The Winery Villa Balderini of Montepulciano d'Abruzzo of Abruzzes

On 19 September 2021, the Cumbre Vieja volcanic ridge in the island of La Palma, Spain began a massive, three-month long eruption, that was a catastrophic event for this westward island in the Canarias. The volcanic fumes caused breathing problems as well as the cancellation of flights and fruit harvests, including grapes. Despite 7,000 people needing evacuation from the flow of the lava, there was only one fatality during the entire eruption. As the lava flow eventually covered over 1,000ha, mo ...

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 ...

Galicia is the wettest region in all of Spain with average rainfall starting from 800mm in the driest areas all the way up to 2,200mm for those along the Atlantic coast. Given this concern, fungal issues in the vineyards are quite common and viticulture has been adapted accordingly, for example with vines being trained to pergolas or by higher trellising which allows for good air circulation. In addition, the use of antifungal chemical treatments is widespread to contend with issues such as Esca ...