Liguria is a thin, crescent-shaped coastal region in northwestern Italy, stretching 250 km along the Mediterranean Sea from the border with southern France in the west to the port city of La Spezia in the east. Tuscany Lies beyond the latter, while the region's Central city, Genoa, is about 70 km southeast of Asti and Barolo (and even less so of Piedmont, parts of which run along the northern border of Liguria). Known as the Italian Riviera, this thin, beautiful strip of rugged land with a Mediterranean Climate and poor, stony soils is dominated by steeply sloping hills that fall almost directly into the sea. These steep elevations make Grape growing a challenge, resulting in scattered vineyards (some of which can only be reached by boat) with limited production.
In some areas, the slopes are so steep that the land must be cultivated by hand. Further inland, the slopes are at slightly lower altitudes, and the vineyards are densely and compactly planted; viticulture plays an essential role in preventing soil erosion and landslides. Despite this difficult environment, vines have been grown in this area for over 25 centuries, since their introduction by the Etruscans and Greeks. Later, in Roman times, the most famous area to emerge was the now exceptionally picturesque Cinque Terre (Five Lands), which has a DOC/DOP at the eastern end of the region, towards La Spezia.
My book The Complete Bordeaux, which has been revised every five years, is soon to be published in its fourth edition. This may seem like excessive haste, given the scope of the book, but it is astonishing how rapidly changes can take place in the region. Burgundy, in contrast, is relatively stable, since most properties are family-owned and tend to stay that way. But not so in Bordeaux, where there are ample opportunities for newcomers to acquire established properties, as they have been doing ...
The voice drops a little; the tone grows more reverential. Everyone knows; everyone understands. There will be wry allusions to a quest, perhaps even the grail. Sacrifice is expected en route; failure (always forgiven: a badge of honour) beckons on every side. Kitted up, your hopes armour-plated? I might be talking about planting vines on a cleared slope, or simply about taking the corkscrew to a ridiculously expensive bottle of wine, but you all know by now what’s meant. Pinot Noir. ‘Pinotism’ ...
The latest edition of Liv-ex Power 100, which lists the most powerful fine wine brands, shows that the period between October 2020 and September 2021 experienced a rebalancing of the market, with a number of classic labels returning to prominence. Château Lafite Rothschild re-entered the top 10, moving from 11th to 2nd place, while fellow First Growths Mouton-Rothschild and Margaux have also risen, to 6th and 10th place respectively. Petrus also re-entered the top 10, now at 7th place after a ye ...
