The Winery Azienda Agricola L'Essenza di Puglia of Salento of Pouilles

In brief: Rhône 2020 En Primeur Northern Rhône 2020: 4.5/5 A reliably fresh, balanced and approachable vintage – a return to classicism after a series of powerful years. Excellent white wines. Southern Rhône: 4/5 Fresh, juicy and immediate reds with lower alcohol than recent years, though some lack concentration. Beautiful white wines. ‘These are wines that will provide huge amounts of pleasure, straight out of the gate. It is that rare thing – an excellent vintage for early drinking.̵ ...

The creation of an Instituto da Vinha e do Vinho dos Açores (IVVA), with headquarters in the island of Pico, follows the remarkable qualitative growth that the Archipelago of the Azores’ wine industry has been experiencing over the past decade. ‘People are excited about growing fruit and making wine here. There are about 300 growers producing their own fruit and a lot of small “garage” producers are starting. Some of them have worked and trained with us and are now making very interesting wines, ...

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 ...