News from Jancis Robinson

A blind tasting of some of the fanciest champagnes of all. No one could be more obsessed by mainstream champagne, preferably at prestige cuvée level, than Nick Baker of specialist champagne retailer The Finest Bubble. He is always dreaming up themes for blind tastings and last month’s was a blind tasting of pairs of prestige cuvées, a 2004 and a

Richard examines how cultural attitudes towards wine in Asia differ from those in Europe. Without cultural context, wine is meaningless. When divorced from the human references that define the origin, style and quality of wine – the elements that underwrite its fundamental appeal – wine becomes entirely functional, a mere intoxicant, just as it

The 2016 vintage is game-changing. You'll want to buy some, and you can hardly go wrong. When I reread my tasting notes on the 2016 Barolo vintage I sat back in surprise. Generally considered a rather stingy scorer, I didn’t recognise myself. Hardly any wine I came across during a full week of visits and tastings in the Langhe last month merited a

Walter spent an intensive tasting week in the snowy Langhe recently and took this picture of the alps in Verduno on 15 November. For Walter's thoughts on the background to this stupendously distinctive vintage, see Barolo 2016 – the path to stylistic change, also published today. Alistair Cooper also provided a brief preview here. The 110 wines

Top sommelier Jane Lopes writes a book on wine, the life of a sommelier and, surprisingly, love. VignetteStories of life and wine in 100 bottlesJane Lopes Published by Hardy Grant Books ISBN 9781743795323 £20 Vignette: Pronunciation: /vɪˈnjɛt/Noun 1 a brief evocative description, account, or episode. 2 a small, graceful literary sketch. 3 a

At the moment you are almost certainly deluged by suggestions of ‘the perfect gift’. There is no escape even at JancisRobinson.com. Here are our suggestions. This was Oxford Circus in London last Saturday. Not fun. Buy your presents from the comfort of your armchair. £4.99/$12.95   Give your

A slightly shorter version of this article is published by the Financial Times. After last week’s collection of hand-picked reds, here’s another selection of stunning wines listed in increasing price per centilitre and all chosen on the basis of value rather than price. Many of them, particularly the most youthful Chardonnays, may benefit from

Nick discovers that acetic acid can be rather a good thing. I first met Andy Harris many years ago when we were both in different but related professions. It was in the 1980s when I was a restaurateur at L’Escargot in Soho and Harris was quite a regular customer. We frequently chatted and realised that a love of good food was a common bond. Harr

Our retail specialist Andy Howard MW turns his critical eye and palate from supermarkets to St James. Berry Bros & Rudd is a London institution, with a history dating back to 1698. But in today’s rapidly changing market, the company has to work hard to remain relevant and competitive. In 1994, Berry's became the first merchant to open an online

A Riesling for all seasons is Richard's pick this week. From €14.99, 145.74 Danish kroner, 22.50 Swiss francs, £24.99, $34.99 Find this wine Shocking news! We almost went through the whole of 2019 without featuring a Riesling as wine of the week here on JancisRobinson.com. Let us remedy that immediately with this offering from Robert Weil, one

We have many an article expressing enthusiasm for this Galician white wine grape already (click on the Godello tag), but this is the first based on a comprehensive blind tasting. On discovering that Tim Jackson MW joined the JancisRobinson.com team, I became interested in his profile. Whenever there is a new addition to the team, I get happy. I

A fine time was had by everyone I spoke to. Here are a few pictures taken at our Valtellina Night last Sunday 1 December by those of us trying to make up for photographer Richard's absence. As Walter observed about this evening devoted to these hugely distinctive, refreshing Nebbiolo-based reds that are far too difficult to find on export markets,

As the COP25 UN Climate Change Conference takes place in Madrid, and following on from Tam’s Fifty shades of green, Dr Richard Smart examines the issue of carbon specifically, highlighting ways in which producers, and particularly consumers, can help to reduce wine’s carbon footprint. The logo shown here is his own. Since graduating from Sydney

A round-up from a serious independent retailer's current range that may be of interest over the coming festive season. Click on any wine name and then on 'See prices and stockists' at the end of the individual tasting note to find a retailer near you. London-based fine-wine merchant Lea & Sandeman recently held their autumn tasting, rather

Some thoughts on the meaning of cool prompted by an unexpectedly warm celebration of Chardonnay in Niagara-on-the-Lake. See also Cool-climate Chardonnay – the tasting notes. Ontario’s annual International Cool Climate Chardonnay Celebration (i4C+) always seems to fall on the hottest and most humid weekend of the summer, as it did in July this year

A host of cool-climate Chardonnays, almost 100 of them. For the background to these tasting notes and a discussion of the meaning of ‘cool climate’ in both physical and stylistic terms, see How cool is cool-climate Chardonnay? This sign outside Ravine Vineyard, St Davids, during the International Cool Climate Chardonnay Celebration (iC4+) was made

What's currently on offer at Britain's most upmarket grocery chain, with a few offers of real interest. Waitrose is well known in the UK as its most upmarket supermarket chain. Twice a year it organises tastings of its current wines for the media. It had been ages since I had attended one of these marathons (they routinely show more wines than any

Tam's end-of-year book reviews are some of our most popular features. This year, at your suggestion, we're starting to publish them rather earlier than usual with this assessment of a new, self-published offering from the author of a fine book on Jura wines. Wink published this crowdfunded book herself. (See How to publish your own wine book from

Please send us celebratory suggestions and win five years' membership of our Purple Pages plus a very special cookbook (from which this image was taken; it has been brutally cropped – our apologies to photographer Andrew Montgomery). Next year, in almost a year’s time to be precise, we’ll be celebrating the 20th anniversary of JancisRobinson.com

A slightly shorter version of this article is published by the Financial Times. Our picture shows a red wine being poured into my old wine decanter. Before I share with you 35 delicious red wines chosen because, whatever the price, I feel they represent good value, allow me a small whinge about the British wine retail scene. To my mind it is far