jamie goode's wine blog

Skinnergate

2009-11-21T10:37:00.004Z

Tim Atkin, one of my favourite wine writers, has written an excellent editorial in this week's Off Licence News. It's about the Skinner scandal. Matt Skinner is a young-ish Aussie sommelier who UK wine book publisher Mitchell Beazley have been attempting over the last few years to cast as the trendy face of wine. Initially, he was based in London...

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Brief Napa reports: Trefethen

2009-11-21T01:50:00.000Z

My second full day in Napa began at Trefethen, in the Oak Knoll district. It was another beautiful morning, and I was meeting with Jon Ruel � like me, another lapsed scientist (he'd done research on plant ecology in a previous life). John was a great host. Trefethen is a large family-owned property of 440 acres of vineyard, planted on the valley...

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Brief Napa reports: Lagier-Meredith at Bottega

2009-11-20T01:45:00.000Z

Americans like to eat dinner early. When I arrived at Bottega for dinner with Steve Lagier and Carole Meredith, some people we already finishing their main courses, and it was just 6.30 pm. Husband and wife team Steve and Carole began their small Mount Veeder vineyard back in the late 1980s, but were both at the time gainfully employed elsewhere,...

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On my way home

2009-11-19T20:32:00.002Z

Just about to catch the BART to the airport on my way home from San Francisco. It has been a really fun trip. I spent this morning wandering around the city, and bought a bag, some bubblewrap, sticky tape and scissors. This was to pack three bottles of wine that I wanted to bring back with me, which Clark Smith had given me yesterday. It will be...

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Brief Napa reports: Corison

2009-11-19T18:37:00.000Z

Corison took me by surprise a bit: it's a smaller operation than I had been expecting, and the wines were made in a style I love: the antithesis of the big, in-yer-face, points chasing excess. Cathy Corison wasn't around (she was in a plane at the time), but I was ably hosted by Maurey Feaver. We tasted and lunched on the balcony of the top floor...

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Update from the road

2009-11-19T06:53:00.002Z

Tonight was the last of my brief California trip. The focus today was on closures, and a large panel of technical people were gathered to discuss the structure of a forthcoming closures trial which will be sponsored by Oeneo. Actually, it's not a closures trial, but rather a study aiming to look at bottle variation in the market place. When...

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Brief Napa reports: Saintsbury

2009-11-19T01:38:00.003Z

For my next visit I was off to Carneros, the cooler-climate bit of Napa at the south of the valley, where the influence of breezes from the San Francisco bay are more keenly felt. This is where Pinot Noir and Chardonnay thrive, and Saintsbury was my destination. David Graves (above) was waiting for me when I arrived, and we had a broad-ranging...

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Brief Napa reports: Schramsberg

2009-11-18T06:31:00.000Z

Schramsberg is my second visit. On a spellbindingly crisp, sunny morning I meet with Keith Hock, the winemaker here. Schramsberg reeks of history. When Jack and Jamie Davies brought the property in 1965 it was pretty much abandoned, and they decided to make wine here again. But they made an interesting decision. They saw that the 20 or so wineries...

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Brief Napa reports: Cain

2009-11-17T18:26:00.002Z

I arrived at San Francisco airport on a gorgeous late autumn day, just after 2 pm. After clearing homeland security and picking up a hire car, it was already 3.15 pm � travelling with just hand luggage, something I was very proud of, hadn't really saved me any time. According to my schedule I was supposed to be at my first visit, Cain, by 4.30pm,...

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More from Napa

2009-11-16T22:51:00.002Z

Another quick stop in St Helena library, sandwiched between appointments. Last night had a fantastic dinner with Steve Lagier and Carole Meredith at the wonderful Bottega in Yountville. This morning I was at Trefethen and Trinchero, and now I'm off to Grgich Hills, which is probably the world's largest biodynamic vineyard. The weather continues...

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Quick update from Napa

2009-11-16T00:54:00.002Z

I'm sitting in the public library at St Helena. It's the only internet connection I can find and the library closes in five minutes, so I'll be brief. I arrived in Napa yesterday evening, and had a lovely dinner at Cain, followed today by visits to Schramsberg, Corison and Saintsbury. This evening I'mm meeting Steve Lagier and Carole Meredith for...

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(Moral) panic on the streets of...

2009-11-15T07:38:00.000Z

The biggest threat to the wine trade in the UK isn�t supermarket 3-for-�10 offers. It�s neoprohibitionism. I think the moral panic surrounding alcohol is a huge threat to the drinks industry, because I can�t see it stopping. The targeting of middle-aged drinkers enjoying a bottle of wine over dinner is particularly alarming. I can understand the...

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More on Wine Future

2009-11-14T07:12:00.002Z

I followed the recent Wine Future conference via a combination of Twitter and the live feed on the Catavino blog. I�m so glad I didn�t go. By all accounts, several of the speakers misjudged the event and simply used their slot as a promotional vehicle for their own ventures. That�s old thinking. �Old thinking� media treat their audience as mildly...

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Judging beer awards in Leeds

2009-11-13T23:26:00.003Z

Spent today in Leeds. It�s actually the first time I�ve been to this city, although aside from three nice pubs, I didn�t see all that much of it. I was one of the four judges of the annual beer writers� awards. In case you are wondering, I was the non-beer person on the panel, and as a non-beer person it was interesting to read all the entries,...

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My thousandth tweet: time well spent?

2009-11-12T23:44:00.002Z

Today I posted my thousandth tweet, and to celebrate, a few glasses of Champagne Jacquart's Brut de Nominee, which is an NV mainly from the 1999 vintage. It has a fresh, assertive nose with rich citrus fruit and toast aromas. The palate is concentrated, with sophisticated toasty flavours backing up the bright fruit. Polished and quite rich, it's...

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Announcing the London Gastronomy Seminars

2009-11-12T14:08:00.002Z

I'm helping out in a minor capacity with a very exciting new series of flavour-focused symposia, billed The London Gastronomy Seminars. The first event is later this month (30th) and features Herve This, the brains behind the molecular gastronomy movement. The website went live today, and you can book tickets through it directly.

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Chile's Cloudy Bay? Sauvignon from coastal Colchagua

2009-11-11T09:43:00.000Z

So you've got your head round the new Chilean cool-climate regions: Leyda, San Antonio, Elqui, Limari. Here's another for you - coastal Colchagua. And this Sauvignon Blanc is the first wine to be released from this new region, in vineyards recently planted at Paredones, just six kilometres from the sea. It's a startling wine, with amazing...

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Amazing Pinot from Danny Schuster

2009-11-10T20:22:00.002Z

On my last visit to New Zealand, one of the many highlights was visiting Daniel Schuster in Waipara. He wasn't there, but the vineyard was spellbindingly beautiful, and the wines elegantly European in style. Sadly, the winery went into receivership earlier this year (see this report), and unless the buyer decides to retain Danny and his team, it...

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The beauty of the Douro

2009-11-10T12:14:00.004Z

Just been editing some of my pictures from this year's trips to Portugal's Douro. It really is a spectacular place. If you've never visited, you owe it to yourself to go there.

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'Wine Future'

2009-11-09T14:12:00.002Z

The much talked-about 'Wine Future' conference is taking place in Spain later this week. I'm not going (although I probably would have gone had I been invited, even if it was out of morbid curiousity). There's a glittering speaker list, and it will draw a significant crowd of important people, but I feel lukewarm to the whole idea. I don't think...

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South Africa's Fine Wine Dimension

2009-11-09T12:04:00.003Z

So, after my recent trip, here are my thoughts on the state of South African wine. [Caveat: I'm not pretending that this is in any way anything more than my own personal perspective, so please excuse the presumption. And I know that I have just scratched the surface of South African wine through my various trips and tasting the wine here in the...

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Flying: 'premium economy'

2009-11-08T22:06:00.002Z

Returned from South Africa overnight, flying BA's premium economy (no upgrade this time) - it's the first time I've flown this way, and it wasn't bad. Compared with economy, you get plenty of legroom, a slightly bigger seat, and a proper wine glass, as well as slightly better service. On the negative side, you get the same food, the same wine and...

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Day 5 in South Africa: Constantia, Cape Point and sheet rain

2009-11-07T19:02:00.003Z

The final day of my South African itinerary was a really good one, only partially spoiled by some really awful weather. From lunchtime onwards, it poured with rain in true English fashion. This was pretty annoying, because we had left some time free in the afternoon for some R&R � specifically, we'd planned to go down to Boulders Beach to see...

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More from South Africa: the day in pictures

2009-11-06T21:28:00.003Z

Some pictures from a truly exciting day spent in Tulbagh, Paardeberg and Paarl. Eben Sadie, who makes some of South Africa's very best red and white wines. Bush-vine Carignan at Vonderling, Paardeberg Flowering Cabernet Sauvignon, Vonderling A Nomblot concrete egg next to a barrel, Tulbagh Mountain Vineyards (TMV) Worm compost, TMV (and Rebecca...

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Day 3 in South Africa - Franschoek, mostly

2009-11-05T16:16:00.004Z

Had a great day today, even though for most of it the rain was lashing down in vast sheets. We began with another larger producer, continuing yesterday's theme: DGB, hosted at Boschendal. They have a range of brands, including Douglas Green, Bellingham, Franschoek Cellar, Boschendal and from 2010, Brampton will be all theirs. Highlight? The...

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