Church Road’s good buy syrah
Church Road is a winery with history, drawing from a heritage which stretches back to the early days of New Zealand wine.
Free for all
Nostalgia and emotions stir with old vines
Last year I was honoured to be invited to the Swan Valley to launch their Old Vine Charter, which took its lead from the Barossa Old Vine Charter, which was launched in 2009.
The dolcetto dilemmaÂ
Nebbiolo may be the king of grapes in the Langhe where Barolo and Barbaresco are made, but the dolcetto grape has even deeper historical roots in the region.
Barolo and Barbaresco new vintage releases at Grandi Langhe 2025
Steve Blandford’s Barolo and Barbaresco new releases report for this year is not drawn from the broader range, scattergun tasting afforded by Nebbiolo Prima but from a selection of tasting opportunities attended during the first few months of this year.
Key Italian wine regions and styles
It’s Vino Italiano week, where we’re writing about all things Italian, so here’s a quick and dirty tour of the country’s main wine regions with a geographical view.Â
Understanding Italian wine words
Many Italian words have become part of the international wine vocabulary, on account of their common usage, closely allied with the global popularity of Italian wines.
Grapes of Italy
Most counts suggest there are about 350-550 indigenous grape varieties in Italy, with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry at the lower end, while some writers claim there are close to 2000.
Introduction to Italian wine
Italian wine is almost literally as old as the hills: grapevines and winemaking were introduced to Sicily by the Greeks around 4,000 years ago.