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Helen Savage tries her hand at pruning in the Austrian rain

Getting to grips with Austria's pride and joy Feb 03 2012

MICCHI Moosbrugger is a brave man. He allowed a group of Master of Wine students free rein in one of Schloss Gobelsburg’s best vineyards in Austria’s Kamptal to practice pruning.Read

Richard Pickles of wine importers Bibendum at the Village Hotel

Wine importers Bibendum on a mission to make wines more accessible Jan 27 2012

I’M FASCINATED by wine lists. The biggest one I ever struggled to pick up was several inches thick.Read

A man sniffing wine

Syrah is a French classic through and through Jan 20 2012

SYRAH is from South East France. Despite being known to lots of wine lovers as Shiraz it has nothing to do with the ancient Persian town of the same name. DNA profiling has proven its French origins beyond doubt. It first made great wine in the northern part of the Rhône Valley and still does.Read

Taylors Pass Vineyard

Sauvignon Blanc is still throwing up surprises Jan 13 2012

I PLANTED a small row of Sauvignon Blanc vines 20 years ago – at the bottom of our garden beside our little cottage in South West France.Read

Abandonado vineyard in Portugal

Perfect wines from Portugal Jan 06 2012

I MET Tiago Alves de Sousa a couple of years ago when he came to present his extraordinary wines over a dinner at Jesmond Dene House.Read

Chablis and news on climate change Dec 30 2011

THE evidence for climate change is clear in cool grape-growing regions like Chablis.Read

Grapes for Sauternes - the best partner for cheese

Perfect partners for vine dining Dec 23 2011

CHRISTMAS wine selections are often dictated by chance: what’s on offer and what’s new. Over the last few weeks, I’ve been inundated by publicity companies with ideas for the perfect wines for the festive season.Read

Napoles logo

Port and starboard shippers Dec 16 2011

THE Methuen Treaty, signed in 1703, gave preferential status to imports of Portuguese wine into Britain. British wine shippers made the most of this opportunity and the port trade blossomed.Read

A man sniffing wine

Hop to it to discover fine wines Dec 09 2011

AN industrial unit may be an unpromising place to find fine wine, but it’s well worth taking the trouble to find The Hop, The Vine.Read

Isabelle Goumard with some wine

Jordy wine for a Geordie crowd Dec 02 2011

MY FAMILY persuaded me to part with a five-litre box of rather good red wine, which I’d bought in the south of France a few weeks ago, so that it could be shared around after a charity concert.Read

Vines at Chateau Yquem

Masters of Wine Bordeaux tasting event goes down a treat Nov 25 2011

IVE just booked an appointment with my dentist. If you taste 80 young red, or more like purple wines from Bordeaux, your teeth take a heck of a battering.Read

Scientific approach to perfecting France's best wines Nov 18 2011

WHILE it’s true that some French co-ops still seem to prefer to concentrate on quantity above quality, others have very different aims and produce some of the best wine in their regions.Read

husks of bunches of grapes left on the vine

Drink to success of Pinet co-op Nov 11 2011

PICPOUL de Pinet is worth discovering. The only appellation in Languedoc just for dry white wine, it is affordable, food-friendly and delicious. Read

A glass of wine

Discover fine port from the Douro Valley Nov 04 2011

VINTAGE port is not made every year. It is the best fruit, from the most successful harvests, blended from the finest vineyards.Read

Domaine de l'Hortus near Montpellier, France

Wines from Domaine de l’Hortus near Montpellier, France Oct 28 2011

THE Domaine de l’Hortus is set in an isolated valley in the South of France, a short drive north of Montpellier, sandwiched between two immense limestone crags.Read

A woman drinking a glass of wine

Sicily refines its classic red wine Oct 21 2011

SICILY is moving fast now,” says Michèle Shah, a leading authority on Italian wine. “Styles have changed – away from big, heavy, over-ripe, over-extracted wines to elegance and fresh acidity. When they’re well-made, they now rank amongst the really great wines of Italy.”Read

Limari Valley vineyards

Concha y Toro wines produce sparkling results Oct 14 2011

CONCHA y Toro is the biggest wine producer in Chile. One of their best-selling brands is Casillero del Diablo. Its consistent quality and excellent value for money has been a big factor in establishing Chile as a leader in today’s highly competitive market.Read

Wine legend Oz Clarke

Wine legend Oz Clarke on reviving the British pub Oct 07 2011

YOU’VE got to bang the drum,” says Oz Clarke. “The pub is the hub. Without pubs, communities will suffer badly.” The pub should house the Post Office and village shop, he argues; it might even provide a home for the local church – or vice versa.Read

Grapes ripe for harvest at Chateau Caronne Ste Gemme

Wines well worth the wait Sep 30 2011

A CURIOUS procession snaked its way around the almost impossibly well manicured vineyards of St Julien and Pauillac – red-faced bees, giant yellow frogs, sweaty supermen, weary wonderwomen and a man wearing a green tutu with an alligator’s tail.Read

Some wine in a glass

Preview: Northumbria Food and Wine Festival Sep 23 2011

THE North East is an exciting place for wine lovers. We have a clutch of first-rate independent merchants and importers; imaginative chefs who really care about matching fine food and wine and an increasing number of opportunities to taste wine and learn more about it.Read

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