I really couldn’t hope for a more inspirational view while writing my chapter on viticulture in Beaujolais. The vineyards of Morgon in the foreground, those of Fleurie behind

Zin has a reputation as a grape that makes hedonistic but simple wines. A tasting of Ridge’s Lytton Springs put that myth to bed in conclusive fashion. 1976 might not have been on top form, but 1989 was singing. The sweet spot was around the 15-year mark. Astounding wines, with depth & vibrancy.

If you thought all Beaujolais Nouveau was ephemeral here-today, trash-tomorrow, think again. I tasted around 30 Beaujolais Nouveaux at home with the help of Tamlyn Currin (a thoroughly delightful tasting companion - and I’m not just saying that because we mostly agreed) & we found plenty to excite

Our pre-Christmas break in adorable Dorset, featuring Barty (how much is that schnauzer in the window?) and a generous squeeze of Lyme (Regis)

Burgundy week arrived early this year, with tastings given by Gregory Patriat and David Gleave for Boisset, and Matthieu Mangenot and Cyrille Jacquelin for Albert Bichot. All keen to talk about the value of lesser-known appellations: some of the wines were truly delicious and relatively affordable

Aw… Our old schnauzer (RIP) was called Laszlo

A (very) small selection of some of my faves from today’s tasting of new-release Rhônes from Thorman & Hunt. Some delicious whites from a fresher-than-recent-averages vintage, and cool, sinewy, peppery Syrah 💕

Only been in Hungary for a couple of hours, but I’m already tasting blind (and failing dismally - apparently I can’t tell the difference between Hungarian Furmint and Slovakian Furmint - the shame of it 🧐😂). Ah well, fail again, fail better next time!

Another fab day in Beaujolais, centred around Brouilly & Cote de Brouilly, with cameos from the vignerons of Blacé, most notably rising star JB Bachevillier of @domainedemontjoly, seen here demonstrating differences between limestone-rich Pierres Dorées & redder granites. Great geek labels too!

I do love me a good food market. This one, in Villefranche-sur-Saone was buzzing on a Sunday morning. Unsurprising, really, given the quality of the food (and it’s affordability when compared with prices in the UK). I wanted to buy everything I saw (shame I’ve got no kitchen to cook in here…)

When is a (Beaujolais) Village not a Village? When it comes from the village of Lantignié. On the basis of geology and the quality of the wines I tasted today @domainefredericberne, this is a Village that thoroughly deserves to be recognised as a Cru in its own right #beaujolais #cru