I have been looking for the wine of small local producers to showcase at the Herstmonceux dinner and it is difficult as there are so many to choose from. I have already decided that the excellent wines of Franco Rocca (“Albesani” Barbaresco 2007 and “Bricco Stepone”...

Great to see these awards for one of my favourite neighbours! Wine Advocate Antonio Galloni, “This is a stunning set of wines from the Sottimano family. The 2008 Barbareschi are among the wines of the vintage and are not to be missed. The transparency and sheer class...

I must admit that I am only scratching the surface when it comes to the sheer number of Barolo producers and I also find it difficult to get to grips with quality young'uns. I recently visited the cantina of Giovanni Rosso in Serralunga d'Alba now run by son Davide...

  As a generalisation, I object to paying up for Barolo for, an extra year in wood, which is not always a good thing, and the cache of the name. I don't think the extra €10 or so a bottle is usually justified over equivalent Barbarescos. There are of course...

The arrival of Stevio & Moya completely changed our focus this month as we rushed around for 6 days to fill every available space in his car not taken up with luggage. Over 300 bottles of wine, cheese, Primo Montaldo's pork fillets, salami etc. With the odd...

Now it's getting dark a little earlier and it's a bit chilly overnight, it's time belatedly  to unravel my thoughts and notes  on tastings I attended during the summer. Not the easiest task as what seemed  perfectly clear at the time and only needed a one word...