The state of Victoria is an interesting one for the wine enthusiast. Many of Australia’s halo wines come from South Australia – Penfold’s Grange being the most iconic. These are wines of complexity and balance, but also enormous power. And behind them pushes out into the world a commercial tour de force in large-scaled mainstream wine production, marketing and distribution in that fruit-laden style.

The past few days have been a heady, pleasure-filled time for me in Hong Kong. The emotion of exploring the now finished 18,000 sq ft space of Club Bâtard over three floors of the Pedder Building was easily topped by seeing it come to life – the tables set, the woks and pans fired, the mingled scents of Cantonese, French and other favourite dishes, with wine here, and whisky there, filling the high-ceiling rooms, the sounds of music, conversation, and glasses clinking. Boom, Club Bâtard got real.

In Thailand in April, The Fine Wine Experience, local co-hosts Terroir Expression, and Allen Meadows, had the chance to sit down at Villa Frantzen Bangkok as part of this year’s symposium, to go deep on the subject of Richebourg and Romanée-St-Vivant. 

For those of you born or married, etc in 1995, don’t wait until 2025 to buy those 30th anniversary wines. It’s always best to do that the year before.

Looking for a myriad of expressions of terroirs in the Côte de Nuits and good value? Impossible? Nuits-St.- Georges may be your answer,

Last year after a very “long lunch” my good mate Gareth Birchley agreed to run the London Marathon...

At the same Hong Kong dinner that featured the 1952 Dom Perignon pair I wrote about, were a few other interesting wines served blind, including 2002 Champagne Salon Le Mesnil...

I love comparisons – glasses in hand – for the chance they give to understand wine more deeply. Whenever we taste wines in verticals (same wine, multiple vintages), or horizontals (same vintage, different examples), the similarities and differences between the wines teach us so much more than we would pick up tasting one wine on its own and relying on memory for reference.

The 1952 vintage, a delightful surprise, underscored the rarity of exceptional bottles. These twin treasures, living distinct lives, offered a unique perspective.

My recent personal buying of Bordeaux has included something of a Pomerol focus. The main reason is a simple one, and should lead our buying decisions – I like the wines.

Rediscovering Châteauneuf-du-Pape reignited Louis's passion for this wine region, surpassing even the excitement of initially discovering it, especially after exploring the world of Burgundy.