Magazine

Island viticulture has always been judged separately from regions which have not been ‘isolated’ by the sea. Italy has two very important islands which represent two of the most interesting regions from a national winegrowing perspective – Sicily and Sardinia.

From modest beginnings half a century ago, Cap Classique is now the fastest-growing wine category in South Africa, exploding not only in terms of quantity but also in effervescent quality.

Italy has a very particular orographic conformation, in the shape of a ‘T’ formed by the Alpine arc that traces a horizontal line to the North and the Apennines that run longitudinally from North to South. Mountain viticulture has a fundamental impact on the general picture of Italian winegrowing.

Anyone with even a scant knowledge of the world and is familiar with the Valencia region in Spain, knows that it faces the Mediterranean Sea. Its main defining features are the ‘Fallas’ celebration and paella. But perhaps many who know or have visited the region, heavily influenced by ‘Riojitis’ or ‘Riberitis’, may be unaware of the grape variety native to this eastern Levante region with which many of its wines are made. Read on to find out more about Bobal.

Over the past few years, Bordeaux has had to contend with numerous challenges, ranging from ‘Bordeaux bashing’ in France to climate change, Brexit, the political crisis in Hong Kong, Trump taxes and the global pandemic. More than any other wine region, Bordeaux is France’s vinous showcase around the world, so how are markets performing in 2021 and what solutions have been devised to cope with these issues? To find out the real consequences of this string of crises, we interviewed a number of industry players. Here’s what they told us.

Why not try a forthright Blanc de Blancs Champagne with floral and fresh hazelnut notes to accompany this appetiser?