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holiday wines

The holiday season is upon us, which means lots of great food and lots of great wine. There's so much cuisine on the table that you need wines that are varied and versatile to fit each and every dish. Which is where I come in. The Holiday Wine Bundle includes 6 bottles that can stand up to the rich and weighty dishes that are so custom to our holiday feasts. I have picked wines high in acidity to cut through the food, while also taking into consideration salty appetizers and indulgent desserts. There's a world of possibilities in food and...

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sherry week

This week marks International Sherry Week. Although sherry isn't an integral part of my wine club, I nevertheless always have some in stock—not least because it's one of my favorite drinks, but also for blind tastings as well as being the perfect holiday wine. Here are three very different types of sherry from one of my favorite producers, Fernando de Castilla, demonstrating the versatility of the region's wines. the producer Fernando de Castilla was established in the 1960s by shipper José Bustamente, and the emphasis was on selling grapes and wines to bigger producers. In 1999, Norwegian Jan Pettersen bought...

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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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