The Domaine Bacchet of Bourgogne Passe-tout-grains of Burgundy

Researchers examining remnants of jars dating back to the kingdom of Judah found evidence that royal elites in Jerusalem may have been drinking wine ‘flavoured with vanilla’. It’s already known that wine has a long history in the region, and some studies suggest wines contained added spices or herbs. Yet researchers said they were surprised to find traces of vanillin in some of the ancient storage jars, which were excavated from debris caused by the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BCE ...

More than 100 wines from 32 regions across 11 countries – including France – are set for release via the La Place in the coming weeks, Liv-ex said in a new report released today (24 August). September, in particular, has become a busy month for négociants, who have sought to expand their portfolios beyond Bordeaux. For wineries, the extensive La Place distribution network offers opportunities to reach new drinkers and enhance their international reputation – albeit opinions in the UK trade diffe ...

I’d like to say we took advantage of the lockdown and its related commotion to do a stock-take, explore new avenues, turn over intriguing stones, widen and deepen our drinking, taking careful notes as we went. Sadly, no. I won’t say we got stuck in a rut, but we did tend to stick with comfort wines – and “comfort”, in our case, means familiar. Regular readers of this quarterly column can probably guess the labels on the resulting empties. We have a wider range of comfort foods, I’m afraid, than ...