Jackie Fast, Author at The Buyer

By Richard Siddle on November 15, 2019

south africa group shot wine rooms better

Report: South Africa Restaurant Safari – 9 buyers, 18 wineries, 2 Land Rovers

Here’s a conundrum for you. How do you get nine of the UK’s leading wine buyers to meet 18 winemakers in four restaurants in different parts of London in under five hours? Well, throw two Land Rovers into the mix and you are half way home. It’s certainly how The Buyer teamed up with Wines of South Africa to take a group of top buyers on a tour of London restaurants, and the chance to meet some of South Africa’s best winemakers at the same time. Eating, tasting, chatting along the way. Buckle up and join us on the ride…

Posted In: restaurant safari, slider, sommeliers. wine tasting, wine, wine buyers, wine producers, winemakers, wines of south africa

Tasting: Wine

By David Kermode on November 15, 2019

Getting a new perspective on Napa Cabernet across 16 vintages

British wine consumers and buyers are a tad obsessed with the ageability of wines – Cabernet Sauvignon in particular – a hangover perhaps from all that collecting Claret. But while tasting aged Bordeaux is not uncommon in the trade, getting the opportunity to see how well Napa Cabernet ages is a much rarer beast. This much was in evidence as Napa Valley Vintners’ annual ’A Perspective on Vintages’ tasting made its London debut to a packed crowd of wine experts, including our very own David Kermode. The tasting showed off 16 different vintages, allowing Kermode to assess the part played by vintage variation and the consistency of style of the winemakers present.

Posted In: Cabernet sauvignon, california, David Kermode, Napa, Napa Cabernet, Napa vintage, slider, SR Tonella Cellars

People People: Supplier

By Richard Siddle on November 14, 2019

IWSC’s Julian Brind Finalists: Curly Haslam-Coates and Sula Richardson

With so many different parts and aspects of the wine and spirits industry it’s only right we should grasp the opportunity to reward and shine the light on those individuals who are going the extra mile in whatever sector they are in. Which is what the Julian Brind MW trophy at the International Wine & Spirit Competition looks to do. Here we profile two more of the finalists for this year’s prize: PR manager, Sula Richardson of Phipps Relations and wine educator from Tasmania, Curly Haslam-Coates.

Posted In: curly haslam-coates, iwsc, julian brind, slider, sula richardson, wine

Insight

By Peter Ranscombe on November 13, 2019

Every effort is make to keep the region phylloxera free which has allowed it to still work with some of the oldest vines in the world

Why phylloxera is a blessing and a curse for Australia’s Yarra Valley

Phylloxera. Just saying the word out loud will send winemakers running to the hills. Whilst it might be a thing of the past in Europe, phylloxera is a clear and present danger in Australia with every region fearful of an outbreak. The tiny insect that devastated Europe’s vineyards in the 19th century, reached, for example, the Yarra Valley in Australia in 2006. The only way of beating the plant-killing louse is to graft European vines onto resistant American rootstock, an expensive solution but one that presents opportunities for grape growers, as Peter Ranscombe found out during a recent visit.

Posted In: australia, peter ranscombe, phylloxera, slider, wine, winemakers, Yarra Valley

Tasting: Wine

By Anne Krebiehl MW on November 13, 2019

Long Read

Dom Ruinart Rosé 2007 stops Anne Krebiehl MW in her tracks

Ruinart was the first Champagne house to make a rosé way back in 1764 and they are still going strong. Correction. They are going from strength to strength argues Anne Krebiehl MW who confesses to being taken aback at how good the new vintage Dom Ruinart Rosé 2007 is, as well as the wines shown alongside it – the 2007 Blanc de Blancs and two other vintage Rosés. Ruinart has always made Chardonnay the backbone of its wines, a philosophy that helps achieve one of its prime goals – to be able to drink it from 9am one day to 9am the next.

Posted In: Anne Krebiehl MW, champagne, Dom Ruinart Rosé 2007, Frédéric Panaiotis

Opinion

By Neil Anderson on November 12, 2019

Neil Anderson and five lessons wine can learn from craft beer

The success that the craft beer scene has had in the last few years in nothing short of remarkable, not just in terms of the number of brands now available, but the impact it has had on the overall drinks category and number of average drinkers who now think craft beer first when out for a drink. So what do competing drinks do about it? Here brand consultant, Neil Anderson, former marketing director at Kingsland Drinks, sets out five key lessons any wine producer, supplier or retailer can learn from craft beer.

Posted In: beer, craft beer, gins, masters of brands, neil anderson, spirits, wine

Tasting: Wine

By Geoffrey Dean on November 12, 2019

Why JD Pretorius made Warwick Trilogy 2016 Cab Franc dominant

After the success of Trilogy 2015 which was Cabernet Sauvignon dominant, Warwick Wine Estate’s new cellar master JD Pretorius decided to make Warwick Estate Trilogy 2016 Cabernet Franc dominant, making it one of the very few Bordeaux blends in the Cape to have this style of blend. Geoffrey Dean caught up with Pretorius at the launch of the 2016 to find out the challenges of growing Cab Franc in the Cape, why the blend is as it is and to taste the previous vintages of 2012, 2008, 2005 and 1997 to compare and contrast the new wine.

Posted In: Bordeaux blend, Geoffrey Dean, south africa, Trilogy 2016, Warwick Estate Trilogy

Insight

By Richard Siddle on November 11, 2019

Vinexpo Shanghai captures the buzz of Chinese wine market

It’s a little unusual to find yourself being constantly stopped by fellow visitors at a wine trade show and being asked why you are asking questions to the producers showing their wines. When you reply you are a journalist wanting to find out why and how they are working in China, the same visitors are only then too keen to share their experiences, explain how they buy and sell wine and exactly what they think of the wines they are tasting. It is just like nowhere else you might visit. It is the Chinese wine market that, for my first visit, was exciting, dynamic and a breath of fresh air. In the first of two reports from the inaugural Vinexpo Shanghai, The Buyer examines the key trends, opportunities and challenges facing producers looking to succeed in the Chinese wine industry.

Posted In: china, chinese wine, vinexpo, vinexpo shanghai, wine, wine buyers, wine distributors, wine importers

Tasting: Wine

By Peter Dean on November 11, 2019

Long Read

How Elephant Hill has become a ‘complete’ Hawke’s Bay estate

In just over a decade Elephant Hill has become one of Hawke’s Bay’s most prestigious estates, situated as it is on the coast at Te Awanga that, even by New Zealand standards, is jaw-droppingly beautiful. The winery has vineyards in three distinct districts: Te Awanga, Bridge Pa and Gimblett Gravels each of which have their own microclimate and soils and, together, make Elephant Hill a ‘complete’ Hawke’s Bay producer. For head winemaker Steve Skinner the challenge is to create wines that convey their sense of place and which can deliver even when the climate conspires against them. Skinner was in London to showcase his new ‘Element’ single vineyard wine series and ‘Icon’ blends – and to reflect on how far the winery has come in the 12 years that he has been making wines there.

Posted In: Elephant Hill, Hawke's Bay, new zealand, Peter Dean, Steve Skinner

Tasting: Wine

By Chris Wilson on November 9, 2019

Chris Wilson’s first taste of Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2019

Always asking questions, always pushing boundaries, that’s the philosophy of Daniel Sorrell who has been the winemaker at Cloudy Bay for the past four years. As the winery celebrates its 35th anniversary Chris Wilson met up with Sorrell to taste the new vintage Cloudy Bay 2019, where he also found out what made 2019 a nerve-wracking season, why Sorrell thinks Cloudy Bay has become one of the iconic white wines of the world, how the estate is seeking a ‘nervous’ quality in the wine and how it is trying to avoid the thiol-heavy style that seems to be going out of fashion.

Posted In: Chris Wilson, Cloudy Bay 2019, new zealand, sauvignon blanc

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