Top 100 wines of Russia - Page 9

The dark days began when I learned from a visiting Canadian friend about the death of one of the kindest, most gentle and most skilful Pinot winemakers I’ve known, Paul Pender of Tawse Winery. He died in a senseless and tragic act of violence on the evening of 3 February, outside his Lake Erie cottage. A stranger, subsequently charged with his murder, had (it seems) knocked on his door, asking for help. Paul’s sudden, untimely loss has left his family, and the broader Canadian wine community, di ...

Napa Valley wine producer Eisele Vineyard has purchased the next-door Alfred Frediani Ranch for $18.5m, said the estate agent responsible for the sale, broker James Keller. The ranch features two parcels of land totalling around 11.2 hectares (27.65 acres), Keller said. A spokesperson for Keller said the agent wished to make clear that the property sold was the Alfred Frediani Ranch on Pickett Road, and not the Frediani Vineyards estate on the Silverado Trail. Eisele Vineyard’s general man ...

Christmas, famously, is not about religion any more. But as a Decanter reader, you’ll also know that it’s not about giving, family or food either. No, it’s about drink. The one time of year when we get to open the good stuff without anyone questioning what we’re doing. And of course, there’s no shortage of advice as to what form those bottles should take. Every year, hacks in newspapers, magazines and websites tell us how to make the big day go with a bang. But these don’t correspond with the re ...