Wines made from Trebbiano grapes of Italy

Any discussion of the relative merits of Cognac and Armagnac can all too easily descend into trite generalisations. Cognac is invariably described as ‘refined’ and ‘elegant’, Armagnac as ‘rustic’ and ‘earthy’. Luckily for us, the truth is altogether less reductive, and more interesting to explore. There are obvious contrasts between these two great French spirits that transcend mere geography, encompassing history, culture, terroir, grape variety, distillation and maturation. But there are commo ...

Hosting a masterclass at Vinitaly in Verona – one of the wine world’s biggest wine fairs, and Italy’s most prominent – Richard Baudains presented 10 top-scoring Italian wines from the Decanter World Wine Awards 2022 to a captivated audience. Celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2023, with judging commencing this week, the DWWA is a huge operation. Richard explained that last year, 18,244 wines were entered from 54 countries, and involved 237 experts from around the world, including 54 Masters of ...

At a lunch in Brussels, the 2021 PFV ‘Family is Sustainability’ prize was presented to Jan Strick and his son Matthijs of Maison Bernard, who triumphed over more than 100 applicants from around the world to win the €100,000 (£84,000) award. ‘Selection was difficult,’ said Matthieu Perrin, president of the PFV, ‘but ultimately the jury felt that Maison Bernard is a brilliant example of exquisite handicraft and the maintenance of an ancient artisanal tradition in family hands, exactly as we fight ...