Innehållsförteckning för March 2022 från Decanter

EDITOR’S LETTER You have our ear Not, it must be said, in a Vincent van Gogh sense. That would be awfully messy. No, in the sense that we do actually listen to all of your opinions, rants and complaints. The diligent and delightful Paula, who has just retired from Decanter after 20-odd years of handling readers’ missives – many thanks, Paula – was very good at filtering our mailbag into admin issues (change of address, subscription glitch, dog ate my magazine, etc), commercial matters (off to the relevant department) and letters to the editor, which arrive in my inbox. I can’t answer them all, though I do give it a try, and we can’t publish them all without dropping the wine coverage entirely. But they are all read and taken…

TREND WATCH: UNDER-THE-RADAR WINE REGIONS Wine lovers are increasingly turning to lesser-known regions as drinking habits diversify. Trade experts cite price rises in bottles from classic regions as the driving factor. ‘Consumers have been forced to be more creative and as a result, you’ve seen the growth of categories like Canary Islands, Gredos and Santa Barbara,’ said Lewis Kopman, co-founder of New York merchant Grossberg/Kopman Selections. He added that as prices for classics become less attainable, even traditional wine collectors will start looking into these emerging regions. Two to try 4 Monos, Albillo Real, Vinos de Madrid, Gredos, Spain, 2017 93 £19.95 The Whisky Exchange An already-small production was reduced further in 2017 thanks to frost, but the nearly 900 bottles made are a wonder – a hint of waxy…

UNCORKED Hugh Johnson ‘The solera was invented as the way to make sense of it all’ ILLUSTRATION SAM KERR/DEBUT ART If I were in the Sherry business (and there are worse fates), I would do my best to avoid the word ‘Sherry’. Yes, it’s historic, it’s famous, but it is also tainted. It’s the lowest common denominator of a quiverful of wines about as unlike as they could be. Who would order just ‘a Sherry’, when you would have no idea what would then be brought to you in your glass? You were hoping for a brisk and bracing draught, cold, acidic, as dry as any wine can be? Why not say ‘fino’, or better ‘manzanilla’? Is it a cold day, and you’re waiting for a bowl of soup, or a…

DECANTER WORLD WINE AWARDS Praiseworthy Pinot Noirs of the New World Standouts from the Decanter World Wine Awards… Known as the ‘heartbreak grape’ among winemakers, Pinot Noir is recognised as one of the most difficult varieties to work with, but also the most rewarding. From berry fruits and floral touches to earthy, meaty, spicy notes, quality Pinots can be complex and expressive of terroir. Burgundy may remain Pinot Noir’s stronghold, but New World producers, with time, understanding, experience and passion are creating praiseworthy Pinots of their own. It’s known that cool-climate regions such as Central Otago in New Zealand or Willamette Valley, Oregon specialise in top-quality Pinot Noirs, but as DWWA results reveal, noteworthy examples can be found elsewhere, too. On judging at the 2021 competition, DWWA judge and The…

The wines to match TXAKOLI The baked crab in Basque is my interpretation of a dish served at Ganbara, one of my favourite pintxo bars in San Sebastián. Whenever I visit, I’m greeted by the owner Amaia with a glass of Txakoli – a very dry, lightly bubbly white wine produced in the Basque Country. The flavours of the Basque crab are a match made in heaven with the Txakoli, and it’s one of my greatest pleasures in life! Try: Doniene Gorrondona, Bizkaiako Txakolina, Basque Country 2020 93 £15.95-£18.50 North & South, Pure Spain, Ultracomida Hondarrabi Zuri from some of the best vineyards in the Bakio area, close to the sea. A lovely compromise between freshness and complexity. This is very clean, with wild herb notes and white fruit aromas.…

WORKING WINE TO 5 NEW-WAVE RIOJA José Vouillamoz Grape geneticist, author and lecturer How does a Swiss biology student become the world-leading authority on grape genetics? I grew up being told that the best wine in the world was the one made in the village. When I went to university to study biology I was exposed to wines from other countries, especially Italy, France and Spain – I felt like I would never understand all that fascinating diversity and complexity. After finishing my Master’s in biology, I started a PhD in plant genetics. But I was becoming more passionate about wine and, at the end of my PhD, decided to combine my knowledge of DNA profiling with that passion. In 2001, I got a grant from the Swiss government for…

Meet the Decanter experts TIM ATKIN MW is a Decanter contributing editor and awarded wine journalist, author, broadcaster, judge and photographer. He publishes timatkin.com, where his 2021 Ribera del Duero Report is available now DARREN SMITH is a wine writer, journalist and nomadic winemaker. He made his first wine in 2018 and launched his label, The Finest Wines Available to Humanity, in 2020 – for more information visit tfwath.com ANDY HOWARD MW is a Decanter contributing editor and a DWWA Regional Chair. A former wine buyer, he now runs his own wine consultancy Vinetrades Ltd, focusing on wine education and sourcing MATT WALLS is a contributing editor to Decanter and the DWWA Regional Chair for the Rhône. His latest book, Wines of the Rhône (£35, Infinite Ideas), an essential reference…

DECANTER LOVES… 100-POINT WINES Wines tasted in 2021 that got a perfect score from Decanter experts included two Champagnes from 1979 and 2002, five Bordeaux wines, four Burgundies, two from Washington State and a New Zealand Pinot Noir. A total of 14 red and white wines – in dry, sweet and sparkling styles – received the ‘perfect’ score of 100 points, a tiny percentage of the thousands of wines tasted last year. Bottles from retrospective vintage tastings, as well as special producer vertical tastings feature in the list, with older bottles including Philipponnat’s Clos des Goisses, Champagne 1979; Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, La Tâche Grand Cru Monopole, Burgundy 1971; and Château Pontet-Canet, Pauillac 5CC 1961. For a full list of the 100-point wines visit decanter.com/premium €7.40 THE MINIMUM PRICE OF…

WINEMAKING Smith’s eight: Spanish wines that inspired me 1 Muchada-Léclapart, Lumière, Andalucía 2018 97 £37 (ib) GB Wine Shippers, Lay & Wheeler From old, low-yielding vines on albariza soil on a biodynamically farmed plot in the pago Miraflores in Sanlúcar. Ale Muchada puts a huge effort into farming, learning from the old generation of Sanlúcar growers to produce Palomino of the highest quality, which he expertly transforms into the most pure and crystalline of wines. Drink 2022-2031 Alcohol 13% Victoria Torres Pecis, Las Machuqueras, La Palma 2018 94 POA Modal Wines I have spent more time in La Palma in the Canary Islands than anywhere else in Spain – three harvests, one pruning season. I love the island and the wines of Victoria Torres. Las Machuqueras is her prized parcel…

VINTAGE PREVIEW A taste of the top 2020 northern Rhônes Wines are listed by commune from north to south, then by score, then alphabetically by producer. Some 2020s are still being aged in barrel or are not yet bottled, hence some prices, stockists or alcohol levels are not yet known. Contact specialist merchants for latest offers Côte-Rôtie 1 KEY PRODUCER Domaine JP Jamet, Côte Brune 99 Beautifully fragrant and floral: rose and violet characters. Super-fine, silky tannins and lovely acidity. This is an eminently classic Côte Brune, with flowers, cinnamon, black olive, rosemary and perfectly ripe, bright blackberries. It has a tapered finish – not the same concentration and power as 2019, but with great finesse and elegance of expression. Beautifully balanced and very hard to fault. Drink 2022-2050 KEY…

OPINION: WINE SCORING 99 pts 19/20 73 What’s in a SCORE? Scores rule. Or do they? Nothing in the wine world fuels debate and controversy quite like the subject of scoring STORY ANDREW JEFFORD Wine was once scoreless. My 1973 Penguin version of Edmund Penning-Rowsell’s The Wines of Bordeaux brims with figures – most of them for vintages and the tonneaux of wine produced at individual châteaux in those years. The author has clearly tasted and drunk a wealth of fine Bordeaux, distinguishes château styles in a general sense and makes qualitative assessments – but never pins the butterfly to the wheel with a score. Penning-Rowsell’s clubby, discursive assessments follow the model laid down by one-time Guardian journalist, essayist and Edinburgh professor of rhetoric George Saintsbury in his 1920 Notes on a…

Distilled Your guide to the latest trends in spirits and cocktails EDITED BY JULIE SHEPPARD A taste of Cuba Birthplace of classic rum cocktails the Mojito, Daiquiri, Cuba Libre and El Presidente, Cuba is arguably the home of rum drinking. So it’s good news that one of the island’s leading rum brands is now available in the UK. Ron Santiago de Cuba is distilled by Corporación Cuba Ron using molasses made from sugarcane grown in the La Cuna del Ron Ligero area – ‘the cradle of light rum’ – in the southeastern Oriente region of Cuba. The full range was launched before Christmas, including a Carta Blanca, Añejo 8 Year Old and Extra Añejo 12 Year Old, with all of the older expressions aged in white oak. But my pick…

WHISKY Island treasures: eight whiskies to try SELECTED BY RICHARD WOODARD 1 Bruichladdich, Islay Barley 2012, Islay £48.50-£62/70cl Widely available Impeccable provenance – made from barley grown in 2011 by eight Islay farmers – and a typically bright, zesty ‘Laddie’, with comforting layers of vanilla, coconut and salted caramel. A delight. Alcohol 50% 2 Lagavulin 8 Year Old, Islay £49.99-£62.95/70cl Widely available Originally released to mark Lagavulin’s bicentenary and now part of its core range. The purity and precision of the fiery maritime smoke snatches the breath away like a raw blast of wind on a clifftop. Alc 48% 3 Highland Park 18 Year Old Viking Pride, Orkney £89-£118/70cl Widely available A study in expression and balance, with the elusive, perfumed smoke always lingering in the background, accompanied by beguiling,…

Uncorked A snapshot of what’s happening in the world of wine COMPILED BY CHRIS MERCER & JULIE SHEPPARD Château Angélus withdraws from St-Emilion classification St-Emilion’s wine council has defended the upcoming 2022 classification of the region’s top estates after Château Angélus withdrew its candidacy, causing fresh uncertainty. Châteaux Cheval Blanc and Ausone have already left the process, meaning three of the four top-tier premier grand cru classé A estates from the 2012 edition of the ranking aren’t seeking to renew their status in 2022. Launched in 1955, the St-Emilion classification is renewed every 10 years. Angélus cited legal challenges surrounding the ranking system as part of its reason for withdrawing. Estate president Stéphanie de Boüard-Rivoal said Angélus ‘will continue to actively promote St-Emilion and the great growths of Bordeaux’. So…

IN BRIEF Stay up to date with the latest wine news on decanter.com, or follow us on Facebook or Twitter @Decanter ◼ An MSc course in sustainable wine tourism and gastronomy has been launched by Dijon-based School of Wine & Spirits Business, part of Burgundy School of Business. Classes will be in English, on topics including ecotourism, sustainable viticulture and catering. Plus, ‘trips to wine and gastronomic regions at the forefront of sustainability are planned’, said associate professor Laurence Cogan-Marie, who will run the course. ◼ The Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) has received government approval to restart operations in mainland China. Its activities were suspended in January 2021. Ian Harris, the WSET’s outgoing CEO, said he was delighted that ‘through our network of course providers, we will be…

UNCORKED Andrew Jefford ‘The wine world has some dangerously alluring myths’ Myths nourish, but they can also entrap. They nourish when we use them as inspiration, as starting points for research or discussion, or as stories which resonate in our collective imagination. It’s when we take them too literally, and return to them over-obsessively, that they begin to clamp their jaws about us. National myths based on short, isolated episodes in history (such as France in 1789, the US in 1791 or the UK in 1940) furnish classic examples of this, but the wine world has dangerously alluring myths, too. Here are four. 1 ‘The vine must suffer’. Yes, Vitis vinifera is well adapted to Mediterranean conditions; yes, the quality of wine-making fruit declines on rich, well-watered clay soils which produce prolific…

NEW SPANISH WHITES The last two decades have witnessed a creative revolution in Spain’s white wine production. The 10 wines chosen here shine a light on the producers, grapes and styles that are making waves today STORY DAVID WILLIAMS When I interviewed Peter Sisseck – the great Danish-born, Spain-based winemaker behind Dominio de Pingus – among others – for Decanter last year (‘Producer profile’, March 2021 issue), talk turned at some point to his latest project. Why, I asked him, had his search for a vineyard to make a white wine partner to Pingus taken him so long and why, after all that time, had he settled on vineyards in Jerez? ‘Because the greatest fino is the greatest white wine in Spain,’ Sisseck said. ‘This crazy place where you’re almost…

Francisco Barona The classic case of working for decades to become an overnight success, this rising star winemaker’s impressive CV lists some of the world’s most prestigious wineries, and his name now joins those of the best in Ribera del Duero STORY TIM ATKIN MW My appointment with Francisco Barona sounded like something out of a Graham Greene novel. ‘Meet me in front of the bullring in Roa,’ he’d told me on the phone. I was intrigued. Did he want to share his love of the corrida before we talked and tasted? Would he arrive dressed as a matador? The answer was more prosaic. Barona is in the process of building a bodega nearby and, for the time being, he presents his wines in a modest ground floor room in…

JEFFORD: HOW TO SCORE A WINE I have no scoring system, and distrust all scoring systems; I’m also equally happy using a scale of 100, of 20 or of 7. To do any wine justice, you need to understand the culture in which it has come into being, so try as many wines of different sorts as you can before beginning to allot scores. You cannot judge Txakoli, Mosel Kabinett and Condrieu by the same criteria. If you have experience of that wine in other vintages, that too will be a help. Buy the best glasses you can. Work slowly. When you’re ready, create a zone of silence and attentiveness around a wine. Everything about a wine is significant: colour, weight and viscosity in the glass, aroma, flavour, texture, shape,…

DECANTER FIVE OF THE BEST: VODKAS FOR COCKTAILS RECOMMENDED BY LAURA FOSTER With its relatively neutral character, vodka lends itself well to a panoply of flavours when mixed in a cocktail. Whether you’re mixing Martinis or Bloody Marys, here are five that deserve a place in your home bar. 1 Absolut Vanilia £19-£24/70cl Widely available Made with natural ingredients and no added sugar, Absolut’s vanilla variant is still a luscious liquid, with vanilla slice, toffee and cream soda flavours and a white pepper finish. Perfect for use in Porn Star Martinis, or simply serve it long with cola and a squeeze of lime. Alcohol 40% 2 East London Liquor Co Vodka £19-£23.95/70cl Amathus Drinks, Gerry’s, House of Malt, Majestic, The Drink Shop, The Whisky Exchange, The Wine Society The hip,…

PERFECT PAIRING Baked crab This delicious Basque recipe of fresh crab in béchamel sauce topped with breadcrumbs can pair with whites zingy and citrussy or full and buttery, to balance out the richness STORY JOSE PIZARRO, CHEF & RESTAURATEUR Extremadura, in western Spain, is my birthplace and will always be close to my heart – but I feel very much at home in the Basque Country too. It’s one of my favourite places in the world for both food and people. For the people of the Basque Country, food is the most important thing. It’s sharing big plates around the table; it’s celebrating happy occasions; it’s a way of life. As much as I like visiting my friends in their creative, Michelin-starred kitchens, what I love most is simple food,…

Ask Decanter Each month our experts answer your burning wine questions. Email your questions to editor@decanter.com TAX ON DIRECT BUYS I wanted to have some flood-damaged wine bottles shipped direct from an Ahr valley producer in Germany to Scotland, but trying to ascertain processes from HMRC was confusing, with much bureaucracy involved. Can you clarify what taxes and fees a private individual in the UK will have to pay now if buying wine directly from the EU, or beyond? Richard Davis, Ross-shire, Scotland Anthony Rose replies: In both cases, UK excise duty (per 75cl) of £2.23 for still wine, £2.86 for sparkling and £2.98 for fortified (exceeding 15%, not exceeding 22%) is payable. Sparkling wine tax is set to fall in line with still wine duty from February 2023, though…

Editors’ picks Each month our editorial team tastes a lot of wine, but not all of it makes it on to the page. So here’s our in-house pick of other great wines we’ve tried RIOJA THROUGH THE DECADES JULIE SHEPPARD I always enjoy vertical tastings: they’re a fascinating look at how a wine can develop over time and often show how winemaking styles have evolved at a particular winery. A recent Beronia Historic Tasting also shone a light on how Rioja’s signature style has changed over the past five decades. Hosted by head winemaker Matías Calleja, the tasting celebrated the opening of Beronia’s new sustainable winery in Rioja Alta. The ambitious design is adapted for the demands of the future, but with an eye on Rioja’s traditions: only long-aged reservas…

The Decanter guarantee 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 price bands – under £15, £15-£30 and over £30 – with the…

WEEKDAY WINES Looking for everyday drinking wines that won’t disappoint? The Decanter in-house tasting team has done all the hard work for you, picking out 25 exciting and accessible wines that are all ready to drink now, are available in the UK and priced at £20 or less RECOMMENDED BY JAMES BUTTON, NATALIE EARL, TINA GELLIE, INES SALPICO, JULIE SHEPPARD, AMY WISLOCKI & SYLVIA WU Le Colture, Fagher Brut, Prosecco Valdobbiadene Superiore, Veneto, Italy NV £15.95 Corney & Barrow From 20-year-old vines on limestone and clay. A bright peardrop nose leads to a tight steel-and-mineral palate full of juicy pear with a subtle dash of peach. A touch of prickly spice on the balanced and fresh finish. Delicious. JB Alcohol 11.5% Waitrose, No1 Castillo Perelada Brut, Cava, Penedès, Spain 2018 £10.79…

WEEKEND WINES Planning to splash out a little bit more to celebrate your weekend in style? As a companion selection to our 25 wines under £20, the Decanter team has selected seven standout bottles that are sure to impress, all available in the UK and priced between £20 and £50 RECOMMENDED BY JAMES BUTTON, NATALIE EARL, GEORGINA HINDLE, TINA GELLIE, JULIE SHEPPARD, AMY WISLOCKI & SYLVIA WU Gosset, Grande Réserve Brut, Champagne, France NV £50 Waitrose The oldest Champagne house is a favourite among wine trade insiders. This non-vintage cuvée boasts mellow red apple fruit aromas. It has beautifully subtle autolysis on the palate, with creamy apple and plum, and great precision. AW Alc 12% Quintessa, Illumination Sauvignon Blanc, California, USA 2018 £37.50 Ally Wines A sophisticated, stylish limited bottling. A…

Marketwatch News from the world of investments and auctions COMPILED BY CHRIS MERCER 2021: auction houses report a record year Recently released figures have suggested 2021 was a bumper year for wine and spirits auctions Sotheby’s said global wine and spirits auction sales rose 44% last year to a record $132m (£99.6m), driven by Burgundy and rare Scotch whisky. About 40% of buyers were new, with one third of bidders aged under 40, it said. Sotheby’s was partly buoyed by new partnership deals, yet its figures also reinforce the sense of a strong market. The group’s best-selling wine lots included: nine bottles of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti (DRC), Romanée Conti 1990, sold for US$450,590; one methuselah of DRC, Romanée Conti 2000 ($404,600); six magnums of Henri Jayer, Vosne Romanée 1er…

Monitor: latest sales activity – Spain Major names still lead Liv-ex said recently that the number of different Spanish wines trading on its global marketplace has risen 290% in five years. Marqués de Murrieta’s Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial, Rioja 2010 was a standout performer last year, up by about 50% in price over 12 months to £1,600 (12x75cl in bond, Liv-ex market price). Still, Liv-ex said Vega Sicilia’s Unico (see p134) constituted about 21.5% of the value of 2021 Spanish wine trades. This was led by demand for the 2010 and 2006 vintages. Unico 2009 rose the most in price, up by 11%, but ‘still offers relative value compared with other vintages’, Liv-ex added. At a recent Sotheby’s auction, two magnums of Unico 2009, sold separately, fetched £875 and…