Matthew's World of Wine and Drink

Germany is most famous for Riesling - and rightly so - but there's a lot more to the country than just Riesling. This second part of my interview with Jérôme Hainz of BottleStops (www.bottlestops.com) focuses on other styles and grape varieties: Sekt and rosé, both of which have greatly increased in quality in recent years, as well as Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Sylvaner, and Trollinger to name a few...

First of a three-part series focusing on Germany, with the help of with of Jérôme Hainz of BottleStops (www.bottlestops.com) who runs a tour company in German wine country. As travel is difficult right now, the next best thing is to get news from the source! This episode focuses on how German wine has changed in the last twenty years or so, developing from a reputation for inexpensive sweet wines...

Introducing my new online wine club, blackpoolmatt's wine club - what it's about, the different options, and why you should join!

Wine is made in every state in the USA: this episode focuses on the lesser known but states that have potential to make interesting wine - Virginia, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, and Idaho. All states figuring out which varieties work best in which locations, and all worth keeping an eye on.

New York State is becoming more and more associated with quality winemaking, even if hybrids still dominate plantings. It has an extreme climate: inland it's cool continental, while on Long Island it's maritime with hurricanes a hazard. However, ambitious producers are learning to work with the conditions to produce extremely interesting wines from Riesling, Cabernet Franc, and Gamay. Definitely a...

Central Valley is the agricultural heart of California, home to Gallo, the world's biggest winery. There are, however, pockets where quality wine is made, such as the increasingly interesting Lodi. The Sierra Foothills are where California's modern history begins, with the 1849 Gold Rush. As in Lodi, there's plenty of old-vine Zin but particularly exciting are wines made from Mediterranean varieti...

Although not as famous as Napa Valley, Santa Cruz Mountains and surrounding AVAs have a lineage just as long and prestigious, although neighbouring urbanisation has hindered development. To the south are regions with a more recent history such as Paso Robles and Santa Barbara. This episode looks at the huge variety of styles of wine produced south of San Francisco nearly all the way to Los Angeles...

This episode focuses on a lesser-known producer and region: Alto de la Ballena from Maldonado in Uruguay. Although small, Alto de la Ballena are a fantastic example of the quality of wine being made in Uruguay and the direction the country's wines is going in. Perhaps best known for the unusual, distinctive Tannat-Viognier blend, they also make superb Viognier, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, and magnifice...

The second episode of the California series focuses on Sonoma and Mendocino Counties. Sonoma is the historic heart of California's commercial wine industry, the first grapes planted in 1819 and the first winery was in 1857. It's very diverse, according to exposure to the ocean, altitude, and soil types, with a wide variety of grape varieties planted. And then there's Mendocino to the north, more r...

My latest favourite producer is an obvious choice for a wine geek like me: Rioja's López de Heredia, an historic, traditional producer whose winery and style of wine are like going back to the nineteenth century. They produce some of the most extraordinary reds, whites, and rosés in the world - once tried, never forgotten.

Beginning a new mini-series on California with Napa Valley, the state's most famous wine region. The episode traces the history of wine production back to the 1830s, and what makes Napa so unique through the climate, soils, geography, grape varieties, and the styles of wine made there.

This series on my favourite producers doesn't just focus on famous, iconic estates but new, up-and-coming wineries that point towards the future of their region. Savage Grace is a winery in Washington State making refined, elegant, and vibrant wines that just keep getting better and better - wines that show how Washington is developing and maturing.

The production of sweet wine in Bordeaux goes back 300 years, and up until the Second World War it accounted for a third of all wine made in Bordeaux. Now it's only 2%, but the small regions of Sauternes and Barsac make some of the greatest and most iconic sweet wines of the world - definitely wines any student should know about.

White Bordeaux is severely underappreciated, it was historically very important. Plantings of white varieties are slowly beginning to rise, so there is a welcome movement back to white wine. This episode focuses on the different varieties - mainly Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon - the different appellations, and the different price points in the context of modern Bordeaux and the global market.

Continuing the focus on Bordeaux, this episode is all about Cabernet Sauvignon and the prestigious appellations associated with this world famous variety, explaining what makes Bordeaux Cabernet so individual and distinctive.

The fifth episode on my series featuring my favourite producers goes to Australia, and the great fortified wines of Rutherglen. The producer is Pfeiffer; Chris Pfeiffer started his first solera system in 1984 and now his daughter Jen is taking over the reins. As well as red and white wine, they make all the historic styles of Australian fortified wine: Muscat, Topaque, Tawny, and even Apero. No su...

Merlot is the most planted grape variety in Bordeaux, and is the base for wines at all price points and levels of quality. This episode focuses on the variety, its characteristics and the key Merlot-based appellations such as St-Emilion and Pomerol as well as nearby good-value alternatives.

The fourth episode of my series on my favourite producers turns to Italy, with a Barolo producer that bridges the modern and the traditional. G.D. Vajra was started by Aldo Vaira in the early 1970s and his children are continuing in his footsteps with superb Barolo as well as a range of classic Piemonte varieties such as Dolcetto, Barbera, and Friesa, plus Riesling. Tasting through their wines sho...

The first of five new episodes on Bordeaux, France's largest appellation and one of the most famous and historic. This episode gives an overview of Bordeaux's history and how that is intrinsically linked to the development of its trade structure, classifications, markets, and styles of wine.

The third of my favourite producers is Fernando de Castilla, who in the last twenty years have paralleled the transistion in sherry from quantity to quality. Run by Norwegian Jan Petterson, all the styles of sherry are produced, as well as brandy, vinegar, and vermouth. Tasting through Fernando de Castilla's range of wines is a history lesson the sherry region itself...

The second episode of my series on favourite producers features Montsecano, a producer of Pinot Noir in Chile's coastal Casablanca region who make wine quite like no other in the country. It's a joint project between former photographer Julio Donoso and Alsace producer André Ostertag; between them they make the best Pinot in Chile. Listen to find out why!

A new series for my podcast! It features 25 of my favourite producers from around the world - producers whose wines I love drinking and who have shaped or are shaping the direction of important wine regions. First up: Andrew Will of Washington State, an iconic producer in the young region who have led the way in quality, style, and character. Must have wines - listen to learn more about them!

In this third and final episode exploring on the Loire Valley, the focus is on its reds, rosés, and sparkling wines. The greatest and most famous red wines come from Cabernet Franc, but there are plenty of other grapes such as Pinot Noir, Gamay, Malbec, and Pineau d'Aunis. There's plenty of rosé too, and there are several appellations for sparkling wine, all adding to the incredible diversity of t...

The second episode focusing on the Loire Valley, looking at the many and varied appellations for white and sweet wine in the large region: from Sancerre to Vouvray to Coteaux du Layon to Savennières to Muscadet and more!

Revisiting the Loire Valley, with the first of three episodes focusing on the large, varied, and wonderful region. This episode looks at the grape varieties of the Loire Valley, their characteristics in the vineyard and the styles of wine they produce - including Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Cabernet Franc, Melon, and other less well-known varieties.