Winery

Sandeman Vau Vintage Port 1997 The finest wine produced at Quinta do Vau forms the backbone of  Sandeman Vau Vintage Port 1997, supplemented by wines made by Sandeman from grapes supplied from their top contract growers. This was from a 375 ml half-bottle. I tasted it as soon as it …

The first four vintages of the 21st Century reaffirm that weather conditions contribute dramatically to the final wine BORDEAUX 2000, 2001, 2002 & 2003CLIMATE • WEATHER • TEMPERATURES The first four vintages of the 21st Century – assuming you consider 2000 as belonging to the 21st rather than as the final vintage of …

Kloster Eberbach was originally founded by Bernard de Clairvaux, an abbot from Burgundy Kloster Eberbach is a fabled estate as steeped in history as some of the slopes of its vineyards in the Rhine Valley. The first monastic house on the site was founded more than 900 years ago in …

Bordeaux blanc that is a pure Sauvignon. Chateau Castera, north of Saint-Estephe, has an ancient history. A treasure of the estate is a bill of sale dated 21 January 1616 signed by Anthoinette de Montaigne. One of the oldest documents in the Medoc pertaining to wine, it is proudly exhibited …

Oz Clarke (right) presents Luis Sottomayor of Ferreira Port and Sandeman Port with the Fortified Winemaker of the Year 2022 award CONGRATULATIONS Luis Sottomayor – Head of Winemaking for the Douro & Port Wines of Portugal’s powerhouse Sogrape – for being named Fortified Winemaker of the Year 2022 by the UK’s International Wine Challenge. Ten years ago, Sottomayor was …

Founding members of Assemblage with Managing Director & Chief Winemaker of Chateau Beychevelle Philippe Blanc. From left, Herman Iskandar, Mike Chong and CH’NG Poh Tiong A group of wine lovers came together in 2020 with the goal of organising monthly dinners in Singapore with visiting vignerons as guests-of-honour.  Then, Covid …

Vintage 1976 was a heatwave. Paradoxically, when it becomes severely hot, the vine – and other plants – shuts down in order to preserve energy. The shutting down arrests the ripening process since ripening requires the vine to exert energy. So, while we may have alcohol ripeness, there is a …

“In 2021, while the world was distracted by the battle against Covid, Mother Nature engineered a series of weather setbacks to negate the effects of global warming, thereby ensuring it was impossible to make overly alcoholic wine.” That is part of what I wrote in my latest Sinophile column in …

Click here for registration Terms & Conditions Information correct at time of dissemination. The masterclass is a 45-minute event, and will be conducted in English. Reservation is confirmed only upon payment. No cancellation or refund will be allowed. Participants must be of legal drinking age (18 years and above). The …

The modern era of Chateau Beychevelle is defined by Managing Director & Chief Winemaker Philippe Blanc who joined in 1995 Chateau Beychevelle is a Bordeaux great. The Saint-Julien grand classic is a wine of intensity and persistence in the best – and overlooked – vintages and never heavy, thick or overly …