Category Archives: Uncategorised

What does sustainability mean in Montalcino?

What does sustainability mean in Montalcino?
Q&A with Cristina Mariani-May, family proprietor of Castello Banfi estate in Montalcino and president and CEO of Banfi Vintners. Agatha Pereira recently interviewed her at the Climate Change Leadership conference in Porto, Portugal. AP: Everyone's talking about sustainability in wine these days but definitions vary a lot. What is your definition? CMM: My definition is really to be…
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Morgane Fleury on making Champagne sustainable

Morgane Fleury on making Champagne sustainable
I recently met with the delightful and charming Morgane Fleury in London. We spent half an hour or so discussing sustainable champagne. How you define it, how you make it, and how you can sell it at 22-25 Euros a bottle and still make a living. She and her family are biodynamic and sustainable pioneers…
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How can climate models and forecasting help winemakers beat climate change?

How can climate models and forecasting help winemakers beat climate change?
Albert Soret Miravet and Marta Terrado from the Barcelona Supercomputing Center recently discussed with me, how computer-based climate and weather modelling and predictions can help agriculture tackle volatile weather patterns and manage against climate change. The audio interview with them is below, and there's a short video on what they are doing for grape growers in…
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Some of the best Bandols you can buy

Some of the best Bandols you can buy
I had a conversation with a fellow Bandol fan last night, at 67 Pall Mall in London. We exchanged ideas on the great wines of Bandol and the incredible differences between the wines, particularly interesting given the AOC is not large. We talked soil, and producers and years, decanting times and how wonderful Mourvedre is.…
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Anna Chilton on sustainability in wine, soil health and more

Anna Chilton on sustainability in wine, soil health and more
Here's a recent interview I did with Anna Chilton, who is studying to be a master of wine, and works for an agricultural producer, Camellia. In the podcast we discuss what sustainability means in wine today, soil health and better practices, and what other industries, particularly in agriculture, might learn from the studies and practices…
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Meeting the mad professor of far-north winemaking

Meeting the mad professor of far-north winemaking
If you want to make wine north either Copenhagen or Edinburgh, you should speak with Martins Barkans. He is the man who makes wine on the 57th parallel. That's 57 degrees north. Yes, 57 degrees north. He's spent eight years experimenting with 40 varietals, to make a drinkable wine from his three and a half hectare…
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Thomas Duroux, CEO, Chateau Palmer, on making Bordeaux sustainable

Thomas Duroux, CEO, Chateau Palmer, on making Bordeaux sustainable
A few months back I flew to Bordeaux to interview Thomas Duroux, CEO of Chateau Palmer, an iconic Bordeaux property famous for its history, wines (more Merlot than Cabernet Sauvignon, rare on the left bank) and influence in the region. I'll provide a proper write up of my 30 minute interview with Thomas soon but…
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Consumers and sustainable wine, the Sommelier’s view

Consumers and sustainable wine, the Sommelier’s view
Raymonds Thomsons, manager at Vincents, Riga's most famous restaurant, is also European Sommelier of the year 2017. In this interview we discuss his views on sustainable wine, consumer trends, demands and a few other issues. Listen and enjoy. Here's some the things we talked about: What being a Sommelier means in Europe today. The wine…
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