By Dan Coward, http://spitbuckets.wordpress.com/
How can this edition of 30 Days be dominated by anything other than a sensational 2 day visit to Wither Hills and the beautiful Marlborough region? And to top it off, a quick stop in Wellington to see ex-Bibendumite Vince Labat and family.
The sun beat down as we set off around the vineyards with chief winemaker Ben Glover. I …
By Rebecca Gibb, http://www.rebeccagibb.com/
I’ve been researching lower alcohol wines lately and it just so happens, Wine Intelligence has too. The UK wine trade is really trying to look responsible at the moment and a raft of new ‘lower alcohol’ wines were launched at the recent London International Wine Fair.
But it’s not clear whether the consumer actually wants lower alcohol wines. So, we might have …
By Rebecca Gibb, http://www.rebeccagibb.com/
It was a man’s man’s man’s world, according to James Brown back in 1966, but the sentiment still holds today. Thankfully, things have changed a lot in the past 40 years and there are many successful women in the wine industry including Margaux’s Corinne Mentzelopoulos (good luck pronouncing that one after a few glasses of claret), Gina Gallo, and Jancis Robinson MW.
Yet the …
By Rebecca Gibb, http://www.rebeccagibb.com/
Pinot Gris clusters
Winemakers generally dislike Pinot Gris: it’s not that aromatic, normally has low acidity and let’s face it, it doesn’t set anyone’s world on fire in the same way as Riesling or Pinot Noir.
But it sells. And that means it’s a money spinner which keeps the wine business in business. Last week I …
By Rebecca Gibb, http://www.rebeccagibb.com/
Vineyards looking over Cape Town
South Africa is now selling more wine in the UK than France. You would have got very long odds for that happening if you’d placed a bet 15 years ago.
The latest Nielsen stats put three New World countries on the UK’s best-selling rostrum: Australia, the US (well, California) …
By Rebecca Gibb, http://www.rebeccagibb.com/
Hawke's Bay
Hawke’s Bay producers based close to the Gimblett Gravels in ‘The Triangle’ are planning to group together to gain international recognition for their terroir.
While still embryonic, producers including Bridge Pa and Alpha Domus aim to form a ‘Triangle’ association to compete with their well-known neighbours Gimblett Gravels.
Paul Ham, Managing Director at Alpha Domus, said, “We are constantly bombarded …
By Rebecca Gibb, www.rebeccagibb.com
One drop of rotundone is enough to make an Olympic size swimming pool smell peppery. One gram of this potent stuff could make the entire Australian Shiraz harvest smell peppery too. This compound was identified last year and was one of the more technical topics tackled at Hawke’s Bay’s Syrah symposium.
While there were a few tedious talks due to the bumbling nature of …
By Rebecca Gibb, www.rebeccagibb.com
Sparkling Sauvignon Blanc was the fizz of choice for many Kiwis this Christmas and following Montana’s UK launch at the recent New Zealand annual wine trade tasting, it is probably coming to a shelf near you.
Of course, it’s smart marketing. Still Sauvignon sales are booming with exports up 37% last year and no sign of that stopping: the latest figures from retailer Majestic …
By Rebecca Gibb, www.rebeccagibb.com
Central Otago Pinot Noir vineyard
Fortunes were made in Central Otago during the 1860’s Gold Rush …
By Rebecca Gibb, www.rebeccagibb.com
Bio Bio in Chile
Bio Bio is a newcomer to the international wine scene and the most southerly winery in Chile, Vina Corpora’s Veranda, is the biggest player in the region by a mile. This is Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc country and there are interesting things happening with Pinot Noir that …
