Ashleigh Arnott

Jan 17, 2025 | cluboenologique.com | Ashleigh Arnott |Kristiane Sherry |Nina Caplan |Ciaran Griffiths

One of the wine world’s enduring splits is between regions that isolate and regions that blend. Burgundy – once nearly alone in the former camp (at least in the red-wine sphere) has won over many to its point of view in recent years. Before the paradigm shift from Bordeaux to Burgundy, there was no general sense that varietal wines were necessarily superior to blends.

Jan 17, 2025 | cluboenologique.com | Ashleigh Arnott |Kristiane Sherry |Nina Caplan |Ciaran Griffiths

With the new year upon us, host David Kermode looks at Dry January and the low-and-no space. To help him explore this innovative sector, he is joined by Laura Willoughby, co-founder of Club Soda, and BevZero‘s Irem Eren. The trio discuss the Dry January and Sober October movements, which actually predate low-and-no as a category. Eren and Willoughby explain how important these events are, underlining their importance in creating opportunities for participants to explore low-and-no drinks.

Jan 16, 2025 | cluboenologique.com | Ashleigh Arnott |Nina Caplan |Kristiane Sherry |Ciaran Griffiths

As winegrowing moves further and further north – witness the booming English wine scene – it seems natural to assume that wine industries in the hottest regions should be leading the way in researching ways to adapt to the changing climate. In fact, it’s in Germany – a classic cool-climate winegrowing country – where you’ll find a region at the top of the class, conducting detailed, long-term research on how to cope with climate change.

Jan 15, 2025 | cluboenologique.com | Ashleigh Arnott |Nina Caplan |Ciaran Griffiths |William Morris

‘This is very much not a whisky alternative,’ says Botivo co-founder Sam Paget Steavenson of the new, limited-edition Botivo x Berry Bros. Barrel-Aged Aperitivo. ‘This is just using barrel ageing. It’s taking some cues from whisky but it’s more like a Whisky Highball as opposed to a sipping whisky.’It’s an important distinction to make, as this new bottling, launched on 3 January and popping up on social media ever since, is nothing like whisky.

Jan 14, 2025 | cluboenologique.com | Ashleigh Arnott |Nina Caplan |Ciaran Griffiths |William Morris

The first time I visited Gravner, about eight years ago, Joško Gravner was very much the host. He spoke almost not a word of English – his daughter Mateja translated. He sat at the head of the table and answered questions slowly and deliberately, ‘in a fluent, almost incantatory voice’, I noted at the time. This time, Joško is there in spirit but not in presence.