One of my favorite Chiantis.

We often joked about a rating scale above 100, but here you have it.

I kind of knew this, but I had a reminder recently that once you're down the rabbit hole, you're taste is nowhere near representative of what most people like in wine.

Really loved this article by @simonjwoolf.com Good food wine pairings exist, but you need to put the effort in to find the right match. And, importantly, the dish needs to leave some room for a wine to complement it. themorningclaret.com/p/does-the-p...

My first bottle of Girolamo Rosso. I was expecting alot of this wine, but unfortunately it was rather underwhelming. Very smooth, lacking Etna character. Blind I would probably think it's a modern Spätburgunder. A bit too oaky.

A lot’s being said about natural wine, but rarely that it is boring. This one is a bit though. Very smooth, lacking character. Blend of Monastrell, Syrah, and Garnacha Tintorera.

What absolute nonsense is this?

This was the final push I needed to delete my Twitter account. Good riddance.

Another version of wax replacing the foil. This time just covering the cork. Still messy though.

Yesterday’s yolo dinner.

This wine made me think of you @dgalasinski.bsky.social A “simple” Cru Bourgeois of 1986 and it was so good! I do hope you get to drink wines like this one from time to time.

This Etna Rosso 22 of Federico Graziano came out of the bottle howling like a monster that was woken up. But just like a cat that blows at you, it's got its charms. Let's talk again in 5 years. Or so.

So because kids don't read anymore, wine writing will die. And so will democracy by the way. tomwark.substack.com/p/why-wine-w...

Rossese di Dolceacqua 2023 of Maccario Dringenberg. Attractive crisp red fruit, green herbal notes, high-toned acidity, and a surprisingly round mouthfeel for a wine that's so fresh and light on its feet. Very intriguing wine. I definitely want more Rossese.

Artichokes are a notoriously tricky ingredient to match but here's a wine that kicks them into touch www.matchingfoodandwine.com/news/match_o... #matchoftheweek

Guess what, the rosé came out on top of this line-up! I loved it. It begs the question : Provence rosé, why??! All other wines were good too. Except the Pinot Noir, which was too simple. Haven't had Ukrainian PN so far that stood out.

Very excited about tomorrow's line-up with Ukrainian wines.

These two Champenois received the capital punishment.

Chiara Condello's Le Lucciole 2016 : showing better on day 2. Very focussed now, the way I remember it from 2 years ago. Was very ripe and luscious yesterday, a bit all over the place. Pity this was my last bottle. Still lots of potential.

Thank you for making the point on the saliva argument. I found it very ironic that a wine writer writes the most anti-wine writing thing you can possibly think of.

In my experience the people who get nervous about a wine pairing are the same as the ones who are clueless in the wine aisle of the supermarket. Experienced drinkers either believe in it and have fun, or they don’t and drink what they want. There’s space for both.

Has there ever been a better tune to a tv-show than this one? youtu.be/b6Ljwz7SueY?...

Pasta al Barolo. That’s a new one.

Vie di Romans comes with fancy facilities but also top notch wines. Balance and freshness marked the whole range. Outspoken approach also : none of the whites gets malolactic and, perhaps more controversial, old vines are a marketing fad. Vines are ripped out after 35 years to be replaced.

Friuli!

This has to the most decadent pizza ever.

Big producer but this Vaucopains 14 definitely lives up to its pedigree. Wonderful balance! 2014 is also a year that gives classic Chablis in my opinion. Difficult to still find this type of fresh wines that are light on their feet in more recent years.

I'm normally just here for wine, but I want to make an exception for this Austrian film I saw yesterday in an indie cinema. It has an original story and a poignant message, and it really makes me wonder why 99% of films and TV is a repetition of concepts that exist already for decades.

My kind of rosé.

Really happy with this Cab Franc from Friuli. Very Loire in its style, just a little riper perhaps, but for sure no Tuscan style CF.

Now we're talking.

I grabbed this Etna Rosso from the shop without much investigation. It's thoroughly disappointing, too easy, no character. Turns out Torre Mora is part of Piccini. Nooooo.... 🤦‍♂️

This is about as obscure as it gets, I guess. An Austrian grape, Roesler, by an Ukrainian winemaker, Stakhovsky. This wine is not even on their website, and I wonder why, cuz it's really good. Lifted nose with black pepper, cherry, forest fruit. Ripe tannins and refreshing acidity.

Refreshing and attractive wine of Patrick Bouju's Domaine de la Bohème, Auvergne. Mouse taint is coming through though, 45 minutes after opening. I like this style of wine, but mouse taint just puts me off.

This “Cinino” of Umbria has summer written all over it. I used to be sceptical towards petnats, but this is just perfect for a bbq or simply when you’re in the mood for a fun fizz.

I’m always interested when I see Gaillac. This Braucol of Domaine Plageoles has the telltale bay leaf that takes me right to the Médoc, but on the palate it’s frivolous and fresh, like Gamay can be, but also serious enough, like a Burgundian Cab Franc. Unfortunately bit of dead mouse on day two.

Really like this Saperavi of Shilda Winery in Georgia. Lovely nose with attractive raspberries and some pepper. Medium-bodied with a hint of liquorice, lively acidity and ripe and refined tannins. I think Saperavi deserves more love.

Rkatsiteli orange wine from Beykush Winery in Ukraine. Lifted nose with quince, hints of honey and dried apricot. The balance of this wine is impeccable, with salivating acidity and subtle tannins on the background. Very refreshing and approachable. Hard not to like this wine!

Ukrainian wine! Made of Odesa Black (CabS x Alicante Bouschet). The nose has immediate appeal with blueberries, cherries, clove, leather. The fruit is velvety, supported by good acidity and grippy, but comfortably ripe tannins. Delicious really. A bit like Barbera but with more tannins.

Producer definitely trumps appellation here. Lumpp is a frontrunner in Givry and his A Vigne Rouge ‘11 is still very much going strong, while the Pernand 1er Cru ‘12 comes from a more reputable terroir, but is well passed its peak.

In recent years I found it more and more difficult to find real old-school Chablis, but this Bessin-Tremblay had everything I expect from Chablis. Lovely chalky aromas, green apple. Incredibly light on its feet and a long finish that defies the appellation pyramid. More please!

Really nice Pinot from the Mittelrhein. Completely ready to drink with a layered nose of blood orange and all-spice. Hints of smoke. Silky mouthfeel. Despite the low alc. (13C), the wine has a slight, comforting glow that makes it perfect for today’s winter sun.

My relationship with Nebbiolo remains complicated, especially since my palate is not very forgiving towards angular tannins. They were civilised in this Renesio 15, but then there was little to no fruit to be found. I keep trying, but it’s more often miss than hit. Does anyone recognise this?

A wine I can already flag as one of 2025’s highlights, this Clos des Ormes featured lovely summer rose aromas and impeccable balance, while preserving character and structure. Sometimes you need a bit of luck to open a bottle at just the right time. I’m happy that was the case here.

Gosh this was beautiful again. Domaine Jacob has never disappointed me. I regret they don’t come to the Vignerons Indépendants fairs anymore. I could buy this Savigny there for 15€ (!) But there’s so much demand for their wines that they don’t need to go anymore. Alas!

The Chénas 18 of Christophe Pacalet needed a good deal of airing to get rid of the barnyard aromas and CO2 in the wine. After that it showcased red fruit, floral aromas and a velvety mouthfeel. I bought this at 13,5€. Great value.

After the Nizza I was curious to try the Barbera d’Asti of Sette. This is a very high-toned wine, almost too much so. Beautiful interplay between the sour cherry, cinnamon and clove. Got more balance when I moved it from the Zalto Universal to a Burgundy glass. A real ropedancer of a wine!

This post inspired me to open Sette’s Nizza 2021. Very nice indeed, although it needs some time to shrug off the initial balsamic ripeness. After that it shows red fruit, florality, freshness and tension. Backed up with very fine tannins. Many years to go, but accessible already now.

Reviews on Vivino can differ wildly, but when it comes to Nebbiolo it’s just impossible to trust anything on here.

I never go for Negroamaro and this bottle will not change that. I really wonder how much residual sugar there is in here. Credit, though, for the well measured wood, but in general it’s too much cherry jam for me.