Final episode of the Culture of Wine series is on the UK, which, despite not historically being a wine-producing country, has been at the centre of wine trends for centuries, influencing the development of Bordeaux, Champagne, Sherry, Port, Madeira, and Australia. It’s acted as a barometer for the future of the wine industry globally: understanding wine culture in the UK helps explain wine culture around the world.

Wine has been commercially made in the USA since the mid-nineteenth century, but there have been many challenges which reflect the political, federal culture of the country. Prohibition, a hundred years later, still looms large and attitudes to wine remain conservative in various ways. But California is the fourth largest producer of wine in the world, and wine in some form is made in all fifty states. How does wine fit into the culture of this vast, disparate country?

Julian Hanna has just published "Island," a book all about island life. It's an evocative series of chapters on the many different islands he has lived on and visited, how each island has its own unique culture and the esoteric people who live there. He lived in Madeira for several years: the book provides a wonderful sense of what it's like to live on one of the world's great—and strangest—wine islands.

Not so long ago, English wine was a niche topic; now it’s one of the most exciting trends in the wine industry. Henry Jeffreys has written a book, Vines in a Cold Climate, detailing the revolution in English wine from nothing to defined styles of wine. Essential reading for anyone interested in what’s happened, what is happening, and what is going to happen in England.

Review of a highly entertaining and informative new book about the wines of Germany by Stephen Bitterolf, who set up an import company, vom Boden, ten years ago. His commitment to supporting German producers is apparent throughout and the “love letters” to the regions bring them to life. Alongside beautiful photos, this is an ode to German wine.

Latest podcast episode of “Bodies of Water” explores the many rivers in Germany which directly influence the styles of the country’s best wines. Here’s a summary of what’s in the episode, following the Rhine, Mosel, Ahr, Nahe, Tauber, through the wine regions.

The Loire river is the longest river in France, beginning 100km north of the Mediterranean and ending in the Atlantic Ocean. That means there are plenty of regions with different styles from Côte Roannaise to Sancerre to Vouvray to Anjou to Muscadet. In all of them the river has an important influence—but not just the Loire. The many tributaries are also very important, Sèvre, Maine, Layon, Vienne, Cher, for instance. An overview of my latest podcast episode which explores how all these bodies of water define the wines of the Loire Valley in so many different ways.

The Pacific Ocean’s name comes from “peaceful”—and often it is, cooling the warm climates of California and Chile. But it can be violent too, bringing in rain, cyclones, and tsunamis from earthquakes. The largest ocean in the world with around 25,000 islands, it influences wine regions in many different ways.

Wine publications are dominated by tasting notes that either use generic or overblown language without conveying the essence of the wine. What purpose do these thousands of tasting notes serve? Do they benefit the consumer, the publication, or the producer? Or would we all be better off without them?

Catalan sparkling wine continues to confuse, and the issue isn’t helped by writers and retailers referring to wines as Cava when the producers have left the designation. Let’s call the producers by the names they have chosen to use!

The fourth video series of “Following the Variety” focuses on Pinot Noir, one of the most important black grape varieties. There are six episodes: Intro; Burgundy; Bubbles; Rest of Europe; Southern Hemisphere; and the USA. It’s a comprehensive overview of Pinot and how it exactly expresses where it comes from.

Now available exclusively on patreon, my latest series of “Following the Variety” explores Riesling all around the world, looking at its characteristics in the vineyard, winemaking techniques, the many styles of wine, and where it’s made: Germany, Alsace, Austria, the rest of Europe, Australia, and the rest of the world from New Zealand to New York.

Second series of “Following the Variety” features six episodes on Chardonnay which is found in many wine regions across the world. The series explores Chardonnay in the vineyard, the winery, and the bottle, and the important places it’s grown in: Burgundy, Chablis, Champagne, other sparkling wine regions, Australia, the USA, New Zealand, South Africa, Argentina, and Chile, providing a comprehensive overview of the world of Chardonnay.

An interview with Agostino Bertolin of notastingnotes.com all about Austria, talking about some of the lesser known regions, Weinviertel, Neusiedlersee, Burgenland, and Steiermark, as well as varieties such as Zweigelt, Blaufränkisch, and Welschriesling. Agostino provides great insight into the many styles of wine made in such a relatively small country.

There are eighteen grape varieties permitted for Châtauneuf-du-Pape, some of them very famous, others much more obscure. This episode details the characteristics of each of the varieties and what they bring to a blend—and why blending is so important in the warm climate of the southern Rhône—as well as looking at some of the other regions the varieties are grown in.