Images of Laudun and Chusclan
July 5, 2019
Côtes-du-Rhône Villages Laudun The village of Laudun, from the valley floor Sandy soils of Laudun, and drip irrigation - an increasingly common site in the Southern Rhône Joséphine Arnaud of Château Courac in one of their vineyards Roman artefacts that have been dug up in the vineyards of Château Courac - a coin minted in Sicily Côtes-du-Rhône…
Images of Cairanne
June 28, 2019
Denis Alary of Domaine Alary with a map used during Cairanne's promotion to Cru One of Domaine Alary's galet-strewn vineyards on the Montagne Romain Roche, Domaine Roche Alluvial soils of the Garrigue It does rain here occasionally... Bruno Boisson, Domaine Boisson Lighter gravelly clay soils of the Terrasses de l'Aigues Loïc…
Images of Sablet and Plan de Dieu
June 21, 2019
Images of Sablet The village of Sablet The sandy soils of lieu-dit La Piaugier near the village Thibaut Chamfort, Domaine La Verquière Cheval Long towards Séguret Les Briguières towards Gigondas Images of Plan de Dieu Endless vines, looking towards Mont Ventoux (centre) and the Dentelles de Montmirail (right) Ancient river…
The Rules of BYO
June 14, 2019
Many of us have a few ‘special’ bottles in our collections but finding the time to drink them can prove surprisingly tricky. We don’t all have the skills or the space to cook a meal for friends at home, so one solution is to open treasured bottles in a decent restaurant. But with different policies, corkage charges – and with some restaurants refusing outright – what’s the best way to proceed?…
Images of Valréas and Visan
June 7, 2019
Images of Valréas Looking north to the town of Valréas Caroline Bonnefoy in full mistral! Atop the Massif de la Côte, looking south Jacques Coipel, Mas de Sainte Croix L-R: Paul-Henri Bouchard, Domaine des Grands Devers; Emmanuel Bouchard, Domaine du Val des Rois; Aurélie Lardet, Maison Lavau; Julien Coipel, Mas de Sainte Croix; Stéphane Vedeau, Clos…
Images of Tavel
May 24, 2019
AOC Tavel - 100% rosé. Limestone soils to the west of the village known as Lauzes Raphaël de Bez, Château d’Aquéria, joined his father and uncle at the estate last year Christian and Nadia Charmasson of Balazu des Vaussières, whose natural Liracs and Tavel are now in Vin de France Les Vignerons de Tavel, cave co-operative
Beaumes de Venise: the hidden red of the Southern Rhône
May 17, 2019
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge – and her sister, Pippa. Andy Murray – and his brother, Jamie. Beyoncé Knowles – and her sister, Solange. Having a more famous brother or sister can be a mixed blessing. On the one hand, it brings the benefits and opportunities of a star-studded surname. On the other, cynics may doubt the depth of your talents and it’s hard to escape the shadow of your sibling. So…
Images of Rasteau
April 10, 2019
The village of Rasteau, on a south-facing slope. The cliff running down to the river shows the three types of clay: a thin layer of red clay, followed by deep yellow clay, followed by deep grey (sometimes called blue) clay. The Coulon family of Domaine de Beaurenard in Châteauneuf-du-Pape have had land in Rasteau since 1980. New growth in one of their two…
Images of Côtes du Vivarais
March 25, 2019
Alain Testut, president of AOC Côtes du Vivarais David-Alexandre Gallety, Domaine Gallety Domaine Gallety Rachel and Raphaël Pommier, Domaine de Notre Dame de Cousignac The chapel of Notre Dame de Cousignac Sébastien Etienne, grape grower for UVICA
Beyond Burgundy: The New World finds its way with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay
March 21, 2019
From big-fruit ‘varietal wines’ to joyless Burgundy-lite pastiches, the New World has taken a while to get its head around Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. But there is a third way – and it’s working. What does New World Chardonnay taste like? What about classic New World Pinot Noir? It’s a question that was easier to answer in the 1990s, when the ‘international style’ was easy to spot among leaner,…