Jim Clarke

New York

Author, The Wines of South Africa. Also writing on other things, mostly vinous, in various publications. Also, Dungeons & Dragons DM & bass player. He/him

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Articles

Timorasso time

2 weeks ago | worldoffinewine.com | Jim Clarke

Jim Clarke travels to the Colli Tortonesi region of Piedmont, where he finds a resurgence of the local grape variety, Timorasso, is attracting interest and investment from the more famous producers of the Langhe. Piedmont, to fine wine drinkers, usually means the Langhe—that hilly region south of the town of Alba. It is red wine country, at least when it comes to fine wines, the land of Barolo and Barbaresco.
How to fill a 4,000-hectare hole: The future of Washington State wine

Nov 22, 2024 | worldoffinewine.com | Jim Clarke |NYC-based Jim Clarke

Wine drinkers of Washington State are well familiar with the quality of the state’s wines: An estimated one of every four bottles consumed in the state is local.
Fit for an empress

Oct 25, 2024 | worldoffinewine.com | Jim Clarke |NYC-based Jim Clarke

With the 2024 Grandi Vini della Contea per la Pace auction in full swing this weekend, Jim Clarke tells the story of the 18th-century vineyard classification of the “princely county” or “Contea” of Gorizia-Gradisca, and its galvanizing relevance for vignerons on either side of the Italy-Slovenia border today.
Mount Veeder: Taking it slowly

Jun 20, 2024 | worldoffinewine.com | Jim Clarke |NYC-based Jim Clarke

The drive to the Mount Veeder Winery is a journey into the past of Napa County. “It still has the feel of the valley from 30 or 40 years ago,” says newly-appointed winemaker John Giannini, “even at its 50th anniversary.”Less than 30 minutes from downtown Napa, once the road begins ascending, the town gives way to bucolic horse and cattle farms. Even vineyards are sparse—and scattered; the 16,000 acres (6,400ha) of land within the AVA are home to only 1,000 acres (400ha) of vines.
The science of koji in sake production

Feb 2, 2024 | news.wine.co.za | Jim Clarke

Koji has increasingly caught the interest of western chefs, brewers, and others in the food and beverage world, though it’s not always well understood. “I think in the western world, koji is still in a kind of discovery phase,” says Brandon Doughan, the cofounder and head brewer of the New York sake brewery Brooklyn Kura.
The Science of Koji in Sake Production

Jan 18, 2024 | daily.sevenfifty.com | Jim Clarke

Koji has increasingly caught the interest of western chefs, brewers, and others in the food and beverage world, though it’s not always well understood. “I think in the western world, koji is still in a kind of discovery phase,” says Brandon Doughan, the cofounder and head brewer of the New York sake brewery Brooklyn Kura.
Taurasi: A new dawn for the Barolo of the South

Dec 28, 2023 | worldoffinewine.com | Jim Clarke |NYC-based Jim Clarke

Taurasi joined the ranks of Italy’s DOCGs 30 years ago, at a time when red wine was in the ascendancy—specifically red wine that was deep in color, rich in alcohol, and ripe with fruit. The Aglianico grape, which must make up 85 percent of a Taurasi wine, has all of these in abundance, with plenty of acid and an excess of tannin to boot. The wine had earned not just a DOCG, but a nickname, as well: “The Barolo of the South.” Taurasi’s time, it seemed, had come.
Inside an Italian wine revolution

Nov 27, 2023 | worldoffinewine.com | Jim Clarke

Jim Clarke visits Cirò, a once-struggling Calabrian DOC that has been transformed in a little over a decade by a group of producers making distinctive red and rosé wines rom the local Gaglioppo grape variety, as well as increasingly fine whites from Greco Bianco and Pecorello. Bordeaux varieties were the last straw.
The Science of Lees Aging

Nov 9, 2023 | daily.sevenfifty.com | Jim Clarke

For many wines, aging on the lees is fundamental to their production, most notably in traditional-method sparkling wines and white Burgundy. Producers of the former tout the time spent on lees as a quality indicator, and many still wines call out their sur lie production on the label. What the lees actually do to the wine, however, is complex—and even debated.
The science behind noble rot wines

Sep 19, 2023 | news.wine.co.za | Jim Clarke

Any fruit or vegetable is, under the wrong conditions, subject to rot, often in the form of an infection from Botrytis cinerea. The fungus is found from the tundra to the tropics, thriving in areas with ample humidity – at least 80 percent – and temperatures between 12 and 25 degrees Celsius. Most farmers view it as a pathogen, but winegrowers, in the right conditions, see it as pure gold.