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In the 17th century, Swiss soldiers were exempt from military service if they had just planted a vineyard. The reason wasn’t because they needed to tend the vineyard. It was because they were susceptible to “nostalgia” if they had to leave it. Nostalgia was considered a debilitating condition at the time. And potentially a fatal […]

One lesson that all young sommeliers come to learn is that, in the end, wine is just a tool of their job. Sommeliers often begin their career with a perception that what matters are the technical details of a wine. The notion that it’s vital to remember things like acid levels and residual sugar. It’s

Premium wines tell great stories. These are the wines we seek out, and value, because they reveal the qualities and context of themselves and their origins. But we also find they can tell a story about each of us and our values. And often premium wine drinkers buy a wine not so much for what

Europe’s oldest family-owned business is a winemaker. We don’t know exactly when they began. But Château de Goulaine in the Loire Valley has been making wine for more than a thousand years. The family produce classic wines like Muscadet, Sancerre, and Vouvray. But they are also innovators. Today the estate makes what is believed to

There are different wines for different times. Luxury Champagne was born as people emerged from the Great Depression. Big reds and buttery Chardonnays were the hallmark wines of 80’s excess. Fresh whites and chillable reds reflected a more recent shift to authenticity, provenance, and sustainability. So what are the wines that represent our current times?

Ninety nine years ago, in 1926, the wine writer Len Chaloner wrote “the difference between a vintage wine and a beverage wine is easily understood”. Chaloner explained that a vintage wine was one that “hails from some vineyard of special repute”. Adding, “it may proudly bear the name of the chateau”. While by contrast, Chaloner

Search for images of “wine” and you’ll soon come across pictures of barrels. From barriques, to casks, tonneaux, botti, and vats, they are an integral part of the language and lore of wine. And the French oak barrel is the benchmark. With its fine grained oak and toasty, nutty, vanilla-scented characters. It’s at the heart

It’s an industry truism: premium wine is evolving. It’s shaking off the whiff of “pretension”. Today even the most traditional winemaker knows that they need to respond to changing tastes. Not to mention commercial reality. Wine industry data is clear that “premiumisation” is the wine market’s dominant force. Where the market is growing, it’s in

For over a decade, ‘premiumisation’ has been the most persistent buzzword in the wine industry. But what does it truly mean for a wine to be ‘premium’ in 2025? And does the term still matter? Things have certainly changed. Traditionally, premium wine meant heritage, terroir, rarity, and price. It created a formula for exclusivity and