Wines made from Villard noir grapes

The W/O (standing for ‘without’) Frappato 2020 – an organic Sicilian red – is packaged in a bottle made with ‘wild’ glass (the name bottle manufacturer Estal has given to its 100% recycled glass). The launch, which forms part of the company’s pledge to become Net Zero and halve its carbon footprint by 2030, marked a ‘UK first for wine’, according to the online wine merchant. It follows a recent audit commissioned from EcoAct – a specialist company advising on sustainability, which sh ...

It’s easy to forget that the southern Rhône’s four most prevalent red varieties aren’t indigenous. Grenache, Carignan and Mourvèdre all appear to originate from Spain; Syrah made its way down the river from the northern Rhône. Of the long tail of other grapes, most have their roots closer to home. Plantings have dwindled in recent years, but today local varieties are experiencing renewed interest. One that’s finding a lot of fans – both in the Rhône and further afield – is Counoise. Scroll down ...

Winemaker Derek Mossman Knapp, of Chile’s Garage Wine Company, introduced the group’s ‘Old-Vine Revival’ project in the UK this month. This included a first UK tasting of its new-release Old-Vine Revival País 2021 wine. Garage Wine Company’s Maule-based project focuses on producing wine from previously-neglected old vines, while at the same time supporting local farming communities. Born out of the Covid pandemic, the initiative enabled farmers to work in their local vineyards, which also elimin ...