The best winemakers of Austral

There’s a reason why heavily-applied perfume ranks highly on most wine lovers’ list of pet peeves. It overpowers your senses, conceals aromas and distorts your perception of a wine. In professional tastings and wine exams the wearing of perfume is banned, if not thoroughly frowned upon. You just don’t do it. What then, if we applied the same logic to music, controlling the sounds we hear, or don’t hear, while tasting wine? There’s no doubt that a chaotic environment can clog your synapses, makin ...

In addition to the fine wine auctions reported on previously by Decanter, further initiatives have been set up to raise money for those in crisis. UK-based wine importer Les Caves de Pyrene has been helping to relocate families fleeing from war-torn Ukraine and settle them in safe havens across Europe, in accommodation provided by the importer’s European winemakers. To help cover the logistical costs of relocating families, the importer has announced it will hold a fundraising auction and charit ...

A new-look Napa Valley barrel auction saw 75 lots raise a total $1.5m in aid of children’s mental health, organisers have announced. Many wines were from the 2021 vintage, and Napa Valley Vintners (NVV) reported an average price per lot of $18,683, which it said was a new record. The barrel auction is now part of Collective Napa Valley, a philanthropy-focused initiative created to offer events and sales for wine lovers throughout the year – replacing the previous Auction Napa Valley event that s ...