The Winery Weinmanufaktur Walporzheim of Walporzheim of Ahr

Whenever I visit Domaine Richaud, just outside the village of Cairanne, the winemaking team remind me of friends I made at free parties in the 1990s in fields and disused warehouses. I’m not talking dreadlocks and dogs on strings, but there’s always an anarchic frisson in the air. You get the impression they know how to enjoy themselves. Perhaps it’s to be expected, given the radical furrow Marcel Richaud has ploughed. He’s approaching 70 now, but still thrums with pent-up energy, his ice-blue e ...

When asked which is the most exciting appellation in the Rhône, there’s one that currently springs to mind before all others: Tavel. I have to be honest with you: I don’t buy much rosé. So, given that Tavel is, according to The Oxford Companion to Wine, ‘one of France’s few all-rosé appellations,’ my response might be unexpected. The Oxford Companion is technically correct, of course – the wines made here are paler than a typical red wine. But compared to other rosés, that’s where the comparison ...

The wines of Cornas fall broadly into two camps this year; soft and juicy wines for early drinking and some tighter, structured, appetising wines with good longevity. My suggestions are broadly taken from the latter camp. Scroll down for tasting notes and scores for the top-scoring Cornas & St-Péray 2020 wines Many 2018s and 2019s in Cornas are overripe and soft; 2020 is a welcome return to a more clear-headed, focused style. {"content":"PHA+UGllcnJlIENsYXBlIHNheXMgJiM4MjE2O2l ...