Decanter

My friend was dining the other night at a London restaurant that is part of a very well-respected chef’s stable. I’ll spare their blushes by not naming the venue. Spotting an orange wine on the list and unfamiliar with the style, she asked the waitre

Availability should rise on some Burgundy wines in this month’s 2022-vintage en primeur campaign, following limited releases last year, merchants have said. Alongside high-quality red and white wines, Burgundy’s 2022 vintage represents a return to ‘m

Artificial intelligence has demonstrated its potential to develop a world-beating palate after the technology was used to identify Bordeaux wines’ precise origins by analysing chemical markers. Researchers employed an existing analytical technique kn

Following the launch of a new rosé Champagne from his brand Porte Noire, internationally renowned actor Idris Elba talks to Natalie Earl about his foray into Champagne, and bringing it back down to earth. ‘It wasn’t a conscious choice to be part of

Mindful drinking specialist Club Soda is running tailored tastings at its London shop, to help individuals or groups identify the best no- and/or low-alcohol drinks for their needs and tastes. The sessions, which are popular especially with those loo

Search for ‘Professor David Nutt’ wherever you look for your podcasts, and you’ll find many individual episodes of different series featuring the neuropsychopharmacologist and former UK Government advisor. He details the science of alcohol consumptio

Radisson Collection Tsinandali, Kakheti, Georgia Nestled in the heart of Georgia’s Kakheti wine region, a two-hour drive from capital Tbilisi, the Radisson Collection Tsinandali hotel is set in the grounds of the historic Chavchavadze estate (the 19t

Or to give it its full title, Wine Witch on Fire: Rising from the Ashes of Divorce, Defamation and Drinking Too Much. It’s an honest memoir, written by award-winning US wine writer Natalie MacLean, charting how she overcame struggles in her life, per

Visiting Argentina soon? There’s plenty to feast on. The South American country already bears three stars on its soccer jersey for thrice winning the FIFA World Cup and, following the country’s inaugural Michelin Guide launch in late November last ye

The Alsace town of Riquewihr was where I found them. Amarch up the cobbled Rue du Général de Gaulle, past the coloured, half-timbered houses, to a shop called L’Aventure. Not misnamed: it was chaos in there. The wine glasses I wanted were hiding in a

Recognition of a wine region outside its own borders often depends on its success with a well-known variety or a singular style. Varietal diversity proves much harder to market. The most famous regions in the world illustrate this model: Napa Valley

So this no and low-alcohol thing is a bit trendy, isn’t it? It is indeed. The fastest growing part of the drinks world, in fact. Some of the biggest names have given it their blessing. Who? Jancis? Parker? Aubert de Villaine? Kylie Minogue, Lewis Ham

T he 2022 growing season from April to September saw near-record heat and sunshine for the Burgundy region, but well-timed rains helped to deliver grapes that exhibited few characteristics of a hot summer. The fruit was healthy and ripe, with often l

When you notch up 20 years doing something, there is always an urge to look back, picking out the highlights and the lowlights while trying to plot a course for the future. I used to host a wine slot on the BBC’s London FM radio station GLR back in t

Greece and South Africa were the stars of our two-day Wines of the Year blind tasting, between them taking home the White, Red and Offbeat Wine of the Year gongs (turn the page to find out who they are), and with 14 other wines earning an average of

For this year’s 2024 edition, I have left as few stones unturned as possible, drawing as extensively as I can both on recent tastings as well as the vinous vestiges of my own ‘cellar’ in these anniversary vintages. More importantly, I have tapped int

1 Domaine des Comtes Lafon, Montrachet Grand Cru 99 This wine is among the greatest whites in Burgundy in 2022 (as is often the case), with a profusion of ripe tropical fruit, nectarine and peach aromas, accents of butter, soft white blossoms and spi

While some of us may be taking a break from alcohol in the new year (see ‘Five of the best’, opposite), for the rest of us, the first of January is World Bloody Mary Day. This classic vodka-and-tomato-juice cocktail is also a winning hangover cure, a

Apopular ingredient, chicken is as much a grocery favourite for midweek, minimal-fuss dinners as it is for more indulgent, celebratory weekend cooking. Its versatility is very much its selling point. Stating the obvious, we should all be buying the b

Only a 90-minute ferry ride from Vancouver in Canada’s western province of British Columbia (BC), or a 50-minute seaplane journey from Seattle in the US, a lush isle beckons with artisanal wineries and a unique climate. It’s Vancouver Island, a relat

ACCOMMODATION Brentwood Bay Resort This waterfront sanctuary offers luxurious accommodations, spa indulgence and panoramic views. It’s a tranquil escape where elegance meets natural beauty. brentwoodbayresort.com Oceanfront Suites at Cowichan Bay Pe

Each month our experts answer your burning wine questions. Email your queries to [email protected] If polyphenols are the ‘healthy’ component of red wine (as in the ‘French paradox’), does this mean skin-contact/orange wines, such as qvevri and na

For almost 50 years, Decanter has been an authority on wine – in print, and now in print and online – providing readers around the world with expert, trusted and independent recommendations of what to buy, drink and cellar. Behind these recommendatio

Dolcetto is the third-most important red grape variety in Piedmont, after Nebbiolo and Barbera. Although most closely associated with Piedmont, it is also grown in Lombardy, Liguria and the island of Sardinia, though often under other names (Ormeasco

For a long time, New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc has been ‘a safe banker’, as judge Cat Lomax said. ‘A wine you could pick up knowing exactly what to expect in the glass.’ The top-line results (see ‘The scores’, below) suggest a solid tasting, but the re

When I arrived in Strasbourg some 25 years ago, in France’s northeast, I could not have imagined Pinot Noir from Alsace standing up to fine Pinot Noir wines from Oregon in the US northwest or New Zealand, let alone fine Burgundy, in a blind tasting.

Auction house Sotheby’s has offered the first wines from major private collector Pierre Chen via a two-day sale in Hong Kong, with buyers swooping for blue-chip rarities. Not all lots found buyers, but Sotheby’s reported total sales still hit HK$131m

Bordeaux has benefited from buyers’ ‘flight to quality’ in an uncertain market, according to a recent report, as separate analysis digs deeper into the longer-term price trajectory of ‘legendary’ five-star Bordeaux vintages. Thirty Bordeaux wines fea

How did you get here? I joined The World 15 years ago, after working as a waitress at a fine-dining restaurant in Germany. Coming from eastern Europe, which was still emerging after the fall of the Iron Curtain, I had never encountered the professio