Winery A. HellmuthPinot Noir

Do growers make wine – or do markets? Growers, of course. Yet markets define the scope of the grower’s creative efforts by what they reward or sanction. When markets are neglectful and unresponsive, there’s little the grower can do but conform. It’s a problem the world over. Here’s an example. The river Moselle/Mosel rises to the wet west of the Vosges mountains, then curves in a long green arc heading north through Epinal, Metz and (along the left bank) Luxembourg’s Grand Duchy, turning east at ...

Highland Scotch whisky distillery The Glenturret has unveiled The Glenturret Eight Decades. The £80,000 ($100,000) single malt has been created to mark the 80th birthday of celebrated American artist James Turrell. The decanter for Eight Decades was designed by Turrell in collaboration with crystal maker Lalique. This is the third time the artist has worked with the French company, and his first whisky bottle design. The Glenturret whisky maker Bob Dalgarno drew on conversations with Turrell in ...

Starting with the 2021 vintage, non-late harvest Alsace Riesling must be ‘dry’, as defined by EU regulations, according to a proposed decree agreed by a two-thirds majority of the Alsace Winegrowers’ Association (AVA). Winemakers backed the plan at a vote in Colmar last week, although it requires approval from France’s appellation body, INAO. The move comes in addition to the introduction of a standardised way of communicating sweetness levels on Alsace AOC still wines. As per EU rul ...