The Winery Lost Owl of Santa Cruz Mountains of California

Andrea Franchetti, one of the most talented and visionary Italian producers, has died at the age of 72 in Rome. In 30 years exactly, he positioned his superTuscan Trinoro among the top Italian references, producing a wine with stylish elegance and outstanding potential for ageing. Franchetti’s Bordeaux blends were without the over-extractions that were on-trend in the 2000s, nor the excess of fruit following phenolic maturity. He followed a precise idea to produce classic wines for the long haul ...

The focus is upon a new series of back label additions which will be: Viticultor – Elaborador: viticulturist/winemaker aka vigneron Embotellador – Elaborador: bottler Comercialitzadora: commercial wine agent aka negociant Work on these changes began at their 15th anniversary back in 2016 and has been ongoing since. Despite this length of time, part of their introduction has clearly been spurned by the recent wine fraud case wherein hundreds of thousands of their (and other locals DO’s) bac ...

Whisky is emphatically a product of place. The flavours in the glass conjure images of the spirit’s origin, from an Islay malt’s distinctive peat smoke to the exotic perfume of a Japanese blend. Traditionally, however, that local accent is lost when spirit is filled into cask. The vast majority of Scotch malts and blends, for example, are matured in oak sourced from thousands of miles away, and previously used to age bourbon or Sherry. Some whiskies might venture into more exotic territory. Thin ...