Innehållsförteckning för February 2024 från Decanter

One thing stayed with me after my chat with Jonathan Ross MS and Jane Lopes, authors of How to Drink Australian (see ‘Uncorked’, p10). The US-based sommeliers and importers pointed out that only 10% of Australian producers export wine to the US, so if that’s where you live, your view of Australian wine will be dictated entirely by the tiny sliver of its production that finds its way to your shores. And the same goes for every wine-producing country: you will never get the complete picture without being there. This explains why there’s no substitute for spending time in the wine regions you’re passionate about – even if it’s only a short holiday. It also explains why some of the wines we recommend have no stockists and prices listed. We…

Telmo Rodríguez, you sense, doesn’t like to be labelled or pigeonholed. In London to present his latest range of wines – a fascinating set of single-origin Riojas – he immediately takes issue with being introduced to a group of sommeliers as a ‘driving winemaker’. ‘No, no, no, please, I hate that,’ he protests. ‘I’m not a “driving winemaker”, and I don’t make wine “all over Spain”. I haven’t even been all around Spain because it’s just way too big… Or they call me “enfant terrible”, and I’m 60 years old! It doesn’t make sense to me at all.’ Why do people say such things about one of Spain’s most dynamic contemporary winemakers? As with most clichés, a germ of truth lies within. Rodríguez has made wine in a lot of…

Arriving in Napa Valley with no winemaking experience in 1999, Jayson Woodbridge quickly showed his aptitude for learning from luminary winemakers – most notably St Helena-based Philippe Melka. Woodbridge’s ability to make fine wine and understand the importance of terroir – and the substantial fortune that he brought to the valley – enabled him to purchase vineyard land in good locations. He managed it very well and produced consistently high-quality grapes to make his Hundred Acre wines. Woodbridge chose a slightly obscure name that no one understood at first. Writers have claimed, mistakenly, that ‘Hundred Acre’ is a reference to AA Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh. ‘Not so,’ says Woodbridge; it’s a Zen-like reminder of his youthful days as a long-distance runner speeding through the woods near his childhood home. ‘My own private…

These 40 wines are listed by commune north to south, then by score, then alphabetically by producer, and are a selection based on quality, value or interest from the 177 recommended by Matt Walls from the northern Rhône in 2022. Some are still being aged in barrels or are not yet bottled, hence some prices, stockists or alcohol levels are not yet known. Contact specialist merchants for latest availability and offers Côte-Rôtie 1 Domaine JP Jamet, Côte Brune 97 Beautiful aromas of pure rose, a touch of raspberry and thyme – this is not all black fruits. Lovely flavours, really compelling this year. Tannins are silkier than a classic Côte-Rôtie, but still quite austere, with great energy and length. Will be lovely, with great aromatic complexity and structure, but not…

Ask Decanter Each month our experts answer your burning wine questions. Email your queries to editor@decanter.com  SMALL PLATES MATCHING Any advice for how to go about choosing a bottle of wine when ordering various small plates, which seems to have become the new norm in dining out? Lorna Deans, by email Fiona Beckett, Decanter contributing editor, replies: It’s honestly not as difficult as it sounds – the trick is to avoid wines with a distinctive personality that might clash with some foods or which are polarising. Gewürztraminer for example. Italian whites such as Orvieto, Verdicchio and Vernaccia are super-useful in this respect, as are pale, take-me-anywhere Provençal or Languedoc rosés. So far as reds are concerned, I’d avoid rich, high-alcohol styles which can overwhelm lighter dishes. Alight red such as…

It was one of those days that ended with blackened teeth, beaten-up gums and tongues tied up with tannin. Welcome to Ribera del Duero! But rarely had any of us undertaken a panel tasting of such exceptionally high quality and consistency. The wines were representative of an appellation which now sits with ease alongside the other great winemaking regions of the world. If you haven’t had a proper look at Ribera del Duero recently, now is the time to revisit this wonderful region of northern Spain. David Williams was both pleased and surprised by the overall freshness and balance of the wines: ‘Things have changed in the past five years.’ Stylistically there has been an important shift in the region to wines which better represent the vineyards, with less extraction…

Domaine du Clos des Aumônes, Vouvray Brut, Loire, France NV 92 £14.50 The Wine Society Vibrant and approachable yet complex, with luscious texture, mid-palate weight and incredible persistence. Lemon, fresh almonds, green apple and crunchy pear mingle, lifted by a lively but soft acidity. Creamy mousse, with a velvety savoury touch. IS Alc 13% Mirabeau, La Folie Sparkling Rosé Extra Brut, Provence, France NV 88 £14-£15.99 Booths, Morrisons, ND John, Slurp, Tesco, Waitrose Fresh and zesty, red apple and fresh-sliced pear aromas lead to simple red fruit and grapefruit, and a distinct floral quality on the finish. AVin de France Charmat-method blend of Colombard, Grenache, Syrah and Rolle. NE Alc 12.5% Istvan Szepsy, Hun Furmint, Tokaj, Hungary 2020 92 £19.95 The Secret Bottle Shop This dry Furmint is a perfect…

JONATHAN CRISTALDI is Decanter’s Napa Valley correspondent. Based in California, he is a widely published writer on wine, spirits and beer, and is editor-at-large for both The Somm Journal and The Tasting Panel magazine SARAH JANE EVANS MW is an awarded journalist, author and broadcaster, aDWWA Co-Chair, and the chair of Spain’s Gran Orden de Caballeros del Vino. Her new book The Wines of Central and Southern Spain is set for release this month FINTAN KERR is awine writer, judge and educator. Having started out in sales in Spain, in 2015 he founded winecuentista.com, where he coordinates the Maestrazgo Wine Club, atasting group for people living in Barcelona LILLA O’CONNOR is a wine communicator and business consultant. Apassionate Central European, she is founder of Wines of Hungary UK, co-founder of…

Sherry’s most dramatic moment takes place every other year in Jerez. Top chefs from seven countries, many of them from Michelin-starred establishments, compete to create beautiful three-course menus while squeezed into the most difficult of spaces – the stage of the Villamarta theatre. Under the proscenium arch, they present their dishes to the judges, while their sommelier partners serve three chosen Sherries and explain the matches. From my own experience in 2019 as a judge at Copa Jerez, I can say it is a delicious task. On that occasion, the winning Danish team paired an unlikely dessert of caramelised banana ice cream with liquorice, olive oil and a coffee sauce, with VOS Pedro Ximénez from Bodegas Tradición. It was a sensation. Denmark won again in October 2023, and deservedly so…

1 Hundred Acre, Ark Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley 2019 100 £566.67-£604 (ib) Goedhuis Waddesdon, Jeroboams, WoodWinters US$700-$735 Mission, Total Wine &More, Millesima USA Had Jayson Woodbridge’s Hundred Acre wines been available in time for my 2019 Napa Cabernet vintage report (November 2022 issue), they would have swept in for top honours. The reasons are many, and exhibited in this medium- to full-bodied Ark vineyard Cabernet, beginning with complex aromatics of black cherry, blackberry and blueberry skin, with nuances of cigar box, sandalwood and vanillin. Finely knit, firm tannins build structure, balanced by blood orange acid tension. Drink 2024-2045 Alcohol 15.5% Hundred Acre, Few and Far Between Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley 2019 100 £482-£505 (ib) Goedhuis Waddesdon, Jeroboams, WoodWinters US$999 Estate Wine Brokers Pure, lively and lifted, with an infusion of…

A rum for whisky lovers Rum is thriving in the UK: total sales were worth £1.08bn in 2023, according to Statista, while producers of British rum are hitting their stride (see p88). Rum sales overtook whisky sales in the UK for the first time in 2022 – and the latest launch from The Whisky Exchange looks set to lure even more whisky drinkers away from the dram… Foursquare Mystique 14 Year Old (Alc 62%) is pitched firmly at whisky enthusiasts, with maturation in ex-bourbon barrels, followed by four years in an ex-Sherry cask. Ablend of pot- and columndistilled rums, it’s produced at Foursquare Distillery in Barbados, where Master Distiller and Master Blender Richard Seale oversees the dual maturation process. ‘We have always been huge supporters of Foursquare at The Whisky…

Five years after my mother died of lung cancer in 2013, I set up the not-for-profit cookery school Life Kitchen. Since its formation we have led classes all over the UK, joined forces with charities and organisations that work with people living with cancer, and supported hundreds of people who have had their senses altered as a result of the disease or its therapies. Our one overarching aim is to help people find pleasure in food again. In Small Pleasures: Joyful Recipes for Difficult Times, my focus has been to develop exciting, easy-tocreate dishes for when we feel rundown, lethargic or blue. The aim has been to provide a holistic approach: these are dishes packed with bold flavours and good-for-you ingredients that look beautiful. They create a manifesto for feeling…

While its origins are in Bordeaux and it makes some of the world’s greatest wines of their type, today Semillon is also deeply rooted in the New World, in countries such as Australia, Chile, South Africa – and my home country of Argentina. I adore this white grape for its versatility because, on the one hand, it’s associated with legendary botrytised wines such as Sauternes and Barsac, but as a standalone variety it also offers up fresh, dry expressions typified by jasmine and camomile characters. And it’s a fantastic component in blends, too, most often supporting Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay.  Brought to Argentina in the mid-19th century along with the red Malbec, Semillon develops well in fresh-to-moderate climates such as as those in Mendoza’s Uco Valley and Río Negro’s Alto…

This fascinating tasting featured as many as 19 grape varieties, and that in itself tells a story about the changing face of Spanish white wine. Adecade ago, I doubt there would have been anything like the same base level of quality – or even sufficient examples of some of the varieties involved to make such an extensive tasting possible at all. The emergence – or rather, re-emergence – of so many good-quality wines being made from so many different indigenous grape varieties is heartening, and adds enormously to the stylistic variety on offer from Spain. That white wine was, as recently as the turn of the Millennium, considered a weakness in a country apparently better suited to reds seems absurd from the vantage point of 2024. While this tasting didn’t…

Champagne Guy Méa, L’Assemblage 1er Cru Brut, Champagne, France NV £35.50 The Whisky Exchange Avery good value, Pinot Noir-dominant Champagne. Yellow plum, blanched almond and lemon rind aromas are supported by tangy Sorrento lemons in the mouth. The soft, silky, slightly honeyed mousse finishes chalky and dry. NE Alc 12% Boutari, Assyrtiko, Santorini, Greece 2021 £21.99 Aspris &Son With prices for Santorini Assyrtiko going through the roof, it’s worth seeking out this affordable iteration. The linear acidity, salty tang and robust minerality will not disappoint. Green apple, pear, grapefruit and melon. Full and generous but also refreshingly zesty. IS Alc 13.5% Fitapreta, Palpite Branco Reserva, Alentejo, Portugal 2021 £32.50 Swig There’s a Burgundian poise to this Arinto-based blend. Beautifully layered, with orange peel, Asian pear and roasted almonds topped by…

Like many Mediterranean countries, Spain tends to eschew international grape varieties in favour of its vast wealth of indigenous plantings. Precise numbers are hard to pin down across its many regions, but Spain’s register of commercial vine varieties (Colección de Variedades de Vid) near Madrid records some 235 distinct varieties planted, of which about 15 are table grapes. According to the most recent data from OIV (International Organisation of Vine and Wine), 88% of total production comes from a mere 20 varieties, with Tempranillo and Airén together accounting for more than 40% of total plantings – much Airén is destined for the production of Brandy de Jerez in the far south. However, it’s so often true that some of the grapes flying beneath the radar offer a more detailed glimpse…

1 Shabo, Classic Brut, Odesa 2020 89 £24 Other World Wines A traditional-method sparkling made from equal parts Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, bottle-fermented for 18 months. The nose is elegantly biscuity, with hints of peach, citrus, grapefruit and a touch of mandarin peel. The bubbles are refined and highlight the refreshing acidity. Rounded on the finish with a subtle warmth that emerges without overshadowing the ensemble of flavours. Drink 2024-2025 Alcohol 13.5% Bolgrad, Reserve Chardonnay, Odesa 2022 92 £16.95-£17.50 Swig, The Good Wine Shop, The Whisky Exchange Arich Chardonnay that kicks off lush and buttery with a touch of toast. Sleek and elegant, it unveils juicy red apple and melon fruit with a splash of tropical and floral flair, and just a hint of cool muskiness. Crisp, bright acidity lays…

1 2 4 3 5 Vodka was once rated only for its purity of taste, but producers have been taking cues from gin distillers, working with distinctive base materials and botanicals to add character to their drinks. Here’s a selection of my favourites from recent tastings. 1 Altamura Distilleries Vodka £30.95/70cl Master of Malt, The Whisky Exchange Altamura is an ancient wheat variety that has been grown in Italy’s Puglia region – specifically in the commune of Altamura and others around it – for more than 2,000 years, and it’s the essential ingredient in the local DOP Pane di Altamura bread. It’s also the base of this decadently creamy vodka, which kicks off with aromas of vanilla, bright lemon citrus and lemon tart. Clean and crisp, with flavours of cream…

EXPLORING WILLAMETTE VALLEY CLIVE PURSEHOUSE The Eola-Amity Hills AVA is in the southern reaches of the Willamette Valley. Its reputation has been on the rise for a long time, with world-renowned producers crafting some of Oregon’s best wines from the sub-appellation’s volcanic soils and windy conditions. Ribbon Ridge AVA, found in the northern end of the Valley, nestles within the larger Chehalem Mountains AVA. Nick Keeler (below) of Authentique Cellars (authentiquewinecellars.com) is making an array of wines from several of the Valley’s AVAs and his family’s Keeler Estate Vineyard – wines that are flying a bit under the radar at the moment. His work for Tonnellerie Allary (near Cognac in France) has informed his approach to winemaking, and he uses a variety of fermentation vessels to create wines of texture…