A Wider Look at the Wine Industry
In The Vineyards With…
An Ode to Japanese Toilet Culture
During my recent 10-day trip to Japan, I was amazed by the prevalence of heated seats in various facilities, from transportation to toilets. While in Tottori, I very randomly re-connected with Mees List via an Instagram story from a Chinese restaurant, highlighting the interconnectedness of the wine world and the charm of Japan’s unique, err,…
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What’s hot? What’s not? And what’s next?” with Jeff Porter
Today I was at a networking event organised by Studio Cru, a communications and PR agency based in Vicenza and the final speaker of the day was a somm-journalist-wineconsultant called Jeff Porter (you may have heard of him already…) and I got the chance to ask him these three quick questions about the United States…
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Natural Wine Fairs in Italy 2026 (Jan-Jun)
I was reading Aaron Ayscough’s round-up of natural wine fairs when I realised that there were many natural wine fairs in Italy which weren’t getting through to him. Given how many fairs there are in France that he has to keep the pulse of, it can’t be easy. So, with his blessing, I decided to…
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Preparing for Vinitaly 2025 and the natural wine fairs
As Vinitaly approaches, with the influx of 30,000 foreign buyers in Verona, preparation is key. Strategies include avoiding crowded venues, considering alternate accommodations outside the city, and attending natural wine fairs like VinNatur and Vini Veri. Traffic issues may arise, so anticipate challenges when navigating the city. New developments for 2025 include changes in fair…
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The Moment When This Wine Girl Met That Wine Girl
This past weekend I was in NYC for the first VinNatur fair outside Europe. I had pretty much single-handedly organised the event (everything from signing up the exhibitors, finding the venue, shipping the samples, renting spittoons, to promoting the event locally…) all from the “comfort” of my computer in Europe, 6 hours behind. It was…
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When it comes to mouse, you can’t call a cat a cat.
“Still only half the room raised their hand to say that they tasted mouse. Half?! And let me tell you, this was a mouse bomb!”
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Why opt for organic winemakers?
Let’s go for a walk though the vineyard. It’s something I do every day. As you may know, I married into the La Biancara family. The house where we live backs onto the vineyard that becomes the Sassaia wine. These vineyards are farmed organically (and are certified as such) and we make wine only with grapes…
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“To Fall In Love, Drink This” by Alice Feiring
At this time of year, I see people in literary circles writing a round up of the most enjoyable books they’ve read over the past 12 months. I always prefer those to the similar articles that are published a month or so earlier, but which largely serve the purpose of a holiday gift guide. No,…
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In The Vineyards With…
Yann Durrmann (Alsace) Rabbari “Cuvée Nature” 2024
“Oh man, this is so good.” During the VinNatur wine fair last weekend, I organised a masterclass with Samuel Cogliati on the diversity of Alsace. As you may already know, Alsace is the region in France where I return to most often (sometimes even twice or three times a year) and where the natural wine…
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Two delicious, food-friendly wines from Bosco Falconeria (NW Sicily)
It had been a grey and wet day; one of those days that feels particularly gloomy when it comes after a week of beautiful spring weather. For the first time in six months, I’d been able to go outside wearing a just t-shirt without a jumper or a jacket so to go back to grey…
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My 5 Favourite Italian Wines at Vino Indipendente (Calvisano, BS)
Earlier this month, we kicked off wine fair season with Stefano Belli’s Vino Indipendente in Calvisano, a small, rather nondescript town south of Brescia, but where, for one day in mid-January, it becomes a hub for natural wine lovers, gathering to taste the wines of the 65 exhibitors and catch up after the holidays. CASTELLO…
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6 Italian red wines to try if you like the French glou-glou style
Andrew prefers French red wines due to their lightness compared to the tannic nature of many Italian wines. Tannins, derived from grape components and winemaking processes, can create a drying feeling in the mouth. The wine writer Emma Bentley highlights several lighter Italian reds that defy the stereotype of being overly tannic, including Oliviero Pastoris,…
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Daniele Favaro 20.20 vino bianco
I sometimes wonder what my cleaning lady thinks of me and then I realise I might inadvertently be holding onto some minor trauma. You see, many many years ago, when I was starting my career in Paris, I rented a room from another business school student called Géraldine, who was going to spend the semester…
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