Grey matters: Sauvignon Gris
‘Sauvignon Gris is greatly in vogue thanks to its having a softer appeal and perfume than Sauvignon Blanc’
Riesling rising
‘The summer of 2015 was so warm and dry that vintners worried the vines would “shut down” and the ripening process stall’
Sussex deluxe: the English answer to Krug
‘During a visit last May, I was the first outsider to taste finished bottles of Nyetimber’s most luxurious new wine’
Treasure island: Sardinia’s unique and exciting wines
‘The 16 per cent Dettori is a monument of a wine, to be admired for its daring but not necessarily enjoyed’
Swirl, smell, slurp
‘At this time of year I thought a few tips on visiting and tasting etiquette might be useful’
Sulphur in wine: friend or foe?
‘The problem is that if no sulphur dioxide is added, then the wine has no defence against harmful bacteria’
Still sparkling?
‘Champagne producer Bruno Paillard called the 1996 vintage a “naughty boy” because it was so changeable’
When Paris met Napa
‘The trend in both Bordeaux and California is to exercise restraint, so that the wines are drinkable in youth’
A titan of terroir
‘Dubourdieu has often been ahead of his time. The mantra now is “wine is made in the vineyard” — it wasn’t then’
The co-ops fight back
‘Not before time, there is a growing realisation that to survive, co-ops need to make wines people actively want to drink’
The grape detective
‘Torres began a quest to rescue Catalan grapes from various points on the spectrum between obscurity and near-extinction’
Food-friendly rosés
‘I am increasingly enthusiastic about those rosé wines that are bone dry and not too light to stand up to a wide variety of foods’
Japanese wines
‘The new wave Japanese wines are very much in the same idiom as natural wines, being light-bodied and often relatively crisp’
Heaven on Pall Mall
‘A lone diner recently chose to wash down his burger with a bottle of Ch Latour 1964 (listed at £567)’
The new wave of Oz
‘A new generation of producers is turning its back on conventional archetypes and making wines quite different from the old icons’
Resolutely fruity
‘The issue of ripeness and sweetness is very much of the moment in fine German wine’
2006 bordeaux: 10-year itch
‘In the past three months I have tasted more than 100 of the most famous 2006 red bordeaux, many twice. So what are they like?’
Italian renaissance
‘Now is the time to take advantage of Italy’s best wines, whose prices seem highly likely to rise’
Bordeaux is back
‘2015 is not the vintage of the century but it is pleasing to taste — a modern version of 1985’
China’s growing pains
‘At least wine in China is now being drunk rather than expensively packaged and handed out as a corporate gift’
Bordeaux on the brink
‘Will the superior quality of the 2015 Bordeaux vintage be enough to revitalise the en primeur market?’
The burdens of burgundy
‘Brokers’ lists suggest that an increasing proportion of sought-after wines are flipped after a few years in specialist storage’
Cracking Krug
‘On the table that day at 10am was a heap of croissants, a bank of Krug’s tulip-shaped glasses and a bottle of Grande Cuvée’
The eagle’s nest
‘The property is pretty good at generating income. Bottles of Screaming Eagle retail from around £1,000 apiece’
The bargain barrels
‘Producers in Languedoc are making seriously interesting wines, and prices are under half what they could be’
