Blog Entries for Steven Spurrier

A wine writer�s year

akash@envigo.co.uk — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 17:00:00 +0100

July, August and December are the only quiet months for UK wine writers. For the rest of the time, there may well be a wine tasting or wine event every day of the week, sometimes more than one, to the extent that Harpers Wine and Spirit, the trade magazine - contrasted to Decanter, the consumer magazine - along with the Circle of Wine Writers (of which I have the honour to be the current President) manages what is called The Wine Trade Diary. Countries or companie [...]

Rising stars of the New Portugal

akash@envigo.co.uk — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 17:00:00 +0100

The Old World encompasses more than just France, Italy, Germany and Spain. Portugal is often overlooked, but has recently become much more visible due to its increasing quality standards and continued modest pricing.

The Wine Society of India's Spring Selection will be a focus on Spain and Portugal, hence this blog's focus on Portugal.

The Douro, the wine region in northern Portugal, is named after the river Douro that is known as the Duer [...]

Tasting the finest from France

akash@envigo.co.uk — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 17:00:00 +0100

During the past month I have attended three in-depth tastings at Decanter magazine, covering wines and vintages that are just now coming onto the market. These tastings are of course blind, but the vintage and appellations are known, so comparisons are fairly tight. The tasters are drawn from specialists in each region, always a smattering of Masters of Wine (MWs), and wines that have received an average of 18.5 and above on the 20 point scale - a Gold Medal ranking in the Decanter World Wine [...]

A testing week at Vinexpo

akash@envigo.co.uk — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 17:00:00 +0100

Blog: Steven Spurrier

"Our vineyards cover only 4% of the whole region, but represent 34% of wines sales and 95% of the estates are family-owned". This statement made at a morning conference at Vinexpo (the world's largest wine trade fair) in Bordeaux last June did not refer to the Haut-Medoc, but to the Napa Valley. Family ownership seemed the over-riding theme to this bi-annual jamboree, where low-ish expectations of the exhibitors in the current economic [...]

The Berlin Tasting

akash@envigo.co.uk — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 17:00:00 +0100

Blog: Steven Spurrier

My last communication was on The Importance of Comparative Tastings, telling the story of a tasting I organised in Paris in 1976 that compared (blind, of course) California Chardonnays against top white Burgundies and California Cabernet Sauvignons against the finest chateaux from Bordeaux. This tasting, where a California wine was judged top in both categories, became known as "The Judgement of Paris". It was the first comparativ [...]

The Importance of Comparative Tastings

akash@envigo.co.uk — Sat, 16 May 2009 17:00:00 +0100

Blog: Steven Spurrier

One of the great joys of wine lies in comparisons. Even if a type of wine can stand on its own - Champagne is the perfect celebration glass for example - there is no reason not to compare the taste of one Champagne to another, or of Champagnes in general to the excellent sparkling wines made all over the world. Another fascinating comparison is that of a young wine from a certain estate to an older, more mature version: same soil, same grapes, same win [...]

The 2008 vintage in Bordeaux

akash@envigo.co.uk — Sun, 03 May 2009 17:00:00 +0100

Blog: Steven Spurrier

The wine market in Bordeaux, the world's largest fine wine producing region with over 110,000 hectares under vines and a history going back to the Romans, is unique in that its wines are tasted by international professionals only a few months after each vintage and long-ranging decisions are then taken by the estates who have their wines to sell and the international wine market on this very early judgement.

The reason is that, historically, the wi [...]

Grape Varieties: the reds

akash@envigo.co.uk — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 17:00:00 +0100

Blog: Steven Spurrier

Last time we looked at the principal white grape varieties - grapes that were once identified with specific regions in the traditional vineyards of Europe, but are now seen in wine-producing regions all around the world.

This time, it's the turn of the reds. It's worth noting that, with very rare exceptions, the pulp of a vitis vinifera grape is colourless. If you squeeze the grape, the juice is clear, because it is the skin of the grape that co [...]

Grape Varieties: the whites

akash@envigo.co.uk — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 17:00:00 +0100

Blog: Steven Spurrier

Almost all wines today are produced by a type of vine known as vitis vinifera, which has been refined and developed over the centuries for the production of grapes for wine, rather than for the table. Different families of vines have evolved that carry specific names and these are known as grape varieties, or “varietals”. Wine from a single grape variety are called “varietal wines” and the characteristics of each grape variety wi [...]

Burgundy-the 2007 vintage

akash@envigo.co.uk — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 17:00:00 +0100

Blog: Steven Spurrier

Burgundy – the 2007 vintage

Each year in January, the UK wine trade holds a series of tastings of the last but one vintage in Burgundy . Over two weeks, literally thousands of wines are tasted by the trade and Press and much of the wine is sold at that time. The most exciting vintage in recent years was far and away 2005, but the 2006s were well received, especially the white wines that are made 100% from Chardonnay. [...]

How to Taste Wine

akash@envigo.co.uk — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 17:00:00 +0100

Tasting wine is easy: if you can taste food, you can taste wine, for the senses of smell and taste that enable you to capture the aromas, flavours, spices and texture of food are the same as you use for wine. But there is a difference between tasting and drinking, which is Paying Attention.

After the first experience or two, you don't need to pay attention to the taste of Coca Cola or of Kingfisher Beer, for the taste will always be the same. But the taste o [...]

The Lesser Known Wonderful World of Wines

akash@envigo.co.uk — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 17:00:00 +0100

Time and again, alcohol and wine have been miserably confused with each other as one and the same thing. Reflecting upon the literally poor public awareness about wine in general and wine appreciation/ wine tasting in particular, wine lovers have been led to take up the cause solemnly and venture into joining hands together, to unfold the best of colors, aromas and tastes of wines to the world.

It definitely has alcohol, but the ingredient content is low. A rich ruby colo [...]

Wine - A journey to the man's heart through the ages

akash@envigo.co.uk — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 17:00:00 +0100

Wine , a popular alcoholic drink across the world, is generally made from fermentation of grape juice. The drink has played an important role in religion throughout history. Used in Christian and Jewish ceremonies such as the Eucharist and Kiddush, the drink is popular in European regions of Greece and Rome since 6000 BC. In fact the Greek God Dionysus and the Roman god Bacchus is said to have represented Wine. Though the name ‘Wine’ is derived from Latin word ‘Vinu [...]