Articles for ' Classic News'

Skillogalee, a small but award winning boutique winery run by a father and son team in Southern Australia, takes its name from a somewhat unusual source.

When the pioneer and explorer John Horrocks and his party, having suffered illness, injury and bad weather, ran short of provisions while looking for land suitable for settlement in the early 1840s, things were looking grim. However, they managed to survive by making… read the rest of “Best Riesling in Australia”

Just that little bit closer to heaven, perhaps?

As the vineyard’s website itself says (with the overtones of a classical creation myth):

In the highest spotWhere clouds rock our vinesColomé is born

Owned by the Hess family estates, the rather unique Colomé winery, located in the picturesque Calchaqui valley, boasts some of the highest vineyards in the world at up to 10,000 feet above sea level. Founded in 1831… read the rest of “Sky High Wine - Colome Amalaya”

Ridgeview’s Grosvenor has been named the best sparkling wine in the world by the leading wine publication Decanter magazine. The international award winning fizz beat the very best from the champagne competition from France.  The fizz was described by one of the judges as “Very refined and refreshing palate… vivacious acidity, minerality, precision of flavour. Stunning.”

France, the spiritual home of wine, there is little dispute over the fact that this sophisticated, culturally diverse European heartland produces the world’s finest and most well respected grape varieties. Not only is the quality of French wine revered among producers and critics alike, the wide selection of red and whites is virtually unrivalled by any other big producer. From elegant, sparkling champagne to deep, mature full-bodied reds France really… read the rest of “A French Dynasty”

When you think of the greatest wine producing countries in the world, what springs to mind? France? Italy perhaps? While these European giants of the wine industry are renowned for their vast experience and depth of grape varieties, they are currently watching their backs as a young pretender to the thrown makes great strides in the world of vino. Australia is gradually gathering momentum as one of the worlds most… read the rest of “Henschke – The Connoisseurs Choice ”

California is widely regarded as one of the best places to live, not just in the U.S, but in the world. A spate of American television series such as The O.C, One Tree Hill and Laguna Beach depict the state in a warm fuzzy light. California is in some ways set apart from the rest of the U.S in that it is more democratic, diverse, open minded and health conscious… read the rest of “California Dreamin’”

When it comes to English national pride, one thing ranks very high on the last above all others. No, not Morris Dancing, but that universally revered, omnipotent sport, Football. It seems odd that Football is surrounded by such feverish passion across a wide range of demographics in the UK considering the lack of success achieved by our national team in recent history.

A hark back to that fateful day… read the rest of “The Pride of England ”

Alcohol, more often than not, gets a (some say deservedly) bad press. It seems our passion, our hobby, our beloved lifeblood that is wine cannot go more than a week without bearing the brunt of a negative story about how excessive alcohol consumption is contributing to downfall of society. The truth is wine is very seldom drunk by youths causing a raucous disturbance on the street.   Wine is… read the rest of “Wine on a Budget”

Let’s face it, wine is surrounded by an air of snobbery. Wine connoisseurs look down their noses at mass market brands such a Blossom Hill and their consumers, while those not in the know write off wine buffs as upper class, up tight toffs. Can we not find some middle ground? There is an emerging school of thought generated from cookery shows such as BBC1’s Saturday Kitchen, that wine as… read the rest of “Come Wine with Me”

The growing prevalence of celebrity names (alive and dead) associated with wine seems to be a trend that’s almost irresistible.  True, we haven’t yet had a Michael Jackson cabernet, but the vineyards are crawling with vintages from dead celebrities including Elvis Presley (Elvis Blue Suede Chardonnay 2001, Jailhouse Red Merlot 2002, and Blue Christmas Cabernet 2002) and Jerry Garcia (Garcia Cabernet Sauvignon 2001) to name but two.  Many other breathing… read the rest of “Serious Celebrity Winemakers”