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california, carignan, grenache, mediterranean, mourvedre, rhône, syrah -

california & the mediterranean

California is most famous for its Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir, but the wines I often find most exciting are those made from Mediterranean varieties, such as Carignan, Mourvèdre, Grenache, and Syrah. It makes complete sense that these varieties work, because, after all, California has a Mediterranean climate in common with southern France and eastern Spain. These varieties have been planted since the nineteenth century, but went by the wayside when the trend for Bordeaux and Burgundy varieties made California so successful internationally. Due to the price of land and of varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon, producers are returning to...

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greece -

the renaissance in greek wine

The last few years have seen a rise in exports of Greek wine, particularly to the USA. Drinkers are attracted to the really good value of the wines, which are often of far higher quality than their price suggests. Until recently, Greek wines were a tough sell because of difficult to pronounce names and the dubious reputation of retsina (more detail on that below). At last, however, consumers around the world are appreciating the quality, value, and history of Greek wine, and I'm excited to be able to feature a couple in blackpoolmatt's wine club. greek wine history in a nutshell...

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south africa -

spotlight on south africa

Over the course of the last few weeks, I've been trying wines from South African producers both familiar and unfamiliar to me. In the US, the focus for many producers has been to get a foothold in the important East Coast market before reaching California. It's therefore exciting to see that more and more South African producers are available here in the Golden State, and the quality of the wines is beginning to make an impression on industry insiders and consumers alike. producers old and new "The Swartland Revolution" was a late-2000s movement to pioneer and promote quality wines in...

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introduction to blackpoolmatt's wine club

I've worked in wine retail for nearly ten years, and I've always had the ambition to sell wine myself rather than on behalf of other people. With blackpoolmatt's wine club I'm finally fulfilling that ambition by picking out wine that I love and that hopefully you will too. Here's some information on exactly what the club entails. why blackpoolmatt? The answer's simple: I'm from a famous seaside town in north-west England called Blackpool. When I was born, Matthew was the most popular name in the UK so by the time I got to university there were so many Matthews we...

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