Between the Landes forest, the Garonne and the Pyrenees, the Gascony hillsides cover the Gers dePartment and part of the Landes and Lot-et-Garonne departments. The vineyards occupy the same area as Armagnac, a brandy still produced in the region, but whose volumes have declined in favour of vins de pays (now PGI). Under the influence of a mild oceanic Climate, it is fairly wet in the west, drier in the east, especially in summer. In the west, the subsoil of tawny sands is of marine origin, covered with boulbènes; in the east, it gradually gives way to molasse, a rock resulting from the erosion of the Pyrenees.
The soils are either stony and chalky (peyrusquets) or clayey and Deep (terrefort), retaining water well. The Condom region, the driest, has its own name (Condomois). The main Grape varieties cultivated are white: Colombard and Ugni blanc, the varieties of armagnac. Generally associated, sometimes completed by Sauvignon and Chardonnay, they give lively white wines with an exuberant fruitiness.
Pinot noir is an important red grape variety in Burgundy and Champagne, and its reputation is well known! Great wines such as the Domaine de la Romanée Conti elaborate their wines from this famous grape variety, and make it a great variety. When properly vinified, pinot noit produces red wines of great finesse, with a wide range of aromas depending on its advancement (fruit, undergrowth, leather). it is also the only red grape variety authorized in Alsace. Pinot Noir is not easily cultivated beyond our borders, although it has enjoyed some success in Oregon, the United States, Australia and New Zealand.
The rapid rise of South Africa’s Swartland wine region over the past 20 years has been thrilling to watch. And arguably the most influential winemaker during this renaissance has – and continues to be – Eben Sadie. Sadie was in London recently for a vertical tasting of his flagship wines, the red blend Columella and white blend Palladius. He explained to a rapt audience of critics, buyers and sommeliers how his approach to winemaking has changed over the years, and revealed how he’s preparing fo ...
Duckhorn Portfolio said it has acquired around 20 hectares (50 acres) of Napa Valley vineyards via separate deals. This includes 16 hectares (40 acres) of the Stanly Ranch vineyard in Los Carneros and the four-hectare (10 acre) Red Wing vineyard in St. Helena, said the group, which is listed under the ‘Napa’ ticker on the New York Stock Exchange. ‘As our portfolio has evolved to include 10 renowned luxury wineries, our commitment to having a robust estate vineyard programme continues to be centr ...
The first release in the collection, ‘Jameson Remastered’ represents a significant shift in direction for the well-known blended Irish whiskey brand, by bringing back a single pot still whiskey to the portfolio, celebrating the spirit of classic discontinued recipes from the Jameson archives. The 15 year old single pot still (a whiskey distilled and constructed from only malted and un-malted barley, rather than being additionally blended with grain whiskey, like the flagship Jameson Original) wa ...
