What a great little place, just doing a simple thing but doing it so well. Continue reading
L’Almadrava, Javea
Wikipedia Creative Commons
Wikipedia Creative Commons
Alpha Estate
© 2011 Susan Hulme MW. All rights reserved.
Standing in the wind-blown, quite austere surroundings of the vineyard with the snow-capped mountains on three sides and the isolated lake at the end of the vineyard, you could feel how the vines had to struggle against the elements to survive unaided by the uncompromisingly thin-looking sandy soil…
Kluge Estate
© 2010 Susan Hulme MW. All rights reserved.
Kluge Estate must be one of the most well-connected and well-heeled of the wineries we visited in Virginia; it has deservedly a big reputation for sparkling wine – both the Kluge NV Sparkling and Kluge rosé were drunk at this year’s Clinton wedding. Continue reading
In Vino Veritas
© 2010 Susan Hulme MW. All rights reserved.
Growing Sauvignon Blanc in Virginia? We’d been told it was impossible because of the climate but here was a winery not only doing it but doing it very well. Here it seems vintages can be swelteringly hot and early (as 2010 was turning out to be), or cold, wet and late (and all else in between). Continue reading
5th Cyprus Wine Competition
© Leonardo Montemiglio 2010 All rights reserved.
I was pleased to be invited to take part in the 5th Cyprus Wine Competition earlier this year, as one of two international UK judges. I didn’t have to think too hard about this one as I’d never been to Cyprus and I was curious to learn more about and taste the native grape varieties. Continue reading
Postcard from Niagara
© 2010 Susan Hulme MW. All rights reserved.
…I found myself in need of a little more grown-up entertainment in the form of a few good beers. The perfect place to find them and discover the other side of Niagara, is downtown in Queen Street which is the real heartbeat of the town and which is undergoing a renaissance. Continue reading
Château Larrivet Haut-Brion, Pessac-Leognan 2004
© 2010 Susan Hulme MW. All rights reserved.
Château Larrivet Haut-Brion, Pessac-Leognan 2004 (12.5%) In appearance, this has a very deep, opaque, dark ruby core with a narrow rim, just showing some evolution. The nose is clean and incisive, initially with sweet cedar, cigar box and spice followed … Continue reading
Wines of Turkey
© 2010 Susan Hulme MW. All rights reserved.
A press trip to visit the wine regions of Turkey in spring sounded like an exciting idea back in the middle of a bleak December and I still felt excited as we were about to depart on the last day of February 2010. I’d even done some homework and tasted a bottle of Kavaklidere Öküzgözü from a local Turkish restaurant/deli. Continue reading
The Old Bridge, Huntingdon
© 2010 John Hoskins. All rights reserved
For wine connoisseurs, the bar and the restaurant list are just an Aladdin’s cave of delights and the wine list is written in a very honest, accurate and descriptive way that is very much John’s style. Continue reading
Charles Philipponnat Champagne tasting
© 2009 Susan Hulme MW. All rights reserved.
Philipponnat is one of the very few family-run Champagne companies left and they have been in Champagne since 1532 when their family moved to Aÿ. Continue reading
Veneziana
© 2009 Susan Hulme MW. All rights reserved.
Sometimes you need to drink something other than wine… Continue reading
The Food and Wine Guide to Naples and Campania by Carla Capalbo
© Carla Capalbo
The Food and Wine Guide to Naples and Campania by Carla Capalbo, published by Pallas Athene, ISBN 1-873429-71-1. To many people, Italians included, the south of Italy is largely unknown, ignored in favour of the wealthier and more fashionable … Continue reading
AWRI Wine Assessment Tasting
© 2009 Susan Hulme MW. All rights reserved.
Australia House, 29th June 2009 It’s always good to challenge yourself so I was keen to participate in the recent Wine Assessment Tasting, hosted by The Australian Wine Research Institute. Those attending included a mixture of journalists, wine educators, winemakers … Continue reading
Hidden Spain
© 2009 Susan Hulme MW. All rights reserved.
Having just returned from a breathless and breathtaking tour of some of Northern Spain’s less well known DOs on the recent CWW trip, I am filled with even more enthusiasm for ‘hidden Spain’. What attracted me to the trip initially was the allure of visiting DO Cigales and DO Bierzo but I found much more to excite me. Continue reading
IMW Hungary trip October 9th to 13th – A visit to Gere winery in Villány
© 2008 Susan Hulme MW. All rights reserved.
The region of Villány-Siklós is one of Hungary’s best red-wine producing areas. Its most important vineyards are located in the villages of Villány, Villánykövesd, Kisharsány, Nagyharsrsány and Siklós. The Continue reading
Highlights of a press trip to Vinho Verde, June 2008
© 2008 Susan Hulme MW. All rights reserved.
It had been more than 10 years since I last visited Vinho Verde and I was keen to see all the changes that had taken place. Lying north of Oporto, it has a lush green hilly landscape, and is dissected by fast flowing rivers – more dramatic in scenery the further north you go towards the Spanish border.
Continue reading