Indholdsfortegnelse for April 2024 i Decanter

After visiting many wineries around the world over the past two decades, I’ve concluded that one of the greatest assets a wine region can have is a spirit of cooperation and collaboration among its producers. Not something you can take as read. But invaluable when a region is only just emerging on to the world stage, and the exchange of knowledge benefits everyone; or when climate emergencies strike and wineries need to pull together and respond quickly. In this spirit of generosity, this month’s cover story (see ‘Italy’s future greats’, p24) sees long-established, well-known wine estates across Italy give the floor to the names they have chosen as future greats in their region. ‘An encouragement to the new guard,’ observes the author of the piece, Tiziano Gaia. Local knowledge brings…

TASTED NON-BLIND Nebbiolo is the classic ‘less-ismore’ style of wine. It’s perhaps no coincidence that today – when this is a style that’s very much in vogue – demand for young Nebbiolo has increased significantly, according to Piedmont’s Consorzio di Tutela Barolo, Barbaresco, Alba, Langhe &Dogliani. Focusing on Piedmont’s main DOC Nebbiolo categories, consorzio figures reported in January 2024 show that annual production of Nebbiolo d’Alba has increased by more than a million bottles since 2016 (to 5.64m bottles in 2022). Over the same period, production of Langhe DOC wines (within which, it must be noted, there is primarily – but not only – Nebbiolo) grew from 15.4m to 19.5m bottles a year. By comparison, Barbera and Dolcetto volumes have declined, while DOCG Barolo (14.5m) and Barbaresco (5m) have increased…

In a small pocket of the far southeastern corner of mainland Australia lies the Moorabool Valley, a lush, cool, undulating oasis etched into a barren, windswept plain about 20 minutes’ drive from the city of Geelong. Once part of the ocean floor, the region was uplifted some 20,000 years ago following millennia of volcanic disruption, resulting in a complex geology of limestone and basalt. Today, when it comes to capturing this marginal terroir in a bottle, one name stands out: By Farr. Known for disruption of its own, this small-but-mighty producer’s success story is built upon decades of iconoclastic grit, unwavering integrity and fierce determination. ‘I’m never content,’ says Nick Farr, second-generation winemaker and current custodian. ‘I’m always striving for better in the vineyard.’ It’s a sunny spring day, following…

Raisingthebar The Connaught Bar in London’s Mayfair has won a string of awards since it opened in 2008, including being named on the World’s 50 Best Bars list for 14 consecutive years since 2010. Anew book takes readers behind the scenes at this iconic establishment, which adheres to the hotel motto placere placet: ‘it pleases to give pleasure’. The Connaught Bar: Recipes and Iconic Creations contains 100 stylishly photographed cocktails and their recipes, with an entire chapter devoted to the legendary Connaught Martini, plus 120 additional recipes for the homemade syrups, infused spirits and garnishes that help to create the signature style of Connaught libations. Written by master mixologist Agostino Perrone, with Maura Milia (bar manager) and Giorgio Bargiani (assistant director of mixology), it would make an elegant addition to…

For those of us who were fans of Russell Norman’s restaurants, his book Brutto has a particular poignancy. Sadly, he died shortly after its publication, but it remains the perfect tribute to both the man and his simple but always stylish cooking. Norman was a passionate Italophile with an eye for design, which enabled him to recreate not only the food of a city or region (he’d written a similar book on Venice) but the authentic feel of its restaurants. Brutto, which is also the name of his most recent outpost in London’s Smithfield, is dedicated to the food of Florence, which is often as unlovely to look at as it is delicious to eat – hence the name, which means ‘ugly’. But the book – with its glorious photography…

My love for Riesling comes from fond memories of living in the Swiss Alps, where we would often sit down and enjoy traditional cheese fondue with locally produced charcuterie, accompanied by a glass of Riesling. It was the perfect hearty meal on a cold winter’s day. Years later, having explored a wide variety of wines from across the world, Riesling still holds a special place in my heart. This white grape is known for its clean, powerful scent and flavours, characterised by apple, lime and honey, and bright acidity. Sweetness and residual sugar are key elements to balance the wine and reflect the terroir and style – although this does not indicate the overall quality of the wine. Because the grape’s distinctive aromas and flavours have so much to offer…

In Sarmiento in southern Chubut – a province in Argentine Patagonia – Bodega Otronia is the latest project of Grupo Avinea, best known for Bodega Argento (Mendoza). Eager to explore the extreme terroir (one of the world’s southernmost at 45° 33’ latitude), in 2010 the group planted 50ha of vineyards, which are now beginning to bear mature fruit, truly capable of showcasing the region’s potential. Argento’s head winemaker Juan Pablo Murgia was tasked with leading the pioneering project and soon became fascinated with the possibilities offered by Sarmiento’s extreme conditions. High UV levels and relentless winds tease the grapes into producing thicker skins, while significant diurnal and annual temperature variation allows them to retain high levels of acid. Murgia travelled to London recently to explain the challenges and allure of…

It’s fortunate that Irish-born Dermot Sugrue thrives on stress. The past few years have been a whirlwind for England’s most talented winemaker, who has 20 years’ experience under his belt with a raft of well-known English winery names. In that time he has left Wiston Estate, where he worked for 16 years, moved house, got married, had a baby, and then – with investment from Robin Hutson, owner of The Pig hotel group – built anew winery for the wines he makes under the Sugrue South Downs label, from several sites in East and West Sussex. The winery is next to his new Bee Tree Vineyard. Building work was supposed to be finished by July 2023, in time to receive the harvest, but work overran and he ended up having…

Pinord, Cava +&+ Seleccion Brut, Penedès, Spain NV £13.95-£15.25 Fintry Wines, Strictly Wine, The Old Bridge Wine Shop, Vino Gusto, Wine Poole A well-made blend of classic Cava grapes. Honeyed nose and palate with white flower, pear and nougat notes, citrus freshness and gentle, persistent bubbles. Very drinkable: +&+ stands for ‘more and more’. JS Alc 11.5% Cave de Ribeauvillé, Brut, Crémant d’Alsace, France NV V £17.99 Majestic Majestic has a great line-up of Champagne alternatives, including this traditionalmethod fizz from Alsace. Made by France’s oldest wine co-op, it has attractive aromas and flavours of white flowers, apple and peach: dry, spicy and fruit-forward. AW Alc 12% Banks Brothers, Chardonnay No3.1, Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, South Africa 2021 £7/25cl Banks Brothers Another classy Chardonnay from renowned winemakers Gordon and Nadia Newton Johnson…

BAROLO 2020 Some merchants have begun releasing Barolo 2020-vintage wines, although UK-based Goedhuis Waddesdon, formerly Goedhuis &Co, planned to launch offers in April. Fellow merchant Petersham Cellar said Barolo 2020 is ‘part of a glorious trilogy’, with 2019 and 2021. Look out for a full tasting report on Decanter Premium, with highlights in our May issue. CLOS DE TART 2021 Burgundy release season hasn’t quite ended, and UK merchant Corney &Barrow plans to launch its offer for Clos de Tart 2021 in April. Domaine Clos de Tart, named after its grand cru monopole vineyard in Morey-St-Denis, was bought by Ch Latour owner Artémis Domaines in 2017. BORDEAUX EN PRIMEUR 2023 Bordeaux’s next en primeur campaign is approaching, and critics will be traversing vineyards from St-Emilion to Pauillac in April to…

TIM ATKIN MW is aDecanter contributing editor and awarded wine journalist, author, broadcaster, judge and photographer. He publishes timatkin.com, where his South Africa 2023 Special Report is still available (£20) ALDO FIORDELLI is a widely published journalist, wine writer and author, and aDWWA judge. He qualified as a sommelier in 2003, and in March 2022 received a special award from Tuscany’s Consorzio Cortona Vini TIZIANO GAIA is a writer, author, editor and film-maker. He co-directed the 2014 movie Barolo Boys and is co-author of Il Grande Racconto del Vino Italiano (€30 Mondadori Electa, October 2022, published in Italian only) TOM KLINE is a wine writer, educator and judge based in Victoria, Australia. Born and raised in the state’s King Valley, he’s on the reviewing team for winepilot.com and teaches both…

There’s a growing thirst for tequila in the UK, with sales jumping 94% in value between 2020 and 2022, according to figures from the WSTA, and projected growth set to increase steadily for the next four years. Here’s a selection of new launches and favourites from recent tastings. 1 Casa Rayos Blanco £41.99/70cl brewdog.com The team at BrewDog Distilling Co has branched out from beer to launch its own blanco tequila, made in partnership with long-established producers the Orendain family. Smoky aromas with a crème brûlée note, plus lemon curd and lemon zest. There’s cracked black pepper, vanilla and grassy freshness on the palate, alongside deeper earthy notes, with lemon and grapefruit citrus, plus peppery spice on the finish. It makes a great base for a Paloma cocktail. Alcohol 40%…

Situated in the heart of the subregion of Sarcidano, in southern Sardinia, Tenuta Olianas lies 50 minutes to the north of Cagliari. Boasting 35ha of vineyards, the estate – the only Demetercertified company in Sardinia – focuses on key native varieties Cannonau, Vermentino, Bovale, Malvasia, Nasco and Semidano. Flagship wines include the Cannonau di Sardegna DOC and Vermentino di Sardegna DOC. With owner and oenologist Stefano Casadei at the helm, Tenuta Olianas sits within the Famiglia Casadei group portfolio; a venture which first took shape at the turn of the millennium in collaboration with the Olianas family from Gergei. Anew approach to agriculture Olianas is guided by an all encompassing philosophy in every decision taken, spanning work in the vineyard, winery and beyond. Developed by Casadei himself, this holistic approach…

Astaple of pizzerias across the land, Montepulciano is a grape variety that everyone knows but few love. Despite being the second most-planted red grape in Italy, it has struggled to be taken as anything other than good-value ‘house wine’. This panel tasting focused on Montepulciano d’Abruzzo and showed encouraging signs of progress in recent vintages. It also made it clear that picking a premium Montepulciano can be a lottery, with little evident territorial definition and the range of styles wide. First, let us say that there is real personality in the Montepulciano variety, with its bold fruit, modest acidity and structuring tannins. The grape’s flavour profile ranges from tangy raspberry and blueberry to ripe dark cherry and fresh blackberry in warmer sites, sometimes interwoven with appealing herbal, spice and liquorice…

Lugana is a white wine from the southern shores of Lake Garda. Cradled in a beautiful spot in the hills around the town of Sirmione, between the towns of Peschiera del Garda and Desenzano, Lugana DOC is one of the few Italian wine denominations that crosses two regions: Lombardy and Veneto. The DOC was set up in 1967 and covers 2,600 hectares. It permits five different designations – annata (the regular wine of the vintage), Superiore, Riserva, late harvest and spumante (sparkling) – although most wines produced are dry whites. Wines must be made from 90% Trebbiano di Soave or Trebbiano di Lugana (known locally as Turbiana). Recent DNA analysis has found that Turbiana is almost identical to Verdicchio, the white variety found in the Marche, but there are enough…

Krásná Hora, Ottolenghi White, Moravia, Czech Republic 2022 £26 Ottolenghi Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Gewurztraminer and Pinot Blanc: an intriguing, lightly spiced and aromatic nose. Bone dry and complex with orchard and stone fruits, orange zest, clean minerality and a mouthwatering finish. Brilliant to pair with Middle Eastern dishes. JS Alc 11.5% OuSyra Winery, Monemvasia, Cyclades, Greece 2022 B O £24 Maltby &Greek The Monemvasia grape is now grown almost exclusively on the island of Paros. Vinified here by a small (British-Greek) family winery on the nearby island of Syros, this spent time in clay and cement (no oak). Fresh with a lick of salt, rounded notes of citrus, stone fruit and herbs. AW Alc 13% Domaine Kox, Kvevri Riesling, Moselle, Luxembourg 2018 £41 Benedict Butterworth Fermented in qvevri (large…

Italian wine is in full swing. While the leaders of the quality revolution of the 1980s and 1990s are progressively passing the baton to the next generation, new faces are also rising to prominence. Whether they are modernising family businesses or starting from scratch; whether they have studied oenology or have a different background – for all of them, the challenge today is the market, unstable and moody, marked by a radical change in eating habits and by a young public disaffected with wine. Not even the climate offers certainty to those whose ceiling is the sky. Apossible solution could be provided by biodiversity: olive groves and cereal plantations often grow next to vineyards. Wine is no longer the undisputed protagonist, and even the role of the oenologist consultant is…

ANGUS PAUL Born in South Africa but brought up in Scotland (hence a slight accent), Angus Paul came to Stellenbosch to study. The youngest winemaker in the Polkadraai Hills, he released his first reds and whites as recently as 2021. Working out of the communal Karibib Wine Craft cellar, in his core range he makes five understated, low-intervention wines (as well as a secondary range called Mesas), including one – the intriguingly named On a Flight of Furious Fancies Chenin Blanc – produced with Jozua Joubert’s Karibib grapes from a block planted in the 1980s. anguspaulwines.com CARINUS FAMILY VINEYARDS The Carinus family arrived in South Africa from Germany in 1809. Today, cousins Hugo and Danie Carinus are top-quality grape growers with farms in Devon Valley and the Swartland, as well…

If there is one country’s wine quality evolution to follow at the Decanter World Wine Awards, it might well be Croatia. In just two years, the country has more than tripled its Gold medal count at the international competition. But what’s more, its indigenous varieties have featured in the realm of quality improvement. Divided into four major wine regions, Istria, the largest peninsula in the Adriatic, is marked by its proud producers, determined to make a name for their region’s staple varieties: the white Malvazija (locally Malvazija Istarska) and red Teran. For the ambitious winemaker and adventurous wine enthusiast, Malvazija is remarkably varied. It can be produced and enjoyed in a light, fresh style, but its intrigue comes from time maturing on lees, in oak, on skins or aged in…

Ditching the plastic straws. Taking out the recycling. Beyond the basics, though, what are today’s top bars doing to minimise their eco-footprints? We spoke to four representatives from forward-thinking bars to see what sustainable cocktail-making looks like in their trailblazing venues. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to making green(er) drinks, but there are some common practices and themes that are being embraced. Could the below provide a blueprint for the sustainable mixology of the future? THOUGHTFUL SOURCING Let’s start with the obvious: to make sustainable cocktails you need to use sustainable ingredients. But determining a product’s sustainability credentials can be tricky, particularly when you start to factor in packaging, shipment and production methods. Agood rule of thumb is to stick to in-season, local ingredients wherever possible. ‘Cocktails have…

Editors picks Each month our editorial team tastes a lot of wine, but not all of it makes it onto the page. So here’s our in-house pick of other great wines we’ve tried At a recent tasting in Napa, I was smitten by the Somerston Estate wines. Away from the valley floor, turning off the Silverado Trail onto the circuitous CA-128 leads you past Pritchard Hill and to the sprawling vineyards of Somerston Estate, nestled in the foothills of the Vaca mountains. The wines made by Cody Hurd sing of elegance, balance and classic Napa Valley, a kind of throwback to an earlier era. The Somerston Estate LXXI Sauvignon Blanc 2021 is brilliant, brimming with minerality and freshness. Whole-cluster pressing and fermentation for 18 months in new and neutral barrels,…

Renowned wine consultant Alberto Antonini – who has worked with, among many others, the Frescobaldis, the Antinoris and the Mondavis – was in town in January to showcase wines from his personal Poggiotondo estate in Tuscany at Liberty Wines’ portfolio tasting. He and I, along with winemaker Giacomo Beltrame, met up the day before at Scott’s in Mayfair for a very in-depth discussion of viticulture and winemaking and – of course – a preview of their wines. ‘The challenge in making a terroir-driven wine is to understand all the complexities of the environment,’ Antonini explained. Abeliever in the impact of the soil on vine health and wine quality, he has worked closely over the years with wine terroir consultant Pedro Parra. The salinity and electricity of Poggiotondo’s Vermentino delle Conchiglie…

Fair 76-82pts nOlivastri Tommaso, La Carrata 2 Poor 70-75pts nCantina Rapino, Gira 2021 74 Our buying guide provides you with trusted, independent, expert recommendations on what to buy, drink and cellar. Each panel tasting is judged by three experienced tasters chosen for their authority in the category of wine being rated. All wines are tasted blind and are pre-poured for judges in flights of 8-10 wines. Our experts taste and score wines individually but then discuss their scores together at the end of each flight. Any wines on which scores are markedly different are retasted; however, judges are under no obligation to amend their scores. Judges are encouraged to look for typicity in wines, rewarding those that are true to their region. When judging, experts are aware of wine…

Over the last 30 years, the 270km of Tuscan coast that abuts the Tyrrhenian sea has become another essential piece of the celebrated region’s viticultural patchwork. It’s an ample territory, nestled between the coastal strip and the foothills of the Apennines. The maritime climate – with its mild winters, warm, sunny summers and constant sea breezes, which aerate the vines – and the wide range of grapes grown here are the common elements that distinguish the various terroirs of the coast from inland Tuscany. A MIXED WINE SCENE North of Pisa sit the two tiny DOCs of Colli di Luni and Candia dei Colli Apuani. Recently, both have been attracting praise for their mineral white Vermentino, but the latter also offers a particular Vermentino Nero, which produces reliable reds and…

SuperTuscans were one of the key beneficiaries of the 2021/2022 wine market strength, substantially altering their price context. The significance of brand was core to this period and SuperTuscans tick that box perfectly in particular, with a small group of wines all of which have very high recognition beyond the collecting community. In 2023, SuperTuscans did see a fall in market prices, though this was more modest than experienced by other regions. Market demand remained reasonably strong, aided by the low availability of stock. Looking forward, we have broadly been of the view that compared to, for example, top Bordeaux, relative value of the SuperTuscans was strained and therefore their ongoing momentum might be hampered. However, given the argument that Bordeaux’s prices remaining static seems to be due to Bordeaux-specific…