Producers & Places
Brachetto d’Acqui: red, sweet, sparkling, different
In the beautiful spa town of Acqui Terme, at the Enoteca Regionale “Terme e Vino” in the 16th century town hall, we were introduced …
Barbera d’Asti and Nizza: finest Barbera?
The President of the Barbera d’Asti and Monferrato Consorzio Tutela, Filippo Mobrici, welcomed us to the old, covered cattle-market in the central square of …
Moscato d’Asti, Asti Dolce and Asti Secco
Moscato d’Asti and its Asti DOCG sparkling brethren were born – as indeed was Italian sparkling wine – in Canelli. Here, at Castello Gancia, …
Asti: Barbera, Moscato and friends
Asti is the other “A” in the constellation of Piemonte wine regions, lying immediately North and East of Alba, where Barolo, Barbaresco and Roero …
Cantariña, Bierzo: Finance to fine wine
In 2002, I first met Santiago Ysart Alvarez de Toledo – Santi Ysart – when we joined the full-time MBA programme at London Business …
Napa: exceptional Cabernets, and exaggerated too
Napa Valley, the Big Daddy of California wines, is today world-famous for Big Cabs and Bold Chardonnays, landmark wineries and the Napa Valley Wine …
Sonoma: old-vine Zinfandel, fine Chardonnay and Pinot Noir
Sonoma is, in fact, a large region. Most people, including myself, would probably think of Sonoma as Napa’s quieter, more rural, more familial, ‘little …
Paso Robles to Santa Cruz Mountains: Central Coast diversity
Paso Robles to the Santa Cruz Mountains – or ‘the rest of the Central Coast’, between Santa Barbara County and the city of San …
California wine: the Golden State shines brightly
California wine is synonymous with US wine. For many it is US wine. Fortunately, the fine Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs of Oregon, the Bordeaux …
Santa Barbara: elegant Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Syrah
Santa Barbara County, making up the Southern part of the broad Central Coast area of California, was the region I most wanted to visit, …