Andy Howard MW

1 week ago | jancisrobinson.com | Andy Howard MW

UK wine merchants Loire English wine Burgundy California Oregon Highlights from the Loire and Côte d'Or, alongside old favourites and newer names from the West Coast. The team at Au Bon Climat, pictured above after the 2023 harvest, crafted some of Jancis's favourites (image © Au Bon Climat).

1 month ago | jancisrobinson.com | Andy Howard MW

Tesco, the UK’s largest retailer, held its 2025 spring/summer press tasting on 25 March. While this is a significant event for consumers in the UK, it is also of interest to those in the US and Europe given the breadth of range they stock. To that end, this report focuses on wines likely to be available in many countries, while excluding nearly all those marketed under the Tesco own-brand ‘Finest’ label. The UK grocery market is estimated to be worth £231...

2 months ago | decanter.com | Andy Howard MW

French sparkling wines designated as Crémant are produced using the traditional method as practised in Champagne, involving a second fermentation in the bottle, and Crémant de Bourgogne is the leading example in this important sector. Across France, more than 100 million bottles of Crémant are produced each year, in eight regions: Alsace, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Die (in the Rhône), Jura, Limoux, Loire and Savoie.

2 months ago | decanter.com | Andy Howard MW

Andy Howard MW, Melania Battiston and Victoria Daskal tasted 203 wines, with 13 Outstanding and 125 Highly Recommended Cru Beaujolais 2022: Panel tasting scores Exceptional 0 Outstanding 13 Highly recommended 125 Recommended 60 Commended 5 Entry criteria: producers and UK agents were invited to submit their 2022 vintage reds from any of the 10 Beaujolais cru sub-regions (Brouilly, Côte de Brouilly, Chénas, Chiroubles, Fleurie, Juliénas, Morgon, Moulin-à-Vent, Régnié, St-Amour) The judges were...

2 months ago | decanter.com | Andy Howard MW

The Grand Auxerrois describes a large area in the Yonne department surrounding Chablis in the north of Burgundy. More than a century ago, this was one of the most important wine-producing areas in France, before it was devastated by the phylloxera bug and changing economic conditions. In the mid-19th century, there were more than 40,000ha of vines, but by 1980, this had fallen to less than 3,000ha (of which Chablis accounted for more than half).