Wine Education - Matthew's World of Wine and Drink

USA

Sta. Rita Hills is an AVA in Santa Barbara County producing increasingly impressive wines, most notably from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir but also from Syrah. For my first wine tasting trip in months, I visited the region to see exactly what’s going on and came back extremely enamoured with the wines and the direction in which the region is heading.

Feb 28

Feb 28 Malbec & Cahors

Cahors is the traditional heartlaand of Malbec, and is the only appellation in France dedicated to the variety. Due to the success of Malbec in Argentina, there’s a renewed sense of purpose in Cahors with an astonishing range of styles made from just the one variety but from many different soil types and aspects. After meeting a number of producers, I came away with the impression of a dynamic, ever-changing region.

Feb 21

Feb 21 The Vins Doux Naturels of Roussillon

Vin Doux Naturel is one of the great, historic styles of fortified wine, made all over the south of France. It’s not a fashionable or well-known style, but it’s been made for centuries and is full of history. There is an incredible range of wines made, from fresh and fruity to oxidative and mature, making it extraordinarily versatile. I got to taste the wines of several producers—including a wine from 1895, which made the 1959 look young…

Dec 16

Dec 16 Visiting Rioja

Rioja is one of Spain’s most historic regions, steeped in tradition. But a recent visit showed that Rioja is slowly changing, as producers place greater emphasis on expressing terroir. There’s plenty of debate on how best to do this—Rioja is a more contradictory and dynamic region that its reputation perhaps suggests.

Dec 5

Dec 5 Visiting the Sherry Triangle

Sherry is one of my favourite of all wines, and I finally had the chance to visit recently. Tastings at various producers provided lots of insights into trends in sherry production and consumption, as well as the opportunity to explore the many different styles of sherry first-hand.

Nov 24

Nov 24 Txakoli

A visit to the Basque country involved eating lots of pintxos with txakoli in San Sebastián and Bilbao. To complete the experience, I visited Ameztoi, the second largest producer of the light-bodied, low-alchol, highly acidic white wine. Stunningly located on the Atlantic coast, Ameztoi also make rosé, red, and sparkling and are a great introduction to a region that’s both historic and very new.

Oct 10

Oct 10 Aussie Cab

australia

Australia is most strongly associated with Shiraz, but there’s plenty of Cabernet Sauvignon too. I attended a tasting of Aussie Cab from four different regions—Margaret River, Coonawarra, McLaren Vale, and Eden Valley—which highlighted the quality Cabernet being made across the country as well as the diversity of climate, soil types, and wines.

Sep 20

Sep 20 Zinfandel and the Accidents of Terroir

USA

Clay Mauritson’s family have been in California’s Dry Creek Valley for 150 years and their history parallels that of the California wine industry. Clay makes wine from the small Rockpile AVA which is heavily influenced by Lake Sonoma, the creation of which devastated the Mauritson family’s way of living fifty years ago. Without Lake Sonoma, not only would Clay’s wine taste completely differently, they might not exist at all…

Sep 9

Sep 9 Lodi

USA

A recent visit to Lodi challenged its reputation as a hot region only capable of making big, full-bodied, inexpensive reds. With the price of land rising elsewhere and climate change affecting growing conditions, Lodi’s Mediterranean grape varieties may play a strong part in California’s future.

May 24

May 24 Wachau, Kremstal, and Kamptal

Other Countries

The highlight of a recent trip to Austria was visiting the regions of Wachay, Kremstal, and Kamptal. They’re mostly planted to Grüner Veltliner and Riesling, two varieties with very different needs yet which both thrive next to each other. Read more to find out why, and why quality is so generally high.

Dec 17

Dec 17 Book Review: Vineyards, Rocks, & Soils

How do soils affect the taste of wine? And can we taste soil in wine? Just a couple of questions that my review of geologist Alex Maltman’s book explores.

Sep 24

Sep 24 The Terroir of Rioja

Winemaking in Rioja has traditionally been all about blending, bringing different sub-regions and grape varieties together to create a reflection of the region as a whole. I recently met a producer who has a very different attitude, refusing to use the Rioja designation on their labels and making single-vineyard wines. Should other Spanish producers follow suit and make wines that are more individual expressions rather than regional blends?

Aug 17

Aug 17 Cru Bourgeois

It can be difficult to find good Bordeaux that’s also affordable. Cru Bourgeois is a category which offers approachable, good-value Cabernet Sauvignon based wines. Read more to find out about these alternatives to expensive Left Bank wines.

Jun 10

Jun 10 Douro Valley

portugal

Douro Valley is the heartland of port, the great fortified wine. It’s spectacularly beautiful, with steep, rocky terraces covered in vines. Visiting the region was a long-held ambition of mine, and it did not disappoint.

May 28

May 28 Vodka

spirits podcast

The latest in my series of podcast episodes on spirits: Vodka is the most widely drunk spirit globally, popular because of its clean, neutral taste. The spirit goes back centuries, changing due to fashion and technology. This episode focuses on how vodka is made and how to make sense of a drink that is so deliberately flavourless.

May 17

May 17 Cork

portugal

The cork industry has suffered in the last twenty-five years due to the number of “corked” wines. On a recent trip to Portugal, I learnt how producers are working very hard to redeem the image of the industry.

Feb 26

Feb 26 Sparkling Wine Blind Tasting

sparkling wine podcast

Blind tasting is fun, challenging, and humbling - as well as necessary for WSET Level 3 and 4 exams. Find out what students taking the Diploma made of tasting four blind sparkling wines.

Feb 6

Feb 6 Meursault

Meursault is a village in the heart of Côte de Beaune famous for producing rich, opulent wines. But things are changing as I found out at a tasting - the wines now are designed to be more expressive of the part of the village they come from.

Jan 28

Jan 28 Cava