The best winemakers of North Carolina

The dark days began when I learned from a visiting Canadian friend about the death of one of the kindest, most gentle and most skilful Pinot winemakers I’ve known, Paul Pender of Tawse Winery. He died in a senseless and tragic act of violence on the evening of 3 February, outside his Lake Erie cottage. A stranger, subsequently charged with his murder, had (it seems) knocked on his door, asking for help. Paul’s sudden, untimely loss has left his family, and the broader Canadian wine community, di ...

Growers in the village of Melambes in Crete saw devastating wildfires cause ‘complete damage to 300 acres (121.4 hectares) of old pre-phylloxera vines’ in July, according to an online crowdfunding page created to support viticulture in the area and help those affected. Although fire burned 90% of the vineyard, it’s hoped some damaged vines can be rescued, said winemaker Iliana Malihin, of her namesake winery and who has spearheaded a community project to revive the site in recent years. Ye ...

The Wine Society has made a move to improve the provenance and quality of its exclusive The Blind Spot wine range. The business said it would, for the first time in its history, provide the funding for buying grapes rather than liquid for the range of Australian wines. Winemaker Mac Forbes has spend the last decade identifying ‘interesting’ parcels of wine for the range, which has been an integral part of The Wine Society’s portfolio for the past 10 years, and securing them before th ...