World of Bacchus
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The Vinous Future – in the Laboratory
There are numerous institutions that provide higher education on viticulture and winemaking, but very few are first-class wine producers per se. Prior to the ... -
The Vinous Future – in the Winery
When the green shoots of organic wine began to appear in the 70s and 80s of the past century, it was sniffed at as ... -
The Land of the Eagles II
(Continued from “Land of the Eagles” on 12 February 2019) To this day, the flag and coat-of-arms of Albania still prominently feature those of ... -
The Oriental Republic II
(Continued from “The Oriental Republic” on 15 February 2019) Lying between the 30th and 35th parallels north, indeed latitudinally on a par with the ... -
The Vinous Future – in the Vineyard
The organic movement can trace its roots back to the early 20th century as a reaction against industrial and intensive farming, which was made ... -
The Land of the Eagles
Covering some 29,000sqkm and with a population of just under three million, the Republic of Albania is one of the only three countries/regions in ... -
The Oriental Republic
Covering some 176,000sqkm and with a total population of just under 3.5 million, the Oriental Republic of Uruguay is the 2nd smallest in ... -
The Stateside Spirit IV
(Continued from “The Stateside Spirit III” on 25 January 2019) Tennessee whiskey is, in a nutshell, a regional style of Bourbon whiskey. Tennessee whiskey ... -
The Stateside Spirit III
(Continued from “The Stateside Spirit II” on 18 January 2019) Bourbon as a whisk(e)y style is not to be sniffed at – that is ... -
The Stateside Spirit II
(Continued from “The Stateside Spirit” on 11 January 2019) True to the American spirit, the development of bourbon was the result of private enterprise ... -
The Stateside Spirit
Comparatively unchained by customs and traditions, the great U.S. of A. boasts arguably the widest range of whiskey styles anywhere on earth. Having said ... -
The Rhodanien Analogue
Even if bestowed with singular character and outstanding quality, many grape varieties nonetheless remain at the regional level rather than becoming international varieties; not ... -
The Stature of Alsace
Governed by Institut National de l’Origine et de la Qualité (INAO), France’s world-renowned Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) system is primus inter pares in Europe, ... -
The Great White North
The second largest country in the world by total area (land and sea areas combined), Canada seems significantly larger than China and the US ... -
The Nomenclatural Exception
In the timeless tragedy Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare wrote “[a] rose by any other name would smell as sweet”. This generally applies to ... -
The Super Umbrian; or, Lamborghini
Covering some 8,500sqkm and with a total population of just under 900,000, Umbria is one of the smallest and least populous regions of Italy. ... -
The Margravial Legacy
Baden and Württemberg are the two constituent regions of Baden-Württemberg, but they remain two distinct wine regions due to historical reasons. For one thing, ... -
The Spanish Spirit II
(Continued from “The Spanish Spirit” on 16 November 2018) In the world of wine, both maturation in barrel and ageing in bottle are conducive ... -
The Spanish Spirit
Spanish brandy is possibly the firstborn of Europe, and definitely a proud tradition unto itself. Various forms of distillation may have been attempted in ... -
The Thorny Issue
The use of caramel colour is probably the single most controversial subject in the world of whisky. Unlike sulphite in wine, which can be ... -
The Marmite Issue
It is almost unfair that Marmite remains the most widely accepted shorthand, in English at least, for something that is either loved to death ... -
The Insular Powerhouses
Despite its cool-headed name, chill filtering is no doubt one of the most hotly debated topics amongst whisky lovers, newcomers and old-timers alike. Detractors, ... -
The Coastal Tours de Force
Maturation is not the prerogative of scotch; it is an important factor and process in a wide variety of alcoholic beverages. However, scotch has ... -
The Mistaken Identity
Like the plot straight out of a book from the Romantic era, sometimes it takes a masqueraded or mistaken identity to survive. In the ... -
The Musqué Mutation
Along with Sauvignon Blanc, Gewürztraminer is easily one of the most distinctive grape varieties in the world, instantly identifiable by its signature lychee and ... -
The Little Rascal
Literally “little rascal” in the local dialect, Arneis is a rather finicky grape variety originating from Piemonte, still largely restricted thereto, apart from pockets ... -
The Epicentre of Scotch II
(Continued from “The Epicentre of Scotch” on 14 September 2018) Not for nothing is scotch hailed as the gentleman’s drink, or indeed compared to ... -
The Epicentre of Scotch
Situated at the northeastern corner of Scotland, Speyside stretches from Inverness in the west to River Deveron in the east. It is named after ... -
The Well of Mary; or, Safe Haven
Covering approximately 78,000sqkm, Scotland has some 10,000km of coastline, in addition to nearly 800 islands around the perimeter of its mainland. Somewhat counterintuitively, those ... -
The Standard-Bearers of Württemberg IX
(Continued from “The Standard-Bearers of Württemberg VIII” on 29 June 2018) This Württemberg series has come a long way since the publication of the ... -
The High-Low Dilemma
Scotland’s Highland-Lowland divide manifests itself in numerous ways. To begin with, the Highland and Lowland are cultural and historic regions, not administrative or official ... -
The Mull of Kintyre
By far the smallest amongst Scotland’s sextet of whisky regions, Campbeltown is said to be “the nearest place to nowhere, and the furthest from ... -
The Emblem of Korea II
(Continued from “The Emblem of Korea” on 3 August 2018) Situated in eastern South Korea and the capital of North Gyeongsang Province, Andong is ... -
The Emblem of Korea
Covering some 220,000sqkm and shared uncomfortably by warring twins, the Korean Peninsula sits latitudinally on a par with the much less militarised Iberian Peninsula, ... -
The Pride of Angus
Representing approximately half of Scotland’s formidable century of single malt distilleries, Speyside has been the heart of scotch since the 20th century. Meanwhile, possessing ...
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