Journal
Venturing off the RN74 – Drinking Off The Beaten Track in Burgundy
“That’s it, I’m done! I’m priced out of Burgundy!”
If you’re interested in fine Burgundy, and haven...
The Asian Wine Market: In conversation with Timothy Goh of Vinum Fine Wines
Timothy Goh, Sales Director of Vinum Fine Wines Singapore, joins Sarah Kemp on The Wines Conversatio...
Burgundy 2023 Vintage Report
Three and a half days of tasting, 19 domaines, 200ish wines: all to remind me how little I know!
...
Chateaux Lynch Bages & Pichon Lalande: Six Vintages, 2005-1966
This was a recent tasting I led for my local tasting group, the Jeroboam Club, in the UK. They had s...
Discovering Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru at the Decanter Fine Wine Encounter
Attending the Clos de Vougeot masterclass at the Decanter Fine Wine Encounter was a rare treat, an i...
Decant / De-can’t, When Do You Pour Yours?
Pouring wine from a bottle into another serving vessel, to remove sediment or aid oxygenation, shoul...
Berries to Barrels: Barreling and Beyond!
While the Corton-Charlemagne and Pernand-Vergelesses quietly crackle in their barrels, it’s time for...
How To Start A Wine Collection
Collecting wine is a fantastic hobby. Buying special cases or bottles, tucking them away and thinkin...
Berries to Barrels: Beginning of the Fermentation
After the excitement of the harvest, everything has calmed down. The sun has been replaced by rain, ...
Berries to Barrels: Wrapping up the Harvest 2024
The harvest season is wrapping up in Burgundy. The last grapes are being clipped from the vines whil...
Burgfest Report: 2020 Reds
To use a technical term, the Burgfest tasting of 2020 whites was an absolute belter. I was amazed th...
Berries to Barrels: A Month in the Trenches at Domaine Follin-Arbelet
Burgundy 2024 Harvest and Winemaking Journal
Bienvenue to my Harvest and Winemaking Journal! For ...
A sneak peek at Burgundy’s 2023 vintage – Matthew Hemming
Last week, during a rushed couple of days in Burgundy, I managed to steal a couple of afternoons to ...
A First Look at September’s Most Anticipated Wine Releases
Get Ready for an Exceptional September 2024!
While August is traditionally one of the slower months...
Groffier Dinner Report
For some years I have been fascinated by the wines of Domaine Robert Groffier. At the Burgfest blind...
Chateau Rayas Dinner – Sometimes Lightning Does Strike Twice
In June 2023 I remember pinching myself as I sat down to a dinner in Singapore with eight vintages o...
Salon, “the most sought-after Champagne among connoisseurs”
Salon Champagne: The Best Of The Best
Even in a region renowned for luxury and exclusivity, Salon C...
Burgfest Report: 2020 Whites
That we were asking ourselves whether 2020 had provided the best ever white Burgfest tells you all y...
Bordeaux 2023 – Vintage Report
Bordeaux 2023 is a vintage born out of an adversity that stretched from the climatic to market condi...
2023 Bordeaux First Impressions
This is a short, overview report so let’s cut straight to the chase: in 20 years of primeurs tasting...
2023 Bordeaux En Primeur Is Coming
It’s that time of year again, Bordeaux En Primeur is just around the corner. We expect the first rel...
Vintage report – Barolo 2020
The northern Italian region of Piemonte is currently enjoying a golden age and has been blessed with...
Krug Grande Cuvée
Krug Grande Cuvee – A Unique Grande Marque Champagne
Krug’s Grande Cuvee is one of the best of all ...
Bryant Estate Tasting
Bryant Family Wines: A Napa Fine Wine Benchmark
I had very little experience with the Bryant Family...
Burgundy 2022 Release Schedule
Ladies and gentlemen, we have a fine and consistent Burgundy vintage on our hands! Very good wines a...
Bordeaux 2020: Southwold Tasting Report
2020 is a remarkably consistent, extremely high quality, year for red Bordeaux. The wines are much m...
Tasting Louis Latour’s 2022 Burgundies
Lush, Open and Delicious: Louis Latour’s 2022 Burgundies
January traditionally sees the release of ...
2022 Burgundy – How wrong we were!
In 2022 the Burgfest tasting of 2018 reds fell during the early days of the harvest. I have clear re...
Glenrothes: A Distillery Profile
The Glenrothes Distillery is a single malt distillery located in the heart of Speyside in the town o...
The Brora Distillery
The Brora Distillery produces whiskies that capture the essence of the Scottish Highlands.
Brora is...
Littlemill Distillery
The closed Lowland distillery of Littlemill had a rich heritage that dated back to the 18th century ...
Tasting Superstar Bordeaux: Chateau Canon and Chateau Rauzan-Segla
Members of the Vinum UK team recently spent some time with Jean-Basil Roland from Chateau Rauzan-Seg...
Beausejour Duffau Lagarrosse: One of Bordeaux’s Great Terroirs
In November 2023, the London team were treated to a tasting with Josephine Duffau-Lagarrosse of St E...
Dominus – Napa Flair With Bordeaux Panache
The release of the 2020 vintage of Dominus prompted us to look at the history and style of this risi...
Proper Napa Class & A Potential 100/100: Spottswoode 2020
Spottswoode belongs to an elite group of historic California producers including Ridge Vineyards, Du...
The Bordeaux First Growths: The Left Bank’s Great Estates
The five Bordeaux First Growths: Latour, Lafite Rothschild, Mouton Rothschild, Margaux and Haut Brio...
Cristal: Profile Of A Champagne Icon
The flagship cuvée of Louis Roederer Cristal Champagne is one of the most prestigious and famous win...
Beyond Bordeaux & Back Again
September's suite of fine wine releases from La Place de Bordeaux is now well established in our cal...
Bunnahabhain Distillery: Distinctive Islay Whiskies
Nestled on the northeastern shores of the famous Isle of Islay in Scotland, Bunnahabhain Distillery ...
Taittinger Comtes de Champagne – The Epitome of Elegance
Taittinger’s Comtes de Champagne is easily among the world’s great Champagnes. The epitome of elegan...
Fete Du Bourgogne: Tasting the 2019 Whites at Burgfest
Earlier this year the Burgfest tasting of 2019 white Burgundy delivered the most exciting, most sati...
Vinum’s Fete du Bourgogne
The eagle-eyed may have spotted a reference to a special series of Burgundy offers in yesterday's Th...
Beaulieu Vineyards – Georges de Latour
Beaulieu – A Resurgent Napa Icon
Founded in 1900 by Georges de Latour, Beaulieu was the benchmark f...
Highland Park Whisky – A Distillery Profile
Dating back to 1798, the Highland Park distillery sits amongst the charming and rugged landscape of ...
Casa Dragones Tequila – A Producer Profile
Casa Dragones: ‘The best sipping Tequila in the world’
CNN Travel have called this ‘the best sippin...
Pol Roger Winston Churchill Champagne
Pol Roger Winston Churchill: Statesman-Like Champagne
Since its creation, Pol Roger Winston Church...
Bordeaux 2022 vintage report
The cellars of Chateau Montrose house one of the great 2022s.
Having spent a week immersed in 2022 ...
Kavalan Distillery Profile
Since producing its first spirit in 2006, Kavalan distillery in Taiwan has become one of the finest ...
Tasting report: Bordeaux 2000
A review of 2000 Bordeaux with the Jeroboam Club tasting group in Bristol
Chateau Roc de Cambes 200...
2022 Bordeaux: First Impressions Ahead Of The Upcoming En Primeur Campaign by Matthew Hemming MW
During the week before Easter Vinum’s Vice Chairman, Lindsay Hamilton, and I spent a couple of days ...
Inglenook Rubicon – An Historic Napa, Now Resurgent
In March 2023, a member of the Vinum UK team was fortunate to attend a tasting of the Inglenook Rubi...
The Port Ellen Distillery – A Sleeping Giant
Of all the closed Scottish distilleries, the Port Ellen Distilleryis surely the most revered.
The ...
Karuizawa – An iconic closed distillery
Karuizawa - Japan's Smallest Distillery, Closed in 2000
Founded in 1955, Karuizawa was known as the...
Glenfiddich – Widely credited with creating the modern single malt Scotch whisky
The Glenfiddich distillery sits in the glen of the River Fiddich on the northern edge of Dufftown in...
The Best of The Andes: A Trip to Zuccardi of Argentina and Chadwick of Chile
In February of 2023, a lucky member of the team travelled to South America as a guest of importer Ha...
The Abreu 2018s – Napa Cabernet Sauvignon Of The Very Top Tier
In February this year, we were invited to taste the magnificent 2018s from Abreu courtesy of the UK ...
Ardbeg – Distillery Profile
Ardbeg: A peaty, smokey Scotch Whisky from Islay
Located on the island of Islay. Ardbeg is renowned...
Launch Tasting: Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame 2015
Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame 2015 launch tasting with Didier Mariotti
Very exciting tasting wi...
Profile On: The Dalmore Distillery
Dalmore is a Highland distillery founded in 1839 by Alexander Matheson. In 1867, it was sold to Andr...
Cheval Blanc Tasting
On Wednesday this week, the Vinum UK team tasted through a range of wines from the Cheval Blanc stab...
2019: The First Great Vintage of Piemonte’s New Era
2019 feels like a must for serious lovers of Barolo and Barbaresco – a worthy follow up to 2016 and ...
Bowmore – Islay’s Oldest Distillery
Bowmore Whisky: Profound and Collectable Scotch From Islay
The Bowmore whisky distillery is histori...
Yamazaki Whisky – From Japan’s Most Famous Whisky Distillery
Yamazaki is Japan’s most famous whisky distillery.
Located in Shimamoto in Osaka province, just out...
The Best Wines Ever Made? Here Are Some Of The Finest Bottles In Existence
What are the best wines ever made?
A team dinner brought up the question of what are the greatest f...
A Spectacular Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon Tasting
Spottswoode’s wines are rightly revered. Among the finest reds made in the Napa Valley, these Cabern...
Glen Grant of Speyside – A Scotch Whisky Profile
Glen Grant is located in the beautiful Speyside town of Rothes. It was founded by brothers John and ...
The View of The Critics on The 2018 Brunello di Montalcino Vintage
We are starting to see releases of the 2018 vintage of Brunello di Montalcino, Tuscany’s world-renow...
Springbank – A Unique Whisky Distillery
Springbank, a name that evokes memories of the most unforgettable, gently smoky, incredibly complex ...
Bordeaux 2019 – Full report from the 2023 Southwold tasting
The 2019 Bordeaux campaign nearly fell victim to the pandemic; the recent Southwold tasting left me ...
The Macallan – Profile of a Scotch Whisky Icon
The Macallan is synonymous not just with whisky, but with prestige and luxury across the globe.
Mac...
Vintage Report: Burgundy 2021 by Matthew Hemming MW
Our first thoughts on the new vintage, tasted in the Cote d'Or late last year.
Chiselled whites wit...
Dom Perignon – A Champagne Icon
The most famous of Champagnes and one of the most recognisable brands on the planet, Dom Perignon is...
A Tasting of Dal Forno Amarone
A tasting of multiple vintages of Dal Forno's iconic Amarone and Valpolicella.
In November, I was t...
Tasting At Taylors – The Lafite Of Portugal
Sometimes it takes a tasting at a winery, to remined you not just how special they are, but exactly ...
Annual Christmas Team Trip – Porto
For our annual Christmas get together Vinum UK met up in Porto Portugal for an indulgent couple of d...
CVNE Rioja Trip – Chris Kelly
Visit 1: CVNE’s Imperial Winery in Haro to Taste Imperial Gran Reserva Rioja
Our visit commenced wi...
Bordeaux 2018 – Full Report from the 2022 Southwold Tasting
Having been interrupted by ‘you know what’ last year, in 2022 the Southwold Tasting returned to its ...