Magazine

Beaujolais Crus: back in the limelight
For many years, Beaujolais was considered a cheap and cheerful wine, and was highly underrated. And yet, it is home to 10 superior growths or Crus which enhance this endearing wine region, that for too long has remained in the shadows of neighbouring Burgundy. Each Cru has a distinctive identity and the sum of their talents creates incredible variety, stemming from highly specific vineyard sites.
Mother Nature sets the trends
In South Africa, most new planting material is not being chosen on the basis of fashion or novelty but rather because it is best for local climate conditions – and climate change.
Sicily and Sardinia, the ‘green’ islands of Southern Italy.
Island viticulture has always been judged separately from regions which have not been ‘isolated’ by the sea. Italy has two very important islands which represent two of the most interesting regions from a national winegrowing perspective – Sicily and Sardinia.
Perfected by time
From modest beginnings half a century ago, Cap Classique is now the fastest-growing wine category in South Africa, exploding not only in terms of quantity but also in effervescent quality.
Italy’s mountain viticulture gets a boost from climate change
Italy has a very particular orographic conformation, in the shape of a ‘T’ formed by the Alpine arc that traces a horizontal line to the North and the Apennines that run longitudinally from North to South. Mountain viticulture has a fundamental impact on the general picture of Italian winegrowing.
Valencia: Fallas, Paëlla ... and Bobal
Anyone with even a scant knowledge of the world and is familiar with the Valencia region in Spain, knows that it faces the Mediterranean Sea. Its main defining features are the ‘Fallas’ celebration and paella. But perhaps many who know or have visited the region, heavily influenced by ‘Riojitis’ or ‘Riberitis’, may be unaware of the grape variety native to this eastern Levante region with which many of its wines are made. Read on to find out more about Bobal.
Bordeaux devises ingenious ways to cope with a string of crises
Over the past few years, Bordeaux has had to contend with numerous challenges, ranging from ‘Bordeaux bashing’ in France to climate change, Brexit, the political crisis in Hong Kong, Trump taxes and the global pandemic. More than any other wine region, Bordeaux is France’s vinous showcase around the world, so how are markets performing in 2021 and what solutions have been devised to cope with these issues? To find out the real consequences of this string of crises, we interviewed a number of industry players. Here’s what they told us.