Wine Words & Video Tape

Wine, Words and Videotape

Fine Wine Review site

Author Archive

London Wine Fair: Croatia

Written by JW. Posted in Croatia

Zlatan Otok makes some interesting wines on the Croatian island of Hvar. The white Pošip is pretty good and their Plavac Mali, in various guises, ranges from the meaty to the tannic. The Crljmenak [Primitivo] 2008 was also pretty good. I thought that Gracin made an interesting red from the Babić variety. I also had a look through the wines of Korta Katarina in southern Dalmatia – lively whites from the Pošip grape and gamey, forest floor Plavac Mail from Dingac and Postup. These wines are clearly only a fractional snapshot of what is going in Croatia.

London Wine Fair 2011: Oregon

Written by JW. Posted in Oregon

There is something silky about the finest Willamette Valley Pinot Noir.  It is softer and rounder than its Burgundian counterpart, but it still manages that wonderful delicacy which makes the variety produce the most delicious wine. Tony Soter knows a thing or too about winemaking. Originally from Oregon, he made a name for himself down in the Napa founding Etude in the early 1980s and eventually working as a consultant at a variety of places in the valley including Araujo, Neibaum-Coppola and Shafer.

London Wine Fair 2011: Oregon's inspirational tales

Written by JW. Posted in Oregon

Discussing vibrant attractive Pinot Noir leads me neatly into Oregon’s Willamette Valley. A delightful bunch were on offer last week at the fair. Three estates new to me stood out – Brooks Wine, Anne Amie and Soter Vineyards. All produced lovely Pinots across the board. More on Anne Aie and Soter later as the story behind Brooks deserves a post to itself. I doubt you’ll find a more powerful or inspirational tale in the world of wine.

London Wine Fair: Napa Valley

Written by JW. Posted in California

Napa’s close to my heart, where my wine bug began after visiting in the late 1980s, so it was good to see the Napa Valley Vintners Association back at the London Wine Fair last week. Heitz’s Trailside Cabernet ’05 immediately reminded me what’s exciting about the valley and of the fact that the old ones are often still the best. In this respect too there were good benchmark Napa Cabs from Grgich Hills, Chateau Montelena [actually tasted courtesy of Bancroft Wines], Silverado Vineyards, Cain and Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars.

Follow Us