Discovery

Provence, particularly Bandol, have made it their king of grape varieties, but Mourvèdre also sits on the throne of many prestigious southern wine regions like the Rhone Valley, Languedoc and Roussillon. We shed some light on a challenging, late-ripening variety which is difficult to harness and yet so unique when it reaches peak ripeness.

After three decades of a free-market economy, the Czech Republic is about to reach another milestone in its wine history. While in recent times, the local wine industry has always been a more or less disparate, yet in many ways co-operative, mass of competing businesses, over the past few months the idea of a common approach for the future has slowly begun to materialise. With the general support of winegrowers, the idea of a unified winery concept is being developed, with emphasis among others on production efficiency, the most suitable varieties, exports and the environment, in addition to the established focus on quality. After years of adolescence, a fully-fledged and self-confident wine region with very promising potential is breaking onto the scene.

Navigating amongst the shadows cast on them by the Grands Crus Classés and the Crus Bourgeois, it could seem that Médoc Crus Artisans suffer from a lack awareness. But these often long-standing, boutique estates spread across all the Médoc appellations in the world’s most famous wine region focus on site-expressiveness and most certainly deserve a visit.

With 250 native grape varieties, Portugal is enough to make other producer countries go green with envy. Comparing them with international standards is like comparing apples and oranges and just-burgeoning awareness means that they remain largely under the public’s radar. Heading off to explore Portugal’s vine heritage is like stepping into the shoes of a treasure hunter, away from the well-trodden vinous paths.

Nebbiolo is widely considered to be the prince of Northern Italian grape varieties due to its elegance and undisputed longevity. This historic variety is widespread across North-West Italy, in Piedmont, Lombardy and Valle d'Aosta. We drill down on one of Italy’s most iconic grapes.

When a legendary wine region makes a firm commitment to the environment, its status is enhanced even further. In Burgundy, the number of wineries certified High Environmental Value has doubled since 2020, a trend which mirrors the region’s long-standing quality-driven focus. Gilbert & Gaillard went to the heart of the region to find out more about the phenomenon.