SAINT ROMAIN
While technically part of the Cote de Beaune, the village appellation of Saint-Romain is in a completely isolated valley situated to the north of the primary escarpment of the Cote d’Or. Its higher altitude and less “perfect” situation relegated it to a lower rung on the hierarchy historically, because it is more difficult for grapes in such a position to achieve optimal ripeness. However, given the ever-escalating temperatures in Burgundy over the past decade, Saint-Romain rarely suffers from ripeness issues anymore—and in fact, it can offer freshness and vibrancy in warmer vintages. Continue »
Jul 28, 2021 at 1:14 PM
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ORGANIC, BIODYNAMIC OR NATURAL?
The wine world is never short of descriptive terms, all trying to convey the inexpressible pleasure that the fruits of the vine can offer. We all have our own ways of describing our favorite tipples. You can get technical, too, when talking about how the wines were made in the first place. Here, we stumble upon something of a minefield (or should that be vine-field?) of terminology. Take the following commonly used terms: organic, biodynamic, and natural. What do they really mean, and what sort of wines do they produce? Let’s explore each one, and meet some of their proponents in Burgundy. Continue »
Jul 23, 2021 at 1:20 PM
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The wine capital of the world? All roads lead to Burgundy...
"Does Macron like Bordeaux?" At first it may seem like an interesting enough question, and if you asked him, he’d probably say he enjoyed French wine of all kinds (at least if he knew what was good for him). It was a question asked recently by the French media, on hearing that the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) is looking for a new home for its headquarters. Rumors sprang up that President Emmanuel Macron had allegedly backed Burgundy as the best place for its new home. Continue »
Jul 16, 2021 at 10:08 AM
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Anything But Chardonnay...
The renown of the Chardonnay grape has now truly spread right around the world, but it has often been the subject of a love-hate relationship. It seems to come in cycles – when people fall out of love with the Chardonnay grape they may gravitate towards other grapes like Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier or Riesling. When they’ve had their fill of those, there’s a resurgence of Chardonnay. Continue »
Jul 7, 2021 at 11:12 AM
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