KD: Let’s shift gears and focus on what appellations have accomplished, and what role they might play in the preservation of wine heritage going forward. As an Italian wine fanatic, few things excite me more than geeking out over rare grape varieties that demonstrate something unique in the glass....

KD: Let’s move on. While the EU wine quality pyramid for appellations (i.e. PDO/PGI) is intended to have some semblance of a hierarchy, all three of us could cite dozens of examples of exceptional, rule-breaking wines made as “table wine” or with a broadly generic regional appellation. Andrew, is...

The Great Debate: What is the Future of Appellations? with Andrew Jefford and Robert Joseph KD: The original genesis of appellations was to place importance on “somewhereness,” but also to authenticate wine and guard against fraud. The desire for authentic wines and terroir has not gone away, and...

KD: The natural wine movement in particular has challenged many tenets that appellations have held dear, namely ‘what is typicity?’ We discussed some of this in our last debate where some appellations have defined their wines by a set of standards which excludes some natural wines. So, is...

KD: Let’s shift gears a bit. By their very construct, appellations are about controlling outcomes. Robert, do they control too much in the process of viticulture and winemaking? What should they control and what should they not control? RJ: The point of an appellation is to provide consumers with...

KD: Let’s go back to something Robert suggested earlier: Do appellations really constrict freedom and inhibit creativity? Even if they do, is that a bad thing? RJ: If producers are allowed to produce the wines they want alongside AOP wines (as they have been for some time in Italy, for example),...

Few consumer products in the world are more steadfastly focused on origin than wine. Think of the last great bottle of wine you enjoyed and, odds are, its place of origin featured prominently on the label. Known as appellations, these defined areas of wine production have fostered a fanatical...

Over the course of 15 years, Wine Scholar Guild has enabled committed students of wine to expand beyond general wine knowledge curricula and specialize in the three leading wine producing countries in the world: France, Italy, and Spain. Acclaimed for the academic rigor of its programs,...

We are delighted to announce that our Blog was ranked #12 on the list of the Top 101 Wine Writers Of 2020 Award by Corking Wines!

This month, the Wine Scholar Guild celebrates its 15th anniversary! Such a milestone gives pause for thought. I’d like to share with you—our students, members and supporters—some key moments, joys and stressors we’ve had on this extraordinary journey.

KD: Separately, some natural wines have failed to qualify for their appellation status because they were deemed atypical of their region’s wines. Simon, what’s your opinion on the subject of typicity? Have regulators developed a taste for non-natural practices and allowed that to colour their...

KD: Do you see the coronavirus pandemic and its effect on the global wine market as changing the trajectory of natural wine in any way? AJ: Yes and no. Social distancing will be difficult for this movement, since it is very event-focused and venue-focused, a youthful community movement predicated...

KD: One of the most rancorous subjects in the debate is how much sulphur should be allowed. Simon: where do you stand on this issue? Is there a certain threshold where, consistently, sulphur interferes with the expression of a wine in your opinion? Or is that threshold more universal than personal...

KD: There also seem to be two currents flowing whenever natural wine is discussed. One is the fundamentals of making natural wine — organic and/or biodynamic viticulture, ambient yeast, minimal intervention in the winery. And then the other, for lack of a better word, is political. People are...

KD: Let’s shift gears and talk about flaws. Detractors of natural wine consistently point to flaws in the wine as their main point of criticism. Andrew: have people’s notions of what constitutes a flaw changed because of natural wine? Or have people lost sight of what a flaw is? AJ: I like this...

KD: How do you see natural wine and the question of terroir, Simon? SW: There are good and bad examples in any wine style or niche. Natural wine is no different. There are terrible Riojas made with oak chips and fruit that was half rotted, then there are divine examples that are amongst the...

KD: Can all regions and grape varieties be successful at making good natural wines? SW: I see no reason why not. When growers complain that they can’t convert to organic or biodynamic farming because their region is too cold or too wet, I just refer them to people like Aphros in Vinho Verde...

Wine is full of spirited debates, but few can argue that any subject matter generates more intensity these days than natural wine. Should sulphur be allowed or not? Do natural wines reveal terroir better than conventional wines? Has natural wine changed our notion of flaws? Perhaps most...

Award-winning author and Decanter Magazine columnist Jane Anson draws us deeper into the Bordeaux conversation and reveals what she discovered while working on her massive new book project, Inside Bordeaux, and what to expect when the book is launched in Spring 2020.

We are thrilled to announce that Mary Kirk will be joining the WSG team as our Community and Membership Manager. Mary has been part of the WSG family since its beginnings and we are delighted to have her come onboard in this capacity as we know that she will be a great addition not only to our...