Felton Road is one of the better known names in New Zealand wine. A true trailblazer as it was the first winery in Bannockburn, Felton Road helped put Bannockburn as a wine region on the map. It stormed onto the scene with its first …
Notes from the Road
Paul Pujol is one of the most respected winemakers of Central Otago and, as a seasoned producer of Pinot Noir and Alsace varieties around the world, it’s no surprise. His experience and talent in working with these varieties has made Prophet’s Rock one of …
Grapevines love long, dry summers and autumns with plenty of sunshine and warmth. Damp weather means the grapes struggle to ripen and vines may suffer from fungal infections like botrytis. Prolonged or heavy rain can lead to waterlogged soils, which vines really hate. And …
‘Terroir by Truck’ is the way Leon Coetzee describes his winemaking process with his wife, and fellow winemaker, Margaux Nel for their exciting and independent South African production, The Fledge & Co. You only have to know that Leon drives over 15,000 miles during …
Cloudy Bay is an institution when it comes to New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. It was one of the first labels from Marlborough that really broke into the UK market in the mid-80s and has been held in high regard ever since, a consistent favourite …
Waipara wine region on New Zealand’s South Island is known for its excellent Riesling and Pinot Noir, and also for being the wine region with the longest hang time in the country despite its maritime climate and location. Just an hour from Christchurch, Waipara …
I have never seen a rotating ceiling in the winery before. Anthonij Rupert in Franschhoek takes their gravity wine production quite seriously, and the whole operation feels a bit James Bond-esque. There are barrels being suspended on ropes, rotating hoppers and I swear I saw …
As you drive up the long avenue leading into the town, there’s Hollywood-style lettering across the mountain backdrop announcing your arrival into ‘Franschhoek’. With its quaint thatched cottages, village markets and pastoral hillsides, Franschhoek doesn’t scream Hollywood but this is, in fact, one of …
“We make over 300 base wines,” Hugh Davies told me, as I stood looking at him with a mouthful of the Schramsberg 2017 Chardonnay base wine needling my tongue. This lean and taut Chardonnay, from a vineyard parcel on the Sonoma Coast, was only …
Ever wonder which country in the world produces the most wine? Or where the most wine is consumed? Here are the latest figures on world wine production by country from the OIV, published in July 2019: Download the full OIV report here : link Wine …