The flavor of cherry syrup in wine of French Polynesia

A domaine’s long history hoists its inanimate wines into life; biography brings meaning to the simple sensual pleasure of tasting a grower’s efforts. It’s important, though, to know what we are doing when we tell stories. And to know what to tell them about. Winemakers take the messy chaos of natural processes and add discipline, giving shape and direction to produce a stable and enticing wine. This was never nature’s intent. The storyteller takes a messy chaos of random events, either imagined ...

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 ...

Amanda Barnes has been awarded the John Avery Award for her The South America Wine Guide book, which was described as ‘heralding a new era’ in wine travel books. The book, which is the result of a decade of research conducted by Barnes while travelling the continent, details the wine regions, wines and producers of Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Brazil, Bolivia and Peru. It highlights over 70 wine regions and maps out 40 in detail — many of which have never before been mapped or documented in the En ...