The Unsettling Story of an Upright Wine Bottle
There’s that decades-old bottle of wine I hang onto for purely sentimental reasons. I wouldn’t normally bring it up, but it’s just that its good form has been puzzling me. Like any other memento deemed worth showcasing, my keepsake, too, is displayed in full view, proudly upright with the cork facing up, rather than resting […]
Getting to the Bottom of Chardonnay Blends
Though blended white wines (made from two or more grape varieties) have been produced in Europe for centuries, they aren’t always fully appreciated. And yet, they can be wonderful bottles that have the prowess to fascinate aficionados like a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma. Luckily, all that’s required to unlock the white […]
The Finer Points of Wine Labels
The eyes have it. As with books and covers, people judge a bottle by its looks and a poorly designed label can be detrimental to a wine’s success. Winemakers obsess over every minuscule detail whilst they try and craft the perfect wine that expresses its terroir in grand fashion. But all that energy spent in […]
The Shiraz Cabernet Blend of Home
Wonderful things happen when great varieties collide. Shiraz (or Syrah to francophile wine lovers) and Cabernet Sauvignon are two grapes that go hand in glove and fit perfectly together as a red wine blend. Just take the wine in my glass. Its palate is strapping and fiery with heaps of blackberry compote flavours and hints […]
Good Tidings for Malta’s Wine Grape Harvest
The lush green canopies of grape vines are ready to yield their sweet bounty. Harvest time is here. Out in the vineyards, the smell of ripe grapes is all around. Families and friends come together, as they have done for thousands of years, ready to pick this most precious ancient fruit. At the wineries, cellar […]
