BLOG

Tasting and Trends

Vineyards in Penedes

Corpinnat, a Sparkling Shift in Catalunya

“DO Cava is much more than Corpinnat.” DO Cava president Javier Pagés, February 2019.
Winemaker pruning vines
Pruning at Domaine Drouhin-Laroze, Studio Morfaux

Bourgogne 2045

With increasingly unpredictable weather in the Côte de Nuits, Matt Walls wonders what the region will look like in 20 years’ time. The past five years in Bourgogne have seen it all. From the hard frost of 2021, to the endless rains of 2024, then the scorching heatwave of 2025. What will the next...
Bourgogne hillside vineyard planted with Aligoté, illustrating the terroir and vineyard conditions shaping this historic white wine grape.
Bourgogne Vineyard

The Renaissance of Aligoté

Over the past 10 years, interest in Aligoté has been rising in Bourgogne–and so have prices. Charlie Geoghegan examines the ascendency of this lesser-known white grape. Poor Aligoté. It’s had a difficult few centuries as Bourgogne’s other white grape. Charges levelled against Aligoté include its...
Light-26 Bottle, Teddy Henin
Light-26 Bottle, Teddy Henin

Size and Shape: The Champagne Bottle Reimagined

Ask a Champagne lover whether they'd prefer a bottle or a magnum, and watch what happens to their face. The eyes light up. The answer, invariably, is magnum — even among those who couldn't tell you exactly why. It turns out that instinct is correct. The magnum effect is not romantic mythology. It...
Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon, Champagne Louis Roederer
Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon, Champagne Louis Roederer

New trends in Champagne with Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon of Champagne Louis Roederer

The loud pop, the lively bubbles; no wonder Champagne has long been associated with festivities. If the overarching brand could be reduced to one word, it would surely be this: celebration. This simple proposition, so easy to understand, has brought it huge success and popularity.
French Vintage Chart 2024

French Vintage Chart 2024

The 2024 vintage was an exhausting and finally disheartening one for most French winegrowers. Some claimed that they had spent twice as long in the vineyards, made twice as many anti-fungal treatments and spent twice as much on chemical products and on labour as they usually did – at the end of...
Steep Mosel vineyard overlooking the river near Bremm, with Riesling vines on slate slopes in morning mist
Bremm on the Mosel, www.deutscheweine.de

Mosel Riesling: Kabinett Gains

In his latest piece for WSG, Matt Walls considers whether the recent renaissance of Mosel Riesling has a modern trend to thank. If you want to find the best value wines on the planet, here’s a tip: choose a style with a long history that’s currently unfashionable. You can pick up wonderful bottles...
Sunlit Provence vineyard with rolling hills and sea views, capturing the region’s Mediterranean character.
Clémence Louise Biau, courtesy of the CIVP

My Six Desert Island Provence Wines

To wrap up November’s regional spotlight, Matt Walls picks his six ‘desert island’ Provence wines. Let’s play a game. You’re a castaway on one of the rocky islands off the Côte d’Azur in southern France, the Mediterranean lapping at the shore. With the hot and sunny climate, you’ll soon have a...
Chapel of the Madonna overlooking vineyards in Fleurie, Beaujolais
Chapel of the Madonna overlooking vineyards in Fleurie, Beaujolais

Premiers Crus in Beaujolais: Cure or Curse?

On the surface, promoting Beaujolais’s best vineyards to premiers crus might appear entirely beneficial for the region. But the situation is more complex than it looks, says Beaujolais expert Natasha Hughes MW.
Fontebosco Vineyard in Milo’s Contrada Volpare, Mount Etna
Maugeri’s Fontebosco Vineyard in Milo’s Contrada Volpare

From Afterthought to Icon: Carricante's Sicilian Triumph

How a volcanic terroir and an ancient grape are set to rival the world's finest white wines
Vineyard landscape in Sicily, Consorzio DOC Sicilia
Sicilian vineyards. Consorzio DOC Sicilia.

Ten Sicilian Grape Varieties Everyone Must Know

Sicily is the largest and most populous island in the Mediterranean, and, although part of Italy, it has a strong history and culture all of its own.
Panoramic vineyards of Alsace with Vosges mountains in the background
Vineyards of Alsace. Matt Walls

5 Iconic Alsace Rieslings Every Wine Lover Should Know

Why Alsace Riesling Is a Collector’s Favorite — and Still Under the Radar
The 2023 Vintage in France by Andrew Jefford

The 2023 Vintage in France by Andrew Jefford

Was 2023 a good vintage in France? Or a bad one? It was both – and neither. The word that probably best sums it up is ‘chaos’; it was France’s most chaotic vintage since 2017. This is exactly what winegrowers should expect as we slide towards 2030, setting fire to the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement...
Just in Time for Festivities: Explore Italy’s Wine Roads with a Culinary Adventure

Just in Time for Festivities: Explore Italy’s Wine Roads with a Culinary Adventure

For as long as Italians have eaten good food, they have enjoyed good wine. The country is the world’s second-largest wine producer and besides a few hiccups after the fall of Rome, has been a consistent leader in viticulture for centuries.
bolgheri vineyard

Top Ten Italian Red Wines

Italian reds have become famous all over the world, characterized by their intense structures, rich perfumes and distinctive personalities, often derived from the peninsula’s characterful native grape varieties.
Friuli-Venezia Giulia vineyard

Top Ten Italian White Wines

In a country famous for red wine, Italy’s white wines are often overlooked. Although the country has gone global with a range of crisp, well-priced and crowd-pleasing whites, there’s plenty of seriously impressive Italian white wine waiting to be discovered.
A Rosé Renaissance in Provence

A Rosé Renaissance in Provence

Dappled sunshine, joie de vivre holidays, and endless lavender fields are just the tip of Provence's appeal. The other is its world-famous rosé.
Tasting at Istituto Grandi Marchi

Savoring Excellence: Exploring Italy's Top Wine Estates through the 2004 Vintage with Istituto Grandi Marchi

On June 25th, London played host to a prestigious gathering of Italy's top wine producers, unveiling their flagship wines to the UK trade and press.
2019 Barolo: Much Purity and Refinement

2019 Barolo: Much Purity and Refinement

This article has been published in partnership with World of Fine Wine and Wine Scholar Guild. A topsy-turvy 2019 Barolo growing season set many challenges for growers who produced wines that are classical in structure, with firm tannins and high acidity but less of the density and richness of...
Judging at the Decanter World Wine Awards 2024

Judging at the Decanter World Wine Awards 2024

If there’s one thing in the world I love, it’s judging. From driving, to elite sport, to other people’s parenting, if you’re looking for someone to cast ill-informed opinions out into the wind, I’m your man. So, when the opportunity arose to contribute to what is probably the world’s greatest wine...