Romain Bouchard, 1923-2011
Sadly we have to announce that Romain Bouchard passed away on July 17th. Romain BouchardHe was a son of the Bouchard family in Beaune and started his professional life there among the bottles of the...
View ArticleForgotten Bottles That Hit The Spot
Cellaring modestly-priced bottles can reap great rewards...Despite helpful reminders from our Society, I found myself feeling rather sheepish as I took delivery recently of a couple of cases from...
View ArticleIn the Rhône, Day 1: Domaine Chave
The Tête de l’Aigle or 'Eagle's Head' in Saint-Joseph I can remember my first visit to Chave back in 1987. I tasted Hermitage, vineyard by vineyard, finishing always with the mighty Bessards....
View ArticleIn the Rhône, Day 2: Saint Joseph
My visit to Chave was somewhat upset by the news that one of the great faces in the Rhône story had died. This was Pierre Gonon and his funeral on the Friday was very well attended. I went to see his...
View ArticleIn the Rhône, Day 3: Gigondas
There is a real buzz in Gigondas, which boasts a number of fabulous estates. The region has also been helped by the arrival of the Brunier brothers from Vieux Télégraphe and the Perrins from...
View ArticleIn The Rhône, Day 4: Cornas
Cornas definitely stands out among the villages of the Northern Rhône. For a start, it’s the sort of place that’s been around for quite some time. The village looks part of the landscape, the grey of...
View ArticleRhône 2009 and 2010: Comparing Notes, Part One
Which of these two great vintages will come out on top? This will no doubt be the subject of debate for years to come. They are both very different and will no doubt age differently as well. 2009 was...
View ArticleRhône 2009 and 2010: Comparing Notes, Part Two
2010 is in marked contrast to 2009. 2010 was a very late vintage that dragged well into October, just as vintages used to do years ago. Spring was late and the vegetative cycle was 12 days behind 2009...
View ArticleQuestion Time
David Dimbleby not presenting The Society's question time Yesterday Pierre Mansour (@pierremansour) and I (@Ewbz) hosted a virtual question time on Twitter (@TheWineSociety) as an experiment as we dip...
View ArticleThe Ventoux
The Mont Ventoux, known locally as the ‘geant de Provence’, dominates the landscape for miles around like a Mount Fuji, and it comes with a white summit that sparkles in the sun. The summit is white...
View ArticleUpgrading The Society’s Exhibition Crozes-Hermitage
Today was my first taste of the new Exhibition Crozes-Hermitage since it arrived in Stevenage and I have to say that I was quietly very impressed. It replaced a perfectly good wine which we had been...
View ArticleKeeping Warm
Murky East-Anglian skies and extremely chilly days call for robust warming reds. We like them with a bit of age. After rummaging in the cellar I found a glorious bottle of 1997 Flaccianello and a...
View ArticleArticle 5
The ?Red Rhône Varieties? section of the Wine Champions tastings encompassed some 87 wines, and therein a wide-ranging insight into how syrah, grenache and its numerous bedfellows express themselves...
View ArticleWhy You Should Not Overlook The Languedoc’s Superb 2010s
The Languedoc is a big place ? the largest single wine region on earth, according to some. It certainly feels like it, with over a thousand miles clocked up in less than a week. Mont St Baudile with...
View ArticleProtest against pylon on hill of Hermitage
Under threat - the iconic chapel sans 60-foot TV mast It?s July 14th, time for revolution and barricades!! That is pretty well what may happen on Hermitage in the next few days should plans to erect a...
View ArticleHermitage: Mostly White and Mostly Chave
Earlier this month seemed the right time for evaluating older vintages of Hermitage, and so it proved to be. There were a few reds to start of with, some from unfancied vintages like 2008 and 2002...
View ArticleLouis Jaboulet, 1912-2012
Louis Jaboulet, who celebrated his 100th birthday this summer, sadly passed away last month. Louis was one of the key figures in the Rhône wine trade and central to its success story. When he entered...
View ArticleThe Rhône: Is There Life After 2010?
Growers who waited for full ripeness had the most success in 2011The answer is yes there is and plenty of it. 2011 is again a good vintage for Rhône wines though in a very different way to either 2010...
View ArticleThe Joy Of Ceps
I have been bracing myself for an influx of wealthy Frenchmen since newly-elected President Hollande announced his draconian tax measures at about the same time as our latter-day Pimpernel George...
View ArticleRhône 2011 and 2012 Looking Good
The first trip is in the bag. This was the first of three visits to the Rhône Valley. By the time I will have finished in November I will have tasted from a hundred or so producers....
View Article
More Pages to Explore .....