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5 days ago | 
worldoffinewine.com | Simon MW
Simon Field MW assesses what the 2024 Bordeaux en primeur campaign means for the future of the region’s business model. Singing in the Rain is the title of Haut-Bailly’s 2024 Bordeaux en primeur catalogue, with self-evident intimations of Gene Kelly optimism in the face of adversity, silk purses, sows’ ears, and the like. The booklet is punctuated, in the manner of Spielberg or Powell and Pressburger, by images of red umbrellas, symbols of stoicism, resilience and, ultimately, a positive outlook.
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3 weeks ago | 
the-buyer.net | Simon MW
Of the few places that can stake a claim to be the centre of the British wine establishment, the boardroom at The Worshipful Company of Vintners must rank pretty highly, an oak-panelled bastion of tradition and continuity. A good place, then, for Laurent-Perrier to introduce us to their new chef de cave and to reassure us, should we have really needed reassurance, that one really does not need to change all that much in order to stay the same.
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1 month ago | 
worldoffinewine.com | Simon MW
With its wines made from Cabernet Franc in Saumur-Champigny and from Chenin Blanc in Anjou, Clos Rougeard represents “all that is good about the Loire,” says Simon Field MW. It was from Chinon rather than the marshes of Aquitaine that Henry II of England, in 1150, made a valiant attempt to carve up western France and to salvage, at the very least, the legal gift of his marriage to Eleanor.
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1 month ago | 
worldoffinewine.com | Simon MW
Rosé Champagne has taken some time to shake off a reputation for frivolity. Bollinger did not presume to make a Non-Vintage Cuvée until 2008, several decades after the death of the family’s eponymous matriarch, who was not, we infer, a great fan. Best left to the Folies Bergère or, heaven forfend, to the Moulin Rouge (Moulin Rosé?!). And as for Vintage Rosé…well, there we have had an amusing oxymoron to ponder.
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1 month ago | 
worldoffinewine.com | Simon MW
In a piece first published in WFW68 in 2020, Simon Field MW learns of a winemaking approach based on the twinned terroirs of vineyard and cellar when he visits Hidalgo’s home in Sanlúcar de Barrameda during the coastal town’s annual equestrian fiesta. It is hard, ordinarily, to believe that Sanlúcar de Barrameda is one of the poorest towns in Spain.
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2 months ago | 
cluboenologique.com | Simon MW |Mandy Naglich |Ciaran Griffiths |William Morris
The clocks have gone forward and there are the first hints that summer is on its way in the northern hemisphere. Adding to that feeling is this month’s selection of new bars, which is dominated by al fresco drinking venues, with rooftop bars opening in New York, Los Angeles and London. Those drinkers still not ready to embrace the great outdoors can consider cocktails and celeb spotting at an exclusive spot in London and drinks in a snug, speakeasy-style bar at a recently opened hotel in Osaka.
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2 months ago | 
cluboenologique.com | Simon MW |Mandy Naglich |Ciaran Griffiths |William Morris
The Errázuriz Wine Photographer of the Year 2025 shortlist has been revealed, offering new perspectives on the people, places and produce in vineyards and wineries around the world. Showcasing the effort that goes into wine production and snapshots from the lives of workers and the wines themselves, this year’s entries span everywhere from the Elqui Valley in Chile to the north-west region of Tenerife.
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2 months ago | 
cluboenologique.com | Simon MW |Mandy Naglich |Jacopo Mazzeo |Ciaran Griffiths
Paris welcomes a pair of new restaurants this month that will appeal to two different crowds: one is a small, experimental, ‘hyper-seasonal’ concept restaurant that develops a set menu around whatever ingredients are freshest, while the other is a glamorous, exclusive and opulent venue in a new five-star hotel that pays homage to the American chop house.
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2 months ago | 
cluboenologique.com | Simon MW |Mandy Naglich |Ciaran Griffiths |William Morris
In episode 207 of The Drinking Hour podcast, the first of two special episodes exploring the Côtes du Rhône, David Kermode is joined by Frédéric Lavau, a négociant, and Louis Barruol of Château de Saint Cosme to discuss just what makes the region’s wines so highly respected. Kermode’s guests explain the three-tiered appellation system in the Côtes du Rhône and what makes it so accessible.
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2 months ago | 
cluboenologique.com | Simon MW |Mandy Naglich |Louella Berryman |Adam Lechmere
In much of the winemaking world, small appellations often become famous for high-quality wines, while broader, region-wide designations are reserved for more ordinary bottlings – just look at Bordeaux. By contrast, Sicily boasts many wine denominations but its relatively short history in quality winemaking means that few of them are well-known outside the island.
