Wine Drinking with Wine Makers

Grant Taylor was one of the first winemakers to come to Central Otago in the 90s. He was hired by one of the true pioneers of Central Otago, Alan Brady, to be winemaker at Gibbston Valley. At the same time, Grant consulted for some …

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 …

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 …

‘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 …

Mauro Von Siebenthal is a man of fine tastes: he knows all the scores of Beethoven, has a penchant for oil paintings and has been collecting Bordeaux wines since before he was old enough to drink. Born and raised in Switzerland, he spent the first half of …

This week I headed out to the Uco Valley in Mendoza to visit one of Argentina’s most modern and architecturally striking wineries – Bodega Diamandes. It’s always a pleasure to visit the beautiful Clos de los 7 estate in Vista Flores, especially on a gorgeous …

Garage wine is a trendy term that gets thrown around a lot, but – in my experience at least – in Argentina and Chile it doesn’t exist as much as you’d expect. Or at least, the producers of truly garage wine are rarely worth …

Eduardo Soler is a fascinating frontman for Ver Sacrum – an art lover, a mountain climber and an appreciator of Pagan traditions. Fittingly, there’s nothing usual about Ver Sacrum for Mendoza – from the varieties through to the ethos of the three winemaking friends. …

It was an absolute pleasure to be squeezed between two winemakers last week – both Arnaud Hereu and Andres Sanchez were in the hot seat for our Wine Drinking with Wine Makers session in Maule. I had spent the week in Maule visiting lots of …

A fourth-generation Altamira producer, Juanfa Suarez of Finca Suarez has a little-told story but one which resonates with many local families and spans the ferocious booms and busts of Argentina’s wine history. A family of Spanish immigrants, his great-grandfather settled in Altamira certain that …