Domaine de BrunetDolinebrune À Fleur de Givre Doux

I first contributed to Decanter back in November 1988; the hundreds of columns and articles I’ve written since constitute a journey of discovery. I squirm, though, if I’m described as a ‘wine expert’. Whatever wine knowledge we acquire quickly cools, congeals and crusts over, like custard or gravy, as the years pass. The wine world expands at a clip. Every vintage rewrites history. It’s the chance to share discoveries – not just about wines, but about people, places and the act of drinking itsel ...

Niagara’s summer? It’s hot, and sticky. I tried a walk near my hotel in mid-July but could only find a large retail mall. It was early; the shops were still shut. Even so, I had to dodge from awning to awning, avoiding the prosecuting sun. I’ve been there in autumn, too, which happened to be mellow and easeful – though it can also be wild, wind-whipped, rain-drenched. The ‘shoulder seasons’ are feared here: you never know what’s coming. The first time I went it was deepest winter. That made an i ...

For the project, the Champagne house is partnering with French glassmaker Verallia, which boasts 32 glass production facilities in 11 countries and claims to be the world’s third-largest producer of glass packaging for beverages and food products. ‘Telmont is a traditional house that embraces innovation, especially when it enables us to reduce our carbon footprint, [and] Verallia… also shares these values,’ said Ludovic du Plessis, president of Telmont House. ‘I sincerely hope that what we ...