The marriage of Eleanor of Aquitaine to Henry II of England brought Aquitaine into the Plantagenet Empire. A flourishing wine market developed from the port of Bordeaux. The winegrowers of Bordeaux obtained the Bordeaux privilege from King Henry III of England in 12416: wines from the high country could not enter the port of Bordeaux before Christmas6. By then, navigation was more difficult and many ships had already left loaded.
This privilege allowed the Bordeaux winegrowers to sell their production. The King of France became the suzerain of Bordeaux after the battle of Castillon in 1453. To gain the respect of his New subjects, he renewed the privilege. It was finally Louis XVI who settled the conflict more than five centuries later in 17736, by setting up a mediation between the wine growers.
Malbec, a high-yielding red grape variety, produces tannic and colourful wines. It is produced in different wine-growing regions and changes its name according to the grape variety. Called Auxerrois in Cahors, Malbec in Bordeaux, it is also known as Côt. 6,000 hectares of the Malbec grape are grown in France (in decline since the 1950s). Malbec is also very successful in Argentina. The country has become the world's leading producer of Malbec and offers wines with great potential.
red wines from the region of Haut-Pays go well with generally quite well with dishes of beef, lamb or spicy food such as recipes of wild boar stew in burgundy style, marinated leg of lamb with herbs or moroccan veal tagine from hanane.
On the nose in the region of Haut-Pays often reveals types of flavors of oak, cedar or black fruits and sometimes also flavors of dried fruit, violet or cassis. In the mouth in the region of Haut-Pays is a powerful with a nice balance between acidity and tannins.
To Kalon, a vineyard regarded as California’s crown jewel thanks to its enduring renown for producing world-class, top-scoring Cabernet Sauvignon, has secured its legendary status with organic certification. Blue-chip producers such as Robert Mondavi, Schrader Cellars, To Kalon Vineyard Company and Cliff Lede have all cemented their reputations on To Kalon fruit. But as iconic as they and this vineyard are, there is always room for improvement. The past three years have seen rigorous overhauls w ...
The Decanter Retailer Awards recognises and celebrates the very best wine retailers in the UK and offers wine drinkers an indispensable guide to outstanding retail experiences across the nation. The 2022 edition will see the judging panel grow with six independent wine experts reviewing entries, including returning Chairman Peter Richards MW, Laura Clay, Andy Howard MW, and three new judges: Michelle Cherutti-Kowal MW, Vidya Narasimhan and Regine Lee MW. From the best neighbourhood wine shops to ...
In Mendoza, 2022 is coming to an end with major news for the local wine scene: Catena Zapata has finally opened Angélica Cocina Maestra, its first restaurant in Agrelo (Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza). The restaurant is on the same estate as Catena Zapata’s iconic Mayan pyramid-shaped winery and one of its most treasured Malbec vineyards. Angélica Cocina Maestra, a wine-focused restaurant ‘At Angélica the most important items on the menu are the wines, and our dishes are designed to be paired with them. ...
