The flavor of huckleberry in wine of Thrace

Having joined The Wine Society’s team in 1973 as promotions manager, Payne became the head buyer in 1985. He stepped down from this position in 2012, when Tim Sykes took over, but has remained on the buying team ever since. As part of his responsibilities, Payne has bought in every region throughout the years but, in recent years, focused mainly on Italy and Bordeaux. He was also instrumental in introducing wines from Eastern Europe and Greece to the portfolio. The Wine Society described Payne’s ...

Rosa Kruger, a self-styled ‘farm manager’ who is a leading figure in world viticulture and has played a major role in the development of South Africa’s modern-day wine scene, has been announced as recipient of the Decanter Hall of Fame prize for 2022. She is also the first South African to join this exclusive group of wine world stars. This year marks the 39th edition of the award, previously known as Man or Woman of the Year and launched in 1984. Chris Maillard, Decanter’s Edi ...

I first contributed to Decanter back in November 1988; the hundreds of columns and articles I’ve written since constitute a journey of discovery. I squirm, though, if I’m described as a ‘wine expert’. Whatever wine knowledge we acquire quickly cools, congeals and crusts over, like custard or gravy, as the years pass. The wine world expands at a clip. Every vintage rewrites history. It’s the chance to share discoveries – not just about wines, but about people, places and the act of drinking itsel ...