First of a 4-part series Montefalco is a relatively new Umbrian magnet for winelovers, thanks in no small part to its intriguing contrasts. Start with the town itself, all hardness cushioned by softness: built on and surrounded by pink-tinged monastic era stone, perched above green rolling hillsides. Shop after shop boasts foods for grandmothers’ recipes and […]
Wineries
More good news for Morges wines
Marc Vicari, a compact man, exudes a sense of order and balance, and at the moment he has a relaxed smile, in part because of last week’s news that his winery’s Servagnin 2015 was awarded 90+ points by Robert Parker. (subscription). The grapes had just been harvested in record time, under two weeks, thanks to fine […]
Electus among the peers
The wine: Electus 2013, Valais Mundi Provins, Switzerland A clear and pleasing rich dark red robe. Nose marked by the main grape (35%), Cornalin, with notes of black cherries and violets. Complex nose, with waves of varying notes, including Mediterranean herbs for me, perhaps reflecting at this stage the 6 grapes in the blend: Humagne […]
Wine moments, 1948, peace in a glass
The wine Pinot Gris Tokayer 1948, Wädenswil agricultural station, Switzerland (The labels are gone). Vignette On tasting wine that is older than you are. The liquid that you swirl in your glass is deeper in colour yet more muted in tone than younger wines. Sensorially, you swap flashy for depth. And the conversation that drifts […]
What makes a wine traditional?
Tradition is a hot word in wine marketing right now, one that reassures consumers – and yet few of us who are on the buying end of the sales chain question what it means, I think. If you have been making wine the same way for 50 years, does that make your wine traditional? 100 years? Or what […]