Wines made from Chardonnay grapes of Jutland

Lucio Tasca d’Almerita died in Palermo this week, on 25 July, aged 82. In Sicily he was known simply as ‘Conte Lucio’, such was the reputation of the Count and the amount of respect and affection people had for him. Lucio was one of the pioneers of winemaking on the island from a technical point of view, but moreover he was able to demonstrate how effective the modernisation of Sicily could be from a cultural standpoint. Born in Palermo on 9 January 1940, he was an athlete in his youth and even ...

The Krondorf facility is where Burge’s enigmatic wine empire began in 1978, when he created the successful Krondorf Wines label in partnership with the late Ian Wilson. After selling the Krondorf brand to Mildara Blass Wines, he bought the winery site to establish Grant Burge Wines in 1988, a label that grew to produce 750,000 dozen wines a year and turn over $70m. Grant Burge Wines is a brand now owned by Accolade Wines, having been sold by Burge and his wife Helen in January 2015 [announcement ...

Niagara’s summer? It’s hot, and sticky. I tried a walk near my hotel in mid-July but could only find a large retail mall. It was early; the shops were still shut. Even so, I had to dodge from awning to awning, avoiding the prosecuting sun. I’ve been there in autumn, too, which happened to be mellow and easeful – though it can also be wild, wind-whipped, rain-drenched. The ‘shoulder seasons’ are feared here: you never know what’s coming. The first time I went it was deepest winter. That made an i ...