On 8 June, Manhatta in New York City was transformed into a wine lover’s paradise for the third edition of the Decanter Fine Wine Encounter (DFWE) NYC.

This exclusive one-day event, renowned for bringing together wine enthusiasts, connoisseurs and some of the finest wine producers from around the globe, offered the 500 attendees an unforgettable experience filled with an exquisite Grand Tasting, enlightening masterclasses and the chance to meet legendary winemakers.

Scroll down to see photo highlights from DFWE NYC 2024.

Thanks to photographers Mark Reinertson and Studio Smith Studio and video team Future Studios.

Thanks also to our sponsors: Riedel, Hamilton Russell Oregon and Domaine Anderson

Related articles

Decanter Fine Wine Encounter NYC 2024: Highlights

Marqués de Murrieta masterclass: DFWE New York

The post Photo highlights: Decanter Fine Wine Encounter NYC 2024 appeared first on Decanter.

With a soaring view looking down on the island of Manhattan, Vicente Dalmau Cebrián-Sagarriga, Count of Creixell, presented his family’s iconic wines from the historic Marqués de Murrieta estate during the final masterclass of the 2024 Decanter Fine Wine Encounter NYC.

Dalmau explained that he was eager to share his family’s historic story and wines with Decanter’s US audience, and that the American market – New York and Miami in particular – is by far Marqués de Murrieta’s most important export market.

The masterclass and the wines on display told a story of three single vineyards within the revered Finca Ygay estate. Dalmau led attendees through an understanding of the terroir and growing conditions of these singular blocks within Ygay’s 300-hectare vineyard holdings.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for all eight wines tasted at the Marqués de Murrieta masterclass in New York

DFWE NYC 2024: the Marqués de Murrieta masterclass wines

Related articles

Six icon wines from Rioja

Decanter’s top tips for buying Rioja

Ramón Bilbao: Producer profile plus 18 wines tasted and rated

The post Marqués de Murrieta masterclass: DFWE NYC 2024 appeared first on Decanter.

Without Volnay, there is simply no joy,’ declared historian Claude Courtépée in his 18th-century work on the Duchy of Burgundy. The delights of the wine from this village have been known since before the dukes constructed their château there in the 11th century, while today’s wine lovers are discovering them again thanks to the able work of a new generation of winemakers.

While generational change is always occurring, it seems there are currently an unusually high number of fresh faces in Volnay, including the young winemakers Clément Boillot, Pierrick Bouley, Thomas Bouley, Marc-Olivier Buffet, Thibaud Clerget and Maxime Dubuet-Boillot.

To this, one should add Clothilde Lafarge, although her parents Frédéric and Chantal are still very much involved in the family domaine.

Scroll down to see notes and scores for wines from Volnay’s new generation

Wine selections and tasting notes by Charles Curtis MW:

Alcohol levels given where available

Related articles

Mercurey: A regional profile of this hidden corner of Burgundy

Best value Burgundy 2022 wines en primeur

Discovering white Beaujolais: 10 wines to try

The post Volnay's new generation takes the reins appeared first on Decanter.

In an effort to extend hope and valuable viticultural knowledge, winemakers and wine industry professionals from war-torn Ukraine visited the bucolic Napa Valley, offering a moment of respite from the full-scale Russian invasion of their home country, which began in February of 2022. The event was centred around lessons in regenerative wine growing but included site visits, cultural exchanges and broader lessons about wine growing, various fermentation lessons and best practices.

Violet Grgich, president and CEO of Grgich Hills Estate, whose father, Miljenko ‘Mike’ Grgich, who famously came to Napa Valley from Croatia, hosted the Ukrainian delegation. ‘We are deeply honoured to share our expertise in regenerative practices with our Ukrainian colleagues,’ said Grgich. ‘This programme is a testament to our belief that agriculture bridges cultures and supports communities through the most challenging times.’

Ukraine has recently become a darling in the wine world, a world in awe of the country’s undeniable resilience. Fittingly, lessons on vineyard resilience and climate change were part of the programme in Napa. Exploring Napa’s unfortunate experience with wildfire recovery in the vineyards, bio-diversity, and climate impacts were all part of their learning.

DWWA results out 19 June!
Be the first to know: Subscribe to the DWWA newsletter

One of the Ukrainian winemakers, Pavlo Magalias, is a veteran of the Ukrainian military and has recovered several spent warheads from his Olbio Nuvo vineyards, which became part of the frontlines during Russia’s initial invasion.

‘We have learned a lot about the science of regenerative farming this week,’ said Svitlana Tsybak, CEO of Beykush Winery. ‘It has opened our eyes to new ways of working with our grapes and making the soil healthy while also having a positive impact on the environment. We are very grateful for that and for the friendships that we have made in Napa Valley. We are especially grateful to Violet Grgich and Ivo Jeramaz [winemaker for Grgich Hills Estate] for hosting us.’

In addition to their time at Grgich, Napa’s guests visited with Ames Morison in the vineyards at Medlock Ames in Healdsburg.

The Ukranian delegation in the vineyards at Medlock Ames. Credit: Roots of Peace

The technical viticultural and oenological curriculum included:

• Climate impact and vineyard resilience
• Principles of regenerative viticulture
• The oldest regenerative organic Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard in Napa – how to work with old vines
• Review pruning procedures and impact on vineyard yields
• Vineyard diversity, pest mitigation and new vineyard care
• Vineyard recovery after fires
• Napa’s AVAs and their similarity to Ukrainian viticultural areas
• Natural winemaking using wild yeast fermentation techniques

Grgich Hills Estate winemaker Ivo Jeramaz reflected on his own experience in Croatia during the 1990s. ‘We are heartbroken for them. We know what it means, it’s similar. Obviously, Russians and Ukrainians are brothers, same as us and the Serbs.’

‘This collaboration is a powerful stride towards healing and growth for Ukrainian vintners,’ said Heidi Kühn, founder and CEO of Roots of Peace. ‘We are planting seeds of hope and economic stability for war-torn communities by imparting sustainable and peace-centric agricultural practices.’

Related articles

Ukraine wine harvest 2023: Sipping resilience

The release of the Ukrainian ‘Grad Cru’

Ukraine’s defiant winemakers look to EU and exports

The post Napa Valley opens its doors to Ukrainian winemakers appeared first on Decanter.

Maxim Chmora, head of the main department of federal customs revenue & tariff regulation of the Federal Customs Service of Russia, warned that a 200% protective duty could be applied to wine imports from NATO states.

Moscow is also planning to slap a 50% tariff on wines from other so-called ‘unfriendly’ states, according to Chmora.

‘We understand that this duty will basically be like a ban,’ he said. ‘Paying the duty and then carrying on with business, from an economic point of view, is possible only for very high-margin products.’

European wines currently dominate the Russian market, but they will effectively be prohibited if Russia follows through on its threat.

The move would be in response to a range of sanctions imposed upon Russia in the wake of its decision to invade Ukraine in February 2022.

Western nations have frozen Russia’s foreign currency reserves, and some Russian banks have been excluded from the Swift payment system.

Oligarchs have been sanctioned, yachts have been seized, and a slew of western companies have left Russia, from Coca-Cola to Heineken.

EU countries have also stopped exporting various goods to Russia, while imports of gold, diamonds and other products from Russia have been banned.

Moscow is now planning to retaliate by imposing high duties on wine imports from European nations.

DWWA results out 19 June!
Be the first to know: Subscribe to the DWWA newsletter

The proposed tariffs are also designed to give domestic wine producers a timely boost. While the majority of Russia is unsuitable from grape growing, some regions including Krasnodar and Rostov produce wine.

In total, Russia now has 85,000ha under vine. Rkatsiteli is the most widely planted grape, but Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Riesling and various other international varieties are grown.

Dmitry Kiselev, chairman of the Board of the Association of Winegrowers and Winemakers of Russia (AWWR), claims that ‘excessive imports’ are putting a strain on the domestic winemaking sector.

The AWWR has already successfully campaigned for duties on wine imports from ‘unfriendly countries’ to be increased from 12.5% to 20%. However, Kiselev wants duties to be raised far higher in order to prevent oversupply in the domestic market.

If European wines are effectively banned from the Russian market, it could potentially represent a boon for producers in Argentina, Chile, South Africa and Armenia. Those countries have all been steadily growing their exports to Russia in recent years, and that trend could accelerate.

Russian winemakers have also requested additional support from the government. One proposal would require 20% of the wines stocked in Russian supermarkets to be locally produced, while half of the bottles listed at bars and restaurants would need to be domestic wines.

Related articles

China, EU trade tension may lead to wine tariffs

Champagne producers end Russia embargo but still want law change

Ukraine wine harvest 2023: Sipping resilience

The post Russia plans 200% retaliatory tariff on European wine imports appeared first on Decanter.

For as much buzzy jargon as there is in the world of wine – small production, sustainable, organic, New World, natural, among them – the terms are quite definitive. In the last decade, however, the increasingly popular discussion around a new phrase has caused some confusion among consumers and even winemakers: minimal intervention.

Many winemakers believe that for a wine to be considered low or minimal intervention, it all starts with vineyard practices to optimise the terroir and purity of the fruit, which is emphasised by implementing organic and sustainable practices.

DWWA results out 19 June!
Be the first to know: Subscribe to the DWWA newsletter

Seeking specificity

In Virginia, Maya Hood White, winemaker at Early Mountain Vineyards, views the term ‘minimal intervention’ as encompassing the whole process from farming through to the cellar; for the former, she stresses the minimisation of aggressive chemicals, mindfulness of fuel usage and tractor passes.

‘Irrigation is also an intervention that alters the essence of the fruit and then the wines,’ says Paul Sloan, winemaker at Small Vines. Their high-density planting allows Small Vines to dry farm, which translates to a ‘more pure sense of place’, according to Sloan.

While these farming practices aren’t new, the attention surrounding their influence on low or minimal-intervention wine is what’s bringing them to the forefront.

Sam Bilbro from Idlewild Wines explains: ‘If we make really good vineyard decisions, we can make very few touches in the winery because we have beautiful and healthy fruit to work with in the cellar.’

Gentle farming at Small Vines. Credit: Small Vines

There’s no wine without some intervention

This is probably where we should acknowledge that winemaking, by definition, is intervention.

‘The grapes neither jump from the vine into a vat nor from vat to barrel to bottle,’ says Maggie Harrison, winemaker at Antica Terra, about the necessary go-between of human action that’s been part of winemaking since the beginning of time.

Perhaps this is why it’s so challenging to define – with no precedent or global regulation surrounding the term, low or minimal intervention means different things to different people. ‘It’s a spectrum,’ says Hood White, much like many things in life, which makes it. ‘A delicate balance explaining what we do or don’t do in our production processes while not looking to project judgement on other producers.’

As technology and science have advanced, winemakers have realised that a subpar harvest can still be salvaged; imbalances can be solved through manipulations such as fining, filtration, chaptalisation, stabilisers and additives.

‘It is easier, cheaper and less laborious to intervene afterwards in the cellar with chemistry than to farm well in the first place,’ says Sloan. Since many wineries don’t control their vineyards: ‘The only way they can compensate for flaws is with chemistry.’

For this reason, Sloan reverts to why low-intervention practices should start in the vineyards. ‘We choose to prevent problems in advance by farming well, using proper site selection, trellis design, tight spacing and prompt harvest date decisions.’

Recognising that every wine has its challenges, Bilbro echoes Sloan. As winemakers, he says, it is their job to locate the potential problem points of each variety and mitigate those issues.

He adds that in conventional winemaking, if a wine is prone to stalling at the end of fermentation, they could add synthetic products to aid the yeast. However, in minimal intervention winemaking: ‘We could stir the wine to suspend the remaining active yeast and keep it warm (bring it out to the sun a bit each day) to help keep the yeast active through the finish.’

A fuzzy definition

Though Bilbro is aiding the process, it still fits into Sloan’s definition of minimal intervention. ‘Having the lowest amount of human-made or artificial inputs or enhancements in both the farming and the winemaking process.’

While this definition broadly summarises minimal intervention, the term can still be confusing for most consumers who don’t understand what is regulated or legal to use in farming and wine production.

This is why the term is often misused and misrepresented by consumers. ‘It is so disappointing to listen to a producer talk about their low intervention winemaking when you know the high input, commercially farmed vineyards they are purchasing their fruit from,’ says Hood White.

This is why she encourages consumers to ask questions and emphasises the message of how a lower intervention approach ‘always begins with farming’.

Harvest at Small Vines. Credit: Small Vines

Purity remains elusive

Even still, large-production wineries aren’t the only ones that ultimately might adjust their wines post harvest.

Harrison explains that if a winemaker is adding acid it’s ‘because they truly believe it will make the wine in our glass more balanced, longer-lived, more complete’. It’s part of the winemaking process, and if a winery isn’t fortunate to have estate vineyards they can meticulously watch over, decisions must be made.

As winemakers are craftspeople, adds Harrison, they shouldn’t be chastised for doing their best work, even if that includes making adjustments in the cellar.

Until minimal intervention is globally defined or regulated, each winemaker will have their personal perception and ability to label their wines based on what this term means to them and how they produce wine according to it.

For the time being, it’s up to the consumer to engage with producers they prefer to help inform their own understanding of terms like minimal intervention and what they expect in wines that use that sort of marketing or labelling.

Related articles

How to read wine tasting notes – Ask Decanter

Andrew Jefford: ‘Without the younger generation we’ll lose farming as it exists here’

Andrew Jefford: ‘Biodynamically grown, artisanally crafted – and free of chemicals, of course. Not so’

The post What does minimal intervention really mean? appeared first on Decanter.

Few pleasures truly qualify for the coveted label of ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ but tickets for this European Solaire Journey, thanks to an exciting collaboration between Veuve Clicquot and Belmond trains, may just qualify. From the moment guests join this incredible two-night rail journey from Vienna to Reims on board the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, they will be immersed in a world of vintage charm and Veuve Clicquot luxury perfect for any champagne connoisseur.

Celebrating Veuve in style

When designing this magical journey, every element of the guest’s experience has been carefully considered. Bespoke menus have been designed by world-renowned chefs, personalised gifts add that extra little touch of luxury and the scenery en route to the home of Veuve Clicquot in France’s Champagne region is naturally breathtaking.

But what makes this journey truly unique and special is that each lucky traveller will have the chance to discover a selection of Veuve Clicquot’s rarest cuvées. In small group tastings, led by a member of the Veuve Clicquot winemaking team, precious rare vintages will be shared from Veuve Clicquot’s own Cave Privée or private cellar. For lovers of the fine champagnes, what could be better than learning directly from the winemaker, whilst enjoying the best Veuve Clicquot has to offer in such an enchanting setting?

A distinguished welcome

Beginning their journey in Vienna in royal fashion, guests will receive an exclusive invitation to enjoy a private evening in the seldom-seen splendour of the Palais Liechtenstein, which has been in the Royal Family of Liechtenstein’s possession for three centuries. Next up is a dinner at Vienna’s most extravagant pop-up restaurant.

To be prepared by multi–award winning Austrian chef Andreas Döllerer, the sumptuous dinner menu will be paired with an unforgettable lineup of rare Veuve Clicquot vintages served in magnum: 2012, 2008 and 2002. After toasting joie de vivre under a starry sky, guests will retire to the five-star luxury of the Imperial Hotel.

Michelin-starred celebrity chef Jean Imbert prepares the epicurean extravaganza onboard Veuve Clicquot’s Solaire Journey.

All aboard

In the morning, the journey to Vienna’s central train station via horse-drawn carriage will allow guests to take in the city’s sights one last time before boarding the opulence of the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express. And thus begins the gastronomic and champagne-filled adventure to Veuve Clicquot in Reims.

The epicurean extravaganza onboard this Belmond train will be curated by Michelin-starred celebrity chef Jean Imbert, who will bring his immense talent and creative flair to the Solaire Journey. Morning, noon and night, his kitchen will create the finest culinary delights to be paired with Veuve Clicquot’s finest champagnes.

Guests will enjoy an array of Cave Privée vintages at chef Jean Imbert’s gala dinner onboard on Veuve Clicquot’s Solaire Journey.

An unforgettable evening

As the sun sets, guests will attend chef Jean Imbert’s gala dinner where they will be treated to Cave Privée 1998, Cave Privée Rosé 1998, Cave Privée 1985, and Cave Privée Rosé 1985 – all served from magnums for the fullest expression of each champagne. To call this selection exclusive is an understatement. Each bottle was chosen and set aside decades ago, and has been preciously guarded in the House’s ancient crayères or chalk cellars, awaiting the perfect occasion to be enjoyed. This will be a night to be savoured.

A pairing like no other

Arriving in Reims the next day, guests will alight for a unique dining experience in the famous Veuve Clicquot crayères. Here, two brilliant Michelin-starred chefs, Mory Sacko and Jean Imbert will share a kitchen and treat guests to a virtuoso four-handed performance.

Mirroring the same menu, each chef will serve his own interpretation of the same dish, allowing diners to experience two exceptional entrées, two mains and two desserts. Each dish will be paired with a rare cuvée of La Grande Dame, named in honour of Madame Clicquot, the pioneering entrepreneur who inherited her husband’s business in 1805, aged just 27.

This final gastronomic encounter will be punctuated by La Grande Dame 2015 and La Grande Dame 2015 Rosé (in bottle); La Grande Dame 2012 and La Grande Dame 2012 Rosé (in magnum); La Grande Dame 2015 (in bottle); and La Grande Dame 2008 Rosé (magnum and jeroboam). The entire wonderful trip will be an experience hard to ever match.

Bookings for this iconic Belmond train journey are open now.

Discover more about Veuve Clicquot’s Solaire Journeys

Connect on
Facebook  |   Instagram  |   YouTube  

International links:

US reservations  |  FR réservation  |  DE reservieren

The post Veuve Clicquot: A journey to celebrate Champagne appeared first on Decanter.

Château Figeac 2023 has been released more than 40% below the debut offer for the 2022 vintage debut last year, making it one of the biggest discounts in a Bordeaux 2023 en primeur campaign that has taken place amid challenging market conditions.

Other highly prized wines released in the past 24 hours include Château Montrose, Château La Conseillante and Château Beauséjour, giving consumers plenty to ponder in the final days of the campaign.

Latest releases at a glance:

• Château Figeac 2023 | 98pts (Decanter) | €150 per bottle ex-négociant, down 40.5% versus 2022 | UK price £1,788 per 12x75cl in bond (IB)
• Château La Conseillante 2023 | 98pts | €150 per bottle, down 32.4% | UK price £1,788 (12x75cl IB)
• Château Montrose 2023 | 98pts | €120 per bottle, down 16.7% | UK price £1,428 (12x75cl IB)
• Château Beauséjour 2023 | 98pts | €108 per bottle, down 10% | UK price £1,284 (12x75cl IB)
  Price data source: Liv-ex.

While Figeac’s discount is sizeable, the 2022 vintage was relatively expensive on release. A potential 100-point wine, it was the first release after Figeac’s promotion to Premier Grand Cru Classé A in the revised St-Émilion Classification.

Although it remains too soon to draw conclusions about sales, some early analysis has suggested a muted overall response to the campaign, despite several success stories among top-rated wines.

Decanter Premium members can read more analysis below.

See Decanter’s full verdict on the Bordeaux 2023 vintage, plus ratings and tasting notes on the top-scoring wines

Related articles

Bordeaux 2023 market analysis: Troplong, Haut-Bailly and VCC released

See our Bordeaux 2023 scores table

Château Margaux drops price by 30% for 2023 vintage

The post Bordeaux 2023 market analysis: Figeac drops 40% in price appeared first on Decanter.

The Sonoma American Viticultural Area (AVA) known as the Moon Mountain District presents a paradox. It is both a rough-and-tumble locale with rogue characters who flout convention, and a land of pristine beauty that produces some of the finest wines in Sonoma County.

Nestled within the larger Sonoma Valley AVA, Moon Mountain District was granted AVA status in 2013. It spans just 800 hectares (of Sonoma’s 7,000ha) at elevations between 120 and 716 metres, all within a 15 kilometre stretch.

The region’s hallmarks, that helped it gain its AVA status, are its hill and mountainside vineyards and red volcanic soils. These include some of the oldest vineyards in California too, including Hanzell’s 1953 Ambassador vineyard and the storied Monte Rosso.

Scroll down to see notes and scores for selected wines from producers on Moon Mountain

Wines from four featured Moon Mountain producers

Related articles

Sonoma travel guide: The perfect three-day itinerary

Sonoma County AVAs: Overview and 10 wines to try

Exploring Sonoma County’s coolest vineyards plus top wines from each

The post Sonoma County's best kept secret: Moon Mountain District appeared first on Decanter.

Not many ultra-premium brands make a giant splash in Napa Valley almost immediately upon release – but Fairest Creature has done just that. In fact, at the Premiere Napa Valley Wine Auction in February 2024, a five-case lot became the top-selling lot, selling for $70,000. The project is the brainchild of Jayson Hu, a former Silicon Valley IC design engineer who fell in love with the wines of Napa Valley and the icons of Burgundy and the Rhône Valley.

Jayson Hu zeroed in on three Napa-based winemakers to craft wines that would spotlight each winemaker’s individual style, rather than evoke a sense of place or terroir.

A unique winemaking philosophy

‘My aim with Fairest Creature is simple,’ says Hu, ‘I want to feature each winemaker’s vision of [Napa] Cabernet Sauvignon and highlight their unique, personal style’. No stranger to the opulent, powerful style of Napa Valley Cabernet, Hu began importing fine wine from California to China 15 years ago. Beginning in 2012, he zeroed in on three Napa-based winemakers after recognising the ‘consistency of their skill’ in crafting Cabernet Sauvignons that he judged faultless.

These three winemakers – Benoit Toquette, Thomas Rivers Brown and Philippe Melka – are among California’s most sought-after consultants. Hu’s vision was to hire each of them to craft a wine that would spotlight each winemaker’s individual style, rather than evoke a sense of place or terroir, and highlighting blending as the most important element of a great Cabernet Sauvignon.

Jayson Hu and Benoit Touquette walking in one of Fairest Creature Napa Valley vineyards.

Wines that mirror their makers’ personalities

Hu’s pitch to the winemakers was to allow them to focus on blending Cabernet from premium Napa vineyards. This plan resonated; winemakers in Napa are rarely presented with such an opportunity. It could be likened to buying grapes from La Tâche and blending them with grapes from La Romanée. As Melka puts it, ‘The direction has been: use your creativity at the highest level.’

‘We had a very inspiring first meeting,’ recalls Brown, ‘and one of the unique ideas he first presented was shying away from single-vineyard designates or appellation-focused bottlings, but instead trying to create an uber-cuvée from sites scattered throughout Napa Valley.’ For Fairest Creature’s flagship wine, Hu approached master blender Michel Rolland. ‘Michel was averse at first’, recalls Hu. However, the exceptional quality of the grape contracts, the exciting scope of the project, and the outstanding calibre of the winemakers involved captured Rolland’s attention.

Today, Fairest Creature sources its fruit from nine iconic, premium Napa Valley vineyards in Oakville, Pritchard Hill, Howell Mountain and St. Helena; the four renowned winemakers thus craft wines from the same vineyard sources, but through their individual winemaking choices produce blends with compellingly different personalities.

With over 40 years of winemaking expertise, Michel Rolland takes on an exciting new journey: blending wines from renowned winemakers into one extraordinary masterpiece.

The art of the blend

The elegant Polyspline, made by Philippe Melka, sees Cabernet Sauvignon balanced by barrel-fermented Petit Verdot. Its name evokes the purity, precision and elegance of Melka’s linear and focused style. On the label is a nine-tailed fox, an auspicious creature from Chinese folklore, a glimpse of which is rare and precious – just like this wine.

Brown’s Cabernet Sauvignon is called Perihelios, in reference to the point in a planet’s orbit at which it is closest to the sun, reflecting Brown’s signature emphasis on sunshine and ripeness, which he channels to fashion a lusher, more powerful style of wine.

Toquette makes the seductive, opulent Sine Fine, Latin for endless. Its label depicts two inseparable birds with one set of wings, an ancient Chinese symbol of love, perfectly encapsulating his passionate and heartfelt style of winemaking.

Finally, Rolland selects the very finest lots of these three wines to create Triniceros, the flagship wine of Fairest Creature. Its name (‘three-horned’) refers to a mythical beast in Chinese culture, while also evoking the three masterpieces from which it is blended. This beguiling and supremely complex wine is truly exclusive and bottled only in magnums.

The 2022 vintage Fairest Creature auction lot, tasted as a barrel sample at Premiere Napa Valley, won rave reviews; according to Jonathan Cristaldi, it is ‘super rich and shows the vintage’s inky black and ripe fruit, offering plenty of body and mouthfeel with a remarkable layer of saline minerals. There isn’t one missing element here – from powerful, expressive, ripe and generous dark-toned fruits to super-fine tannins, well integrated through its fresh and mineral-laced finish.’

Boasting consistently high scores across its range of wines, ultra-premium Napa icon Fairest Creature is definitely one to watch.

Discover more about Fairest Creature

Connect on
Instagram

The post Fairest Creature: The Napa icon spotlighting four star winemakers appeared first on Decanter.

Master blender Colin Scott selected 75 rare whiskies for the unique blend, including 19 spirits from ‘lost distilleries’ such as Imperial, Glenlochy and Convalmore.

He created just two bottles of the Blend of 75 whisky, which will be paired with two portraits of King Charles III, created by Welsh artist Mark Evans. They are currently on display at Wiltons Restaurant in London.

The first portrait is ‘a gift to the nation’ and it will be displayed at London’s Sladmore Gallery over the summer. One bottle of Blend of 75 will be presented to His Majesty privately.

The other portrait and Blend of 75 bottle will be auctioned off for charity. The conservative combined market value of the portrait and bottle of whisky is estimated at $600,000 (£471,600).

DWWA results out 19 June!
Be the first to know: Subscribe to the DWWA newsletter

All proceeds will go to Big Change, a charity founded in 2012 by Princess Beatrice and five friends, which is designed to transform education on a global basis.

Scott, who spent 47 years working at Chivas Brothers before joining The Last Drop Distillers in 2020, said: ‘It was my great honour to be asked to create this unique blend to honour His Majesty King Charles.

‘I had the opportunity to choose from The Last Drop’s inventory of maturing barrels to create a blend of 75 different Scotch whiskies, from the four corners of Scotland.

‘My aim was simple: to produce a unique whisky that represents Scotland, the magic of Scotch Whisky and our profound admiration for His Majesty.’

Some of the whiskies are more than 50 years old, and the resulting blend is said to be exceptionally rich and complex.

An additional 10 drams, made during the bottling process, are being sold for £10,000 apiece at Wiltons in order to raise more funds for the charity.

King Charles III was born on 14 November 1948, but the king also celebrates a second birthday on the second Saturday in June each year.

This is his official birthday, which is known as Trooping the Colour, and the portraits and blended whiskies were created in time for the occasion.

Related articles

Single malt breaks £2bn barrier despite overall Scotch sales dip

Mouton Rothschild 2004 poured at King Charles Versailles banquet

Largest Scotch whisky charity auction raises £1.8m

The post King Charles III’s official birthday celebrated with rare Scotch whisky blend appeared first on Decanter.

Is salmon on the menu tonight? Whether you’re cooking at home or eating out, salmon is a versatile ingredient that can be cooked in several different ways. Think poached, grilled, seared, barbecued or smoked to name but a few – and it can even be enjoyed raw in sushi and sashimi.

But what wines should you pair with salmon? There’s an array of grapes and wine styles that will happily match salmon; from crisp whites and sparkling wines to elegant rosés and light reds. It all depends on how the salmon is prepared, as this will influence both the texture and flavour of the fish.

The table below gives a quick guide to some reliable pairings, but the list is by no means exhaustive. Read on for more tips and ideas…

Styles to choose when pairing wine with salmon:

What to drink with smoked salmon

Credit: ahirao_photo / iStock / Getty Images Plus

DWWA results out 19 June!
Be the first to know: Subscribe to the DWWA newsletter

From canapés and light summer lunches, to Christmas mornings and Scandinavian gravlax, quality smoked salmon is a classic ingredient. Champagne makes a luxury match for smoked salmon; its high acidity cuts through the richness of the fish, while its bubbles refresh your palate. But French crémants can also do the same job at a more wallet-friendly price.

Other sparkling styles will work just as well. Consider Spain’s flagship fizz Cava or Tasmanian sparklers, as well as South Africa’s Cap Classique. Matthieu Longuère MS, wine development manager of Le Cordon Bleu London, suggests a vintage English sparkling wine wine with smoked salmon canapés. ‘Thanks to its high acidity, it should also handle the saltiness of smoked salmon,’ he says.

Sparkling wines made with Chardonnay in a blanc de blancs style, are a particularly good choice with smoked salmon. But Chardonnay is not the only go-to grape. ‘For a classic smoked salmon dish with onion, capers and a slice of lemon, a Riesling will be great,’ says Jolanta Dinnadge, wine buyer at The Biltmore Mayfair.

Meanwhile for smoked salmon served Scandi-style as gravlax, Austria’s Grüner Veltliner will be a winning match. Its fresh citrus and herbal notes will complement the dill, while a kick of white-pepper spice adds interest to the pairing.

What to drink with salmon and cream sauces

Credit: sandoclr / Getty Images

As with other fish dishes, a creamy sauce can be more of a wine pairing challenge than the main ingredient itself. You could choose a wine with brisk acidity to cut through the creaminess, or for a more subtle match choose a wine that has both fresh acidity and a touch of creaminess on the palate from oak or time on lees.

‘If the salmon is accompanied with butter and cream, you should go more for a Chardonnay with a bit of oak to highlight the fish,’ explains Wilfried Rique, formerly restaurant general manager at Hilton Hotels.

Greek Assyrtiko with its electrifying acidity, is a great foil for salmon in creamy sauces or salmon cooked in butter. An unoaked Chardonnay, such as Chablis is a reliable choice, so too bone-dry Muscadet from the Loire Valley. A pale pink Provence rosé can also work beautifully. 

What to drink with salmon and citrus flavours

Fish and citrus are often served together: think seared salmon fillet with a squeeze of fresh lemon. For me, Italian whites are a natural match here. As well as the ever-popular Pinot Grigio, look for grapes such as Vermentino, Fiano and Grillo, which makes fresh, lemony wines. Island whites from Sicily and Sardinia sometimes have a fresh salty tang that works well with simply grilled salmon too. 

Fresh whites from coastal wine regions are always a safe bet with fish and can naturally complement citrus flavours. Try Portuguese Vinho Verde, featuring the Alvarinho grape, or its Spanish cousin Albariño from Rías Baixas. 

If fresh herbs also feature in your citrus salmon dish, one other grape is a safe bet. ‘The minerality and herbaceous notes of a classic Sauvignon Blanc will match well with a salmon cooked with fine herbs and citrus,’ says Rique.

What to drink with spicy salmon

Credit: Carlo A / Getty Images

Pairing wine with spicy food doesn’t have to be tricky. This could mean salmon prepared with Japanese flavours such as wasabi and teriyaki sauces, as well as oriental spice combinations involving ginger and garlic.

‘We like to choose a Riesling from Germany or a Pinot Gris from Alsace to enhance the flavours of salmon cooked with some spices,’ advises Rique.

There are also spicy South American salmon dishes such as salmon tacos with jalapeño or vibrant salmon ceviche with chilli spice. New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc will complement the zesty flavours of ceviche. It’s also a good choice for tacos, though Grüner Veltliner or an exotic Riesling would work too.

What to drink with salmon sushi

Mineral whites such as Chablis and Muscadet (see above) make a reliable – and classic – pairing with salmon sushi and sashimi. But don’t forget Japan’s signature grape Koshu as well. Its delicate, clean-fruited wines can perfectly complement the pure flavours of sushi.

‘For sushi, as it is a small bite, I would recommend a crispy and citrusy wine, such as a Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay,’ says Rique. ‘Sancerre is a good go-to as it balances well with the acidity of the salmon but has enough strength to match with the bold note of the rice.’

Meanwhile Natasha Hughes MW recommends fino and manzanilla with sushi and sashimi in her article on pairing Sherry with Eastern flavours.

Can you drink red wine with salmon?

While it’s a myth that red wine never matches with fish, it’s generally better to avoid bolder styles brimming with tannins. ‘An absolute no is to pair a full-bodied red wine with salmon as this will kill both the wine and the fish’s flavours,’ says Dinnadge. Opt for lighter styles such as Beaujolais and New World Pinot Noir.

High consumer demand means that farmed Atlantic salmon has become much more prevalent on dinner tables, and farmed varieties also tend to have a fattier texture than their wild cousins.

For seared salmon, and particularly farmed varieties, ‘the obvious choice is a chilled Pinot Noir’, says Beckett. ‘Pinot picks up perfectly on the richness of the fish and the caramelised crust,’ she explains.

This article has been fully updated in June 2024, including new wine reviews. It was originally published in 2019. 

Ten top wines to try with salmon

Search more Decanter wine reviews here

Related articles

Pairing wine with fish: What to choose

Pairing wine with tricky ingredients

See all of Decanter’s food and wine pairing guides

The post Wine with salmon: Ideas for great pairings appeared first on Decanter.

What better way to celebrate Father’s Day than with a bottle of something special? But with so much whisky out there to choose from, deciding which bottle to buy can be confusing.

The good news is there’s arguably never been a better time to buy whisky. Alongside established producers in Scotland and the US, whisky distilleries are popping up all over the globe, helping to create a varied world of whisky. From Tasmania and New Zealand to Denmark and Finland, you’ll find international drams to suit every taste.

Meanwhile the big names of  Scotch, bourbon and Irish whiskey are now upping their game as never before, experimenting with raw ingredients, cask finishes and special releases.

With innovative approaches to distillation, a brave new generation of whisky makers is not afraid to rip up the rulebook. They are showing real creativity in the pursuit of fresh flavours and distinctive new tastes.

The result is that there’s something in our top 10 selection for every paternal taste, whether your dad prefers a Sherried single malt, a spicy American rye whiskey, or a tangy Irish single pot still. They might even be persuaded to share.

Credit: Liudmila Chernetska / iStock / Getty Images Plus

DWWA results out 19 June!
Be the first to know: Subscribe to the DWWA newsletter

Best whiskies for Father’s Day

Ardgowan Clydebuilt Draughtsman

Ardgowan distillery is due to open later this year near the village of Inverkip on the West Coast of Scotland. In the meantime it has been buying up special barrels to create its excellent Clydebuilt Collection. Created by whisky maker Max McFarlane, Draughtsman is the final release and it’s an enticing combination of eight old (25 years) and not so old (eight years) Sherry-matured single malts from Lowland, Highland and Speyside distilleries. Beautifully perfumed, the classic Sherry notes of dried fruit and baking spices are accented by a sweet, jammy character and a herbal edge. Sumptuous. Alcohol 46%

Cù Bòcan Creation #6

Tomatin’s lightly peated experimental Cù Bòcan Scotch bottlings have built a reputation for pushing the flavour envelope (Moroccan Cabernet Sauvignon casks, anyone?) This latest incarnation is definitely one to delight those with a sweet tooth. A mix of ex-rum and PX Sherry casks makes for a heady, decadent mix of charred marshmallow, stem ginger, sticky dates and cherries dipped in dark chocolate. Alc 46%

Dad’s Dram Blended Malt

It’s often best to give novelty Father’s Day gifts the swerve, but in the case of this release from The Whisky Exchange, you should get beyond the label and enjoy a lively mix of vanilla cream-soaked and cinnamon-dusted apple crumble, a grating of fresh ginger and some greener, more herbal notes. Bottled at a robust strength that carries all the flavours across the palate, it’s good fun, whatever your parental status or gender. Alc 56%

Dingle Cónocht an Earraigh

Celebrating the life-giving properties of the spring solstice, this latest release from Dingle’s Celtic Wheel of the Year series marries the Irish distillery’s impeccable spirit with ripe, sweet and spicy notes from extra maturation in ex-Cabernet Sauvignon casks. Richly fruited with plum and a touch of cassis, alongside cinnamon and nutmeg spice, plus an appealing sideline of hazelnut and light caramel. Alc 50.5%

High West Double Rye

A mix of two high-rye mashbills: one 95% rye and column-distilled on contract, the other 80% rye and pot-distilled at High West’s Utah distillery. This is a terrific all-rounder, combining that trademark gutsy rye spice with enervating notes of menthol, liquorice root and an elusive, absinthe-like quality. Bold enough, without blowing the doors off – and it makes a mean Old Fashioned. Alc 46%

Holyrood Embra

The first peated release from Edinburgh’s – hence ‘Embra’ – highly experimental Holyrood distillery (check out the dizzying array of grain and yeast types). This is surprisingly delicate for a smoky malt, with citrus and pear confit undercutting those drier peaty elements. There’s a bit of grip and weight in the mid-palate, and it’s an altogether enjoyable, balanced tasting experience that confirms Holyrood’s great promise. Alc 43.6%

Jack Daniel’s Triple Mash

As the name suggests, this US whiskey is a blend of three spirit styles: American malt, Tennessee rye and Tennessee whiskey, bottled at ‘100 proof’ (50% abv) for a bit of added grunt. Beyond that, it’s pure Jack – richly oak-influenced, with lots of black toast slathered with honey, an edge of spice and an appealingly sweet, rounded and harmonious character. It’s nice neat, but also highly mixable. Alc 50%

Potted Shrimp and Salmon Terrine Cask No 137.20

A classic example of The Scotch Malt Whisky Society esoterica in terms of its name and origin (Google ‘SMWS’ and ‘distillery 137’ and you’ll soon work it out). This is one of a three-whisky Dram Good Dad Father’s Day tasting pack (£35). It’s a vibrant peated single malt, with lots of bonfire ash and – as the name suggests – a lipsmacking maritime character that belies the English distillery’s rural inland location. Alc 60.9%

The Cardrona Full Flight Solera

The last bottling from the ‘coming of age’ phase of this tremendous New Zealand distillery, this is a seven-year-old single malt that’s seen a mix of oloroso Sherry and ex-bourbon casks, before bottling at a rather eye-watering cask strength. Be brave, try it neat and drink in all that forest fruit, high-cocoa chocolate and coconut – then add a splash or two of water and watch it open up, soften and take on a delightfully fragrant character. Alc 62.8%

The Feering Early Harvest

South-east of Dufftown lies the Cabrach, a remote and sometimes desolate area that was a hotbed of illicit distillation more than 200 years ago. The Cabrach Trust is set to revive whisky-making here, and this release prefaces that with a blend of four Speyside malts, put together by former Glenlivet Master Distiller Alan Winchester. It’s a beautifully delicate, lifted, honeyed mingling of sweet cereal notes and just a whisper of heather smoke in the background. Alc 46%

Related articles

Tennessee whiskey for beginners: Eight to try

Discover Nordic whiskies

Luxury whisky for collectors: Top 10 releases to buy

The post Best whiskies for Father's Day 2024: 10 top bottles appeared first on Decanter.

Decanter has partnered with Wine Scholar Guild (WSG), the global leader in specialised wine education and certification, to deliver an exclusive Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA) webinar on Wednesday 19 June.

Part of WSG Studio, join us for an exclusive session with DWWA Co-Chair and WSG academic adviser Andrew Jefford, alongside DWWA Regional Chairs Caro Maurer MW and James Tidwell MS to explore just-announced results from the 2024 competition.

Gain unparalleled insights into the intricate logistics behind orchestrating the world’s largest wine competition, plus delve into the meticulous DWWA judging process. This is an opportunity to understand the immense expertise and dedication that underpin DWWA with some of our most esteemed judges.

Tasting live during the session, hear more about some of the top results from Jefford, Maurer and Tidwell and which newly awarded wines they urge you to try.

WSG is offering Decanter readers a complimentary three-month membership with the code wsgmemdecan24.

WSG membership provides wine professionals and wine students with a wealth of resources and benefits to help them expand their wine knowledge, including full access to WSG Studio, the largest hub of live and streaming wine education content.

To redeem your exclusive three-month access, follow this link and enter the code wsgmemdecan24 at checkout.

Be among the first to see this year’s medal winners: Sign up to the DWWA newsletter

Related articles

DWWA 2024 results sneak peek: Styles to watch

Coming soon: Decanter World Wine Awards 2024 results

DWWA Market Guide: A helping hand in the competitive UK wine market

The post Wine Scholar Guild to host DWWA webinar with Andrew Jefford, Caro Mauer MW and James Tidwell MS appeared first on Decanter.

Barcelona is the undisputed jewel in the crown of the beautiful Catalan coast. With its unique architecture, gastronomy, vibrant nightlife and warm, sunny weather, the city’s global popularity is unsurprising.

There are currently 28 Michelin-star restaurants in Barcelona and the restaurant scene touches every cuisine imaginable. Yet the real charm and beauty of Barcelona’s food culture is to be found in fresh, local ingredients and informal dining. Locals typically enjoy a light snack in the sunshine with friends and a glass of vermouth, particularly in the long, summer evenings that stretch into the night.

Of course, where gastronomy flourishes, so does wine.

DWWA results out 19 June!
Be the first to know: Subscribe to the DWWA newsletter

It’s hard to believe it now, but once upon a time, Barcelona suffered from ‘Rioja-itis’ – it seemed that every bar and restaurant served Rioja, Rueda and little else. Now, Barcelona’s wine scene has something for everyone.

Catalonia’s distinct wine regions are well represented in Barcelona. The very best Catalan wines are to be found in Barcelona’s bars, shops and restaurants – including those produced in quantities too small for wider retail distribution.

There are plenty of bricks-and-mortar bottle shops in Barcelona. High summer temperatures, small homes and a lack of professional wine storage means large at-home wine collections are rare. Most neighbourhoods have good wine stores, or bodegas, where residents can find the perfect bottle of good wine to accompany the evening meal.

Wherever you are in Barcelona, it’s always worth exploring your local neighbourhood – chances are you’ll have a great local wine shop nearby.

Below are 10 of the best.

Bodega Maestrazgo

Bodega Maestrazgo is a third-generation family business, operating since 1952. Bordering the Born, Gotic and Eixample districts, it’s an authentic neighbourhood bodega complete with ‘vino a granel’, bulk wine served direct from large barrels. There’s an excellent selection of mostly Spanish wines. The bodega regularly organises social events and tastings too. You can drink your purchase inside the bodega for a small corkage fee.

El Petit Celler

Barcelona has a growing ex-pat community and the international wine scene is expanding with it. El Petit Celler stocks more than 250 wines from around the world. Sommelier and owner, Sebastián Lozano, routinely introduces wines from his own collection, selling bottles as special lots or serving by the glass via Coravin. El Petit Celler is one of the few places in Spain where you can purchase a €8 Catalan Garnatxa and also sample a glass of mature, grand cru Burgundy. There is also an online shop offering free shipping for orders over €80.

L’Ànima del Vi

L’Anima del Vi is the original mecca for natural wine lovers in Barcelona, run by the delightful Benoît Valée and Núria Rodríguez. The menu is short and charming, continually changing according to season and the availability of fresh produce. But the real beauty here is the wine list, including some of the most exclusive names in the natural wine world. An evening spent with a bottle of L’Anglore Tavel is no hardship after a long day on the beach!

La Vinícola

La Vinícola is a gem in the heart of the Eixample district. Owner Victor Jiménez focuses on Catalan wines, from both French and Spanish sides of the border. As a result, La Vinícola has the city’s best selection of wines from Roussillon. A beautiful, spacious store in Carrer Girona, this is a great spot to grab a bottle with a strong Catalan identity, with a particular focus on Empordà and the north of Spain.

Magaztem Escola

Magatzem Escola is one of the biggest and best – yet least-known – wine shops in Barcelona. It’s located next to Parc Ciutadella, behind the Born Cultural Centre. Hidden away on a quiet street, this vast store has deep cellars and an incredible selection of wines from across Spain. It also stocks spirits, with a strong selection of whiskies. The sheer range of wines, helpful staff and enomatic machines (serving wine by the glass from around 20 bottles at a time) make Magatzem Escola a must-visit if you’re in the neighbourhood. Wines can also be purchased online.

Món Vínic Bar de Vinos y Quesos

Previously known as Món Vínic store, this bar is a spinoff of the (sadly now closed) Món Vínic restaurant. Run by Delia Garcia and her team, it’s arguably the very best hybrid wine bar-shop in the city, with a stunning array of minimal-intervention wines from around the world. In-store wine purchases can be consumed in the wine (and raw-milk cheese) bar for a €10 corkage fee; wines can also be purchased online.

Outlet de Vinos

Located in the Eixample district, Vila Viniteca’s Outlet de Vinos is the place to find good-quality, ready-to-drink wines from older vintages at a good price. If you’re local to Barcelona, it’s worth following the Outlet on social media for offers on wines as they are released from the depths of Vila Viniteca’s cellars. This is the perfect place to find that special bottle.

Salut Wine Studio

Salut Wine Studio changed hands in 2023 and is now one of the most exciting venues in Barcelona. There’s a strong focus on local Catalan producers and it’s a great choice if you’re looking for a smartly curated selection that won’t overwhelm you. The wine tastings and especially the ‘wine casino’ nights are a lot of fun. Located right on the edge of the Born district, close to the Arc de Triomf.

Credit: Salut Wine Studio

Viblioteca

This modern, well-lit wine ‘library’ and bar in Gracia is the work of owner-sommelier and cheese lover, Yolanda Villegas. There’s an incredible selection of more than 50 cheeses to complement the well-stocked wine list, and a variety of other cold plates. Both wine and food can be ordered online for home delivery.

Credit: Viblioteca

Vila Viniteca

Vila Viniteca is arguably the premier wine store in Barcelona; it’s also the largest wine distributor in the region. There are three Vila Viniteca stores in Barcelona, but the Born store is the flagship, with every fraction of wall space crammed with bottles from around the world. What you see in store is only a fraction of what’s available, too. It also has cavernous cellars, so it is always worth asking if you’re looking for something specific. Wines can also be purchased online.

Credit: Vila Viniteca

When you’ve finished shopping, visit the store’s excellent wine bar, La Vinya del Senyor, just around the corner by the 14th-century Basilica di Santa Maria del Mar.

Related articles

Barcelona for wine lovers

Pedalling Priorat: A Catalonia cycling guide

Rioja’s best wine bars

The post Best wine shops in Barcelona appeared first on Decanter.

With 23 harvests at Kanonkop Estate under his belt, winemaker Abrie Beeslar has become synonymous with the Stellenbosch estate. So it was no surprise that his decision to leave, announced in January this year, made the headlines.

‘It was, and still is, very difficult,’ Beeslaar told Decanter at the time, about his decision. Six months on, the groundwork has been more firmly laid for his succession at Kanonkop, where he is not being replaced by an outsider.

Instead the existing team at Kanonkop will continue the winemaking, with Francois Van Zyl stepping into the role of senior winemaker, alongside winemakers Christelle Van Niekerk and Ruan Van Schalkwyk. Suzaan Krige, daughter of Paul Krige, who owns Kanonkop with his brother Johann Krige, will also be joining the team as assistant winemaker.

‘I’m leaving a great team behind,’ said Beeslar. ‘The talent is there, the commitment, the love for the property and the brand –so that’s I think the most important thing. That’s also the same reason why we haven’t decided to appoint somebody outside the business; to keep that momentum going and keep that passion going. I think it was a positive decision,’ he added.

Beeslar will be officially stepping away from Kanonkop at the end of November. ‘By November most of the vineyards are pruned already, all of that work is done. November’s a good date,’ he explained.

DWWA results out 19 June!
Be the first to know: Subscribe to the DWWA newsletter

But he will still be staying close to the winery in an ongoing consultancy role. ‘It’s not that I said, “Listen, I want to go!” Because you don’t stay at a place for 23 years and not enjoy it. Kanonkop will always have a piece of my heart and I don’t think I will ever be not interested in what’s going on,’ he said.

‘The reason for going is just that I needed to give myself room to grow my own wine,’ he continued. ‘Kanonkop is becoming too big and is still growing aggressively so there wasn’t really room.’ Under Beeslar, production at Kanonkop increased from 300,000 bottles to three million.

Established in 2011, his personal project Beeslar Wines is a smaller operation, currently focusing only on Stellenbosch Pinotage and Chardonnay. Beeslar sources fruit from growers, using four plots for Chardonnay, but just one site for Pinotage. The latter represents a radical departure from his work at Kanonkop, as the vineyard is shale.

‘In my whole life I have only worked with granite soils. So the expression of Pinotage on [granite] I knew exactly what it was. But then with the shale, all of a sudden you had all this perfume and red fruit and beautiful expression of the varietal,’ he said.

There are currently 10 vintages of Beeslar Pinotage in the market. But there are plans to extend the red range. ‘I’m starting a Bordeaux blend that will be released at the end of this year, beginning of next year. It’s 2022 vintage and has already been bottled,’ he said, adding that the new wine does not have a name yet.

‘Then from next year, I’ll probably do a second wine as well. It might be a lighter style Bordeaux blend, it might be a Cape Blend or it might be a straight Pinotage. I haven’t decided yet.’ Watch this space…

Related articles

Kanonkop Black Label Pinotage: a 13-vintage vertical of this South African icon

Wine Legend: Kanonkop Pinotage 1995

South African Pinotage: panel tasting results

The post Kanonkop’s Abrie Beeslar: What’s next?  appeared first on Decanter.

Anthony Rose, Susan Hulme MW and Jason Millar tasted 109 wines, with 3 Outstanding and 41 Highly recommended.

Etna Rosso: Panel tasting scores

109 wines tasted

Exceptional 0

Outstanding 3

Highly recommended 41

Recommended 49

Commended 11

Fair 4

Poor 1

Entry criteria: producers and UK agents were invited to submit their red wines classified as Etna DOC Rosso, Etna DOC Rosso Riserva or IGP Terre Siciliane, made using a minimum of 80% Nerello Mascalese or Nerello Cappuccio

In his Native Wine Grapes of Italy, Ian d’Agata writes: ‘Prior to 2000, nobody talked about Nerello Mascalese, or Nerello Cappuccio, its stablemate.’ Today, he says, things ‘couldn’t be more different, and the Etna area has become, without question, Italy’s single hottest wine production zone’.

Whether or not intended, there is a degree of irony in the word ‘hottest’ here, because – with all due respect to the reality of climate change – the huge Sicilian mountain attracting publicity this year for puffing volcanic vortex rings is distinctly colder and wetter than the rest of the island.

The Etna DOC was established in 1968, but it wasn’t until the ‘noughties’ that it saw the widespread adoption of indigenous grape varieties, most notably the light-coloured, late-ripening Nerello Mascalese.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores from the Etna Rosso panel tasting

Etna Rosso panel tasting scores

Wines were tasted blind

The judges

Anthony Rose is a widely published writer on wine and sake, including for The Oxford Companion. A DWWA Regional Chair, his latest book is Fizz! Champagne and Sparkling Wines of the World (Infinite Ideas, 2021).

Susan Hulme MW is a wine writer, editor, educator and presenter specialising in Italy. She runs her own wine training and consultancy company Vintuition and travels regularly to Italy’s wine regions. Now focusing more on her writing, she is Italian editor for The Wine Independent.

Jason Millar is a freelance wine writer, consultant, judge and communicator, with a focus on South Africa and Italy. He was formerly buyer and director at retailer Theatre of Wine, and in 2016 was the top WSET Diploma graduate worldwide.

Related articles

Piedmont Dolcetto: Panel tasting results

Italy’s future greats: 10 wineries from Piedmont to Campania nominated by their peers

Discover Campania: 12 wines worth seeking out from this exciting region

The post Etna Rosso: Panel tasting results appeared first on Decanter.

Seven hours, 60 floors up, more than 50 premium producers and four exceptional masterclasses – consumers and wineries were unanimous in heralding the Decanter Fine Wine Encounter New York City (DFWE NYC) as Manhattan’s greatest world wine event.

In its third year, DFWE NYC 2024 welcomed more than 500 wine lovers from across the Empire State and as far away as California, Washington and North Carolina.

Held at the glitzy and spacious Manhatta, which offers unparalleled views over the city, this NYC iteration of Decanter’s renowned global events series brought together 28 Gold, Platinum and Best in Show medal-winners from the Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA) as well as 180 premium wines from more than 50 world-class producers.

DWWA 2024 results out on 19 June!

Be the first to know: Subscribe to the DWWA newsletter

Each producer at the Grand Tasting brought one special wine, either an old vintage or a large-format bottle – and often both – to share with guests.

Among the highlights were: magnums of Damilano’s 1752 Cannubi Barolo 2013, Joseph Phelps’ 2006 Insignia, Château Lagrange 2003 and Château Haut Bages Libéral 2008; double magnums of T-Oinos’ 2022 Clos Stegasta Assyrtiko and Dow’s 10 Year Old Tawny Port; and a jeroboam of E Guigal’s 2016 Château de Nalys.

Other special bottles included Château Léoville Las Cases 2003, Speri’s 2003 Sant’Urbano Amarone Classico, Catena Zapata’s 2004 Nicolás Catena Zapata, Remírez de Ganuza’s 2005 Rioja Gran Reserva and Tenuta Sette Ponti’s 2005 Oreno.

Alejandro Vigil, winemaking director of Catena Zapata in Argentina, pouring his ‘special bottle’ for guests: the 2004 Nicolás Catena Zapata. Credit: Mark Reinertson Photography

And that was just the Grand Tasting. Those who snapped up tickets to one of the four masterclasses throughout the day had the rare chance to enjoy expert guided tastings of 34 cuvées from the likes of Châteaux Haut-Brion and La Mission Haut-Brion back to 1995, and Napa’s Peter Michael Winery back to 2006.

Apart from the wines, of course, the biggest drawcard to the DFWEs is the chance for attendees to speak with the winemakers and winery owners themselves.

Rhône superstar Michel Chapoutier of M Chapoutier and Count Vicente Dalmau Cebrián-Sagarriga of Marqués de Murrieta in Rioja stole the show in their masterclasses, wine lovers queuing for autographs and selfies after each session.

Coming soon: Full masterclass reports from DFWE NYC 2024

Haut-Brion, La Mission Haut-Brion & Quintus
Peter Michael Winery
M Chapoutier
Marqués de Murrieta

In the Grand Tasting, of the 13 tables spanning the length and breadth of Italy, we welcomed winemakers and owners from six estates, including Allegrini, Baricci, Barone Pizzini, Masciarelli, Tenuta Sette Ponti and Zenato.

Key figures from several US wineries were in attendance too, including Ross Cobb (Cobb Wines), Rebekah Wineburg (Quintessa), Chris Peterson (Avennia), Joanna Wells (Signal Ridge) and Olive Hamilton Russell (Hamilton Russell Oregon).

Winemakers and owners from Remírez de Ganuza, Marqués de Riscal, Montes, Santa Rita and Catena Zapata also generously took time out of their busy schedules to fly over for the event, pour wines and chat at length with guests.

José Ramón Urtasun of Remírez de Ganuza in Rioja was one of many winemakers who flew to New York especially for the DFWE. Credit: Mark Reinertson Photography

Indeed, producers remarked at the high level of knowledge and genuine interest in wine among the DFWE NYC 2024 guests compared to those at other events – making it an enjoyable experience for all.

If you attended, keep an eye out for our photo gallery, as you may be featured. Or, if you have a favourite moment you want to share with us, you could be in with a chance to win a pair of Grand Tasting tickets to next year’s DFWE NYC.

Upload your images to X (Twitter) and Instagram by 1 July, and make sure you tag @Decanter and use the hashtag #DecanterFWE.

In the meantime, if you can’t wait for June 2025, why not join us at our inaugural DFWE Singapore on 26 October or the original DFWE London on 16 November?

The DFWE NYC 2024 was kindly sponsored by Riedel. Event photography was done by Mark Reinertson Photography and Studio Smith.

Related articles

Walls: Exclusive first taste of M Chapoutier’s Sélections Parcellaires 2023

DWWA 2024 results sneak peak: Styles to watch

Bordeaux 2023 market analysis: Canon and Les Carmes Haut-Brion released

The post Decanter Fine Wine Encounter NYC 2024: Highlights appeared first on Decanter.

Troplong Mondot, Haut-Bailly and Vieux Château Certan were the latest major names to release 2023-vintage wines en primeur, on Tuesday morning (11 June).

New releases at a glance:

• Château Troplong Mondot 2023 | 97pts (Decanter) | €90 per bottle ex-négociant, down 11.8% versus 2022 | UK price £1,068 per 12x75cl in bond (IB)
• Château Haut-Bailly 2023 | 96pts | €90 per bottle, down 25% | UK price £1,080 (12x75cl IB)
• Vieux Château Certan 2023 | 98pts | €186 per bottle, down 32.6% | UK price £2,220 (12x75cl IB)
  Price data source: Liv-ex.

As the campaign nears its end, early market reports and merchant feedback have continued to suggest a mixed response from consumers to Bordeaux 2023 wines in general.

Most wines have been cheaper than the 2022-vintage releases last year, but a key consideration is also the price of other well-regarded recent vintages that remain available on the market.

See Decanter’s full verdict on the Bordeaux 2023 vintage, plus ratings and tasting notes on the top-scoring wines

Related articles

Bordeaux 2023 market analysis: Smith Haut Lafitte released

See our Bordeaux 2023 scores table

Château Margaux drops price by 30% for 2023 vintage

The post Bordeaux 2023 market analysis: Troplong, Haut-Bailly and VCC released appeared first on Decanter.

In a warming climate, there is one characteristic in wine that is increasingly coveted: freshness. This is why Ventoux, once a marginal climate for quality wines, finds itself in an increasingly strong position.

Although most of the appellation’s vineyards are at the foot of the mountain, vines are climbing ever upwards, and have now reached 550m above sea level. With Mont Ventoux’s summit at 1,912m, they’ve got plenty of room to grow.

I tasted 56 wines in ascending elevation to see when the freshness of altitude becomes discernible. I was expecting a clear correlation between height and freshness; the reality, however, is more complex.

Scroll down to see notes and scores for top picks from Ventoux

Fresh Ventoux wines

Related articles

Exploring the Southern Rhône with Matt Walls

Walls: M Chapoutier Hermitage Monier de la Sizeranne vertical

Matt Walls: M Chapoutier Chante-Alouette vertical tasting

The post Walls: Chasing freshness in Ventoux appeared first on Decanter.