Summary:  Chablis is very much its own place, part of Burgundy but in some ways quite different. Once frost protection methods were developed, previously precarious viticulture finally became viable. Chablis is now in the capable hands of a bright younger generation, inspiring a gentle evolution in their vineyard and cellars. Let us hope that climate change will not affect the unique style of the world’s most famous Chardonnay. Presenter:

Summary:  The Sherry region of Spain is one of the country’s oldest and most traditional; but did you know it is also one of the most dynamic? While many historic regions remain stuck in the past, Sherry is forging a new future. Over the past couple of years, numerous (sometimes radical) changes have been discussed, including “unfortified” Sherry and new grape varieties.

Summary:  Over the years I’ve had many discussions with people who insist that there’s little good value to be found in Burgundy. While I’d be the first to admit that the big names like Roumier & Rousseau are wildly overpriced, largely due to the speculation on the secondary market, I’ll never admit there’s not great value to be found if time and energy are invested searching for it.

Summary:  Bordeaux is the largest AOC quality wine region in France, and is home to some of the best known names in the world of wine. Its oceanic climate allows the grapes a long, slow growing season that delivers complexity of flavours and long ageing potential in bottle, but also poses challenges in terms of keeping the grapes healthy during the season.

Summary: The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the texture of life for us all, and left no field of economic activity unruffled. More than 2.5 million people have lost their lives and 115 million have been infected, with up to one in 10 of those infected suffering long-term consequences. Anosmia (the loss of taste and smell) is a symptom of Covid. International travel has slowed to a trickle; restaurants and bars have closed; festivities and celebrations of all sorts have

Summary:  Champagne specialist Essi Avellan MW hosts a live discussion on the latest trends in Champagne and the outlook for the region's future. Her prestigious panel will be covering a broad range of trends from vineyards to wineries as well as business. She will be joined by cellar master Cyril Brun of the prestigious house Charles Heidsieck, Vallée de la Marne Meunier specialist

Summary: The famous classifications of Bordeaux (discussed in our Meeting of the Minds webinar on June 22nd) are based on properties – privately owned land entities whose boundaries are subject to change.  Of more significance to French wine as a whole, though, are the land classifications based on the notion of the cru or ‘growth’: an entity which rarely coincides, Bordeaux excepted, with private property boundaries and which thus might be considered a

Summary:  Jerez is among the older wine regions in the World, with nearly 3,000 years of continued wine activity. Over the centuries, wine production has evolved into very unique methods of production and a whole series of different wines of very strong identity, which were finally regulated under the first DO appellation in Spain, 85 years ago. But wine production continues to evolve in the Sherry region and local winemakers are now experimenting beyond the DO rules to find new

Summary:  This seminar explores the history, evolution and application of ‘minerality’ in wine tasting notes. In the rich lexicon of wine terms that have developed in the modern era, few have proved more important, and more divisive, than this one. Justin conducted a content analysis of more than 20,000 tasting notes published in the UK’s Decantermagazine from 1976-2019, to chart for the first time the possible origins of the term, how and when

Summary:  There is, arguably, no wine mind more extraordinary, more capacious or better informed than that of Jancis Robinson MW. After university studies in mathematics and philosophy at Oxford, Jancis worked for a short while in the travel business before becoming a wine trade journalist in 1976. Within three years she was the wine correspondent of the Sunday Times, and over the following four decades, her staggering output of journalism, books and media