Describing grape varieties: white grapes

Last week I tried to describe the character of the most common red grape varieties; party by listing the typical aromas and flavours you often detect, and partly by comparing them to someone famous. This week it’s the turn of white grapes. If you’ve got any to add, stick them in the comments box below…   Chardonnay         Apples, pears, peaches, apricots, citrus fruits, pineapple, dairy.…

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Describing grape varieties: red grapes

Right, just a bit of fun this week. If there’s one good way of trying to guess what the wine in a random bottle will taste like, it’s by knowing which grape variety (or varieties) it was made from. Sometimes, most commonly in New World countries, it states it on the label. With many of the famous names from the Old World, it will just have the name of the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO)…

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When I hear ‘cult wine’ I reach for my revolver

I was walking around the recent Annual California Wine Tasting in London the other day and one particular bottle caught my eye. I had heard about it before, and had seen it in a couple of high-end wine shops over the years, but never drunk any. I also recalled seeing some high scores from critics in magazines. I walked over and asked if I could taste it. The lady behind the table kindly poured me…

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