The Winery Bell Bird Bay of Hawke's Bay of North Island

The Sotheby’s New York sale of Bourbon and Rye Whiskey, held at the weekend, combined two significant collections of American whiskey, with almost 100% of lots sold and 75% of them selling for above their pre-sale high estimates. The top spot for the most expensive lot in the auction went to a bottle of LeNell’s Red Hook Rye 24 Year Old Barrell #4, which sold for $43,750, double its pre-sale high estimate and making it the joint most valuable bottle of rye whiskey ever sold at auction. The sum w ...

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 ...

Inside the March 2022 issue of Decanter Magazine: FEATURES: New Spanish whites David Williams’ A to X guide to 10 key producers and wines in Spain’s developing white scene Making wine in Spain Self-confessed ‘nomadic winemaker’ Darren Smith on the irresistible allure of Spain Producer profile: Francisco Barona Driving tractors at 12, now making top Ribera del Duero. By Tim Atkin MW Vintage preview: northern Rhône 2020 Another hot year, but there is freshness and top quality to be found. Matt Wa ...