we have been missing a trick because the sherry that cultured Spaniards are sipping in Seville’s trendy tapas bars
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The Many Faces of Chardonnay
I have lost count of the number of times that someone has told me that they dislike Chardonnay but love Chablis - or sometimes, the reverse. However, in order for a wine to use the designation of Chablis on its label, it must be made from 100% Chardonnay grapes.
So how can it be that someone who professes to adore Chablis be so opposed
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Indulgent French Wines to Impress your Valentine
St. Valentine’s Day is just around the corner but this year we won’t be able to indulge our loved ones with an intimate meal at our favourite restaurant or an impromptu European city break. Instead, we will need to find other ways to make the 14th February extra special, in the comfort of our own homes. So, as France has the
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Malbec: Catapulted from Humble French Roots to Global Super-Stardom
If you ask people to name a wine from Argentina, their initial response is usually “Malbec” and with good reason. In the past few decades, the country’s most widely planted red grape variety has become as synonymous with Argentina as tango and gauchos. Currently, Argentina accounts for around 75% of Malbec production and interest
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The World of Slurp
