The flavor of ash in wine of Vayots Dzor

UK chancellor Jeremy Hunt used his Autumn Statement to outline a number of economic measures, but wine trade leaders were still seeking clarity on the government’s position on alcohol duty immediately following the speech. The government’s Autumn Statement document only appeared to refer to projected benefits of last month’s decision to reverse a planned freeze on alcohol duty, as well as benefits of duty reform plans. ‘There is nothing to welcome or comment on following ...

The US still comes top on the list of which countries drink the most wine overall, according to to preliminary figures released this week by the International Organisation of Vine & Wine (OIV).  Wine consumption in the US crept up by 0.7% in 2021, to 33.1 million hectolitres (3.31 billion litres), the OIV said in a report on the state of the industry. World wine consumption grew by the same margin, to hit 236 million hectolitres (mhl), or 23.6bn litres, although trends varied by nation. That ...

Shirakawa 1958 is the only official single malt bottling from the demolished distillery, and is also said to be the earliest single vintage Japanese whisky bottled to date, although part of its back story remains shrouded in mystery. The whisky was distilled at the Shirakawa distillery, located 200km north of Tokyo, in 1958, and survived an era when Shirakawa’s malt whisky was almost all used in owner Takara Shuzo’s flagship ‘King’ blend. Shirakawa was opened in Fukushima Prefecture by previous ...