World of Bacchus
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The Southern Kaleidoscope III
(Continued from “The Southern Kaleidoscope II” on 1 July 2016) The wine classification systems of Burgundy and Germany are notoriously complicated, but perhaps necessarily ... -
The Aragonese Dynasty
If vitis vinifera were an empire, grape varieties would be its constituent kingdoms, duchies and principalities. There are aristocrats and noble grapes, however arbitrary ... -
The Alpine Relic
Sandwiched between Switzerland and Austria, the Principality of Liechtenstein is one of the only two doubly landlocked countries in the world, the other being ... -
The Southern Kaleidoscope II
(Continued from “The Southern Kaleidoscope” on 17 June 2016) By production volume the single largest wine region in France, Languedoc-Roussillon produces more than twice ... -
The Genesis of Gin
Due to gin’s classic combination with tonic and the prominent position it occupies in the realm of cocktail, it is tempting to assume that ... -
The Southern Kaleidoscope
With approximately 16,000ha under vine, Sud-Ouest (literally: South West) is by production volume the 3rd largest wine region in France. One of the oldest ... -
The Quintessence of Japan VI
(Continued from “The Quintessence of Japan V” on 20 May 2016) Traditionally, Japanese sake is measured by portions of 180ml (a “go”). Comprising 4 ... -
The Valley of Mistral II
(Continued from “The Valley of Mistral” on 6 May 2016) Vallée du Rhône (Rhône Valley) is one of the oldest wine-producing regions of France, ... -
The Fiery Water
The term brandy sensu lato includes any spirit obtained by distilling alcoholic drinks fermented from grapes, fruits or pomace with or without ageing, colouring ... -
The Quintessence of Japan V
(Continued from “The Quintessence of Japan IV” on 25 March 2016) Hierarchically, the designations of tokubetsu honjozo (special house brew) and tokubetsu junmai (special ... -
The Firstborn of New World
Covering some 1.2 million sq km (more than France, Spain and Portugal combined) and with a population of 55 million (just 10 percent less ... -
The Valley of Mistral
After the prolific Languedoc-Roussillon and mighty Bordeaux, Vallée du Rhône (Rhône Valley) is by volume the third largest wine-producing region of France. Often overshadowed ... -
The Carpathian Linden
Situated in the centre of the Carpathian Basin and surrounded by the Carpathian Mountains, Hungary covers some 93,000 sq km and has a population ... -
The Gin Lane
Absinthe is well-known for its association with unruly bohemianism in 19th century France, but when it comes to social unrest, no other drinks surpass ... -
The Grand Duchy
With a population of ca. 560,000 and covering just under 2,600 sq km, Luxembourg – officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg – is the ... -
The Other Cabernet
Whether in life or in wine, it is never easy to be living under the shadow of an illustrious relative. Due to the dominance ... -
The Western Kingdom
Situated in the northwestern edge of Africa, the Kingdom of Morocco is the only constitutional monarchy in the Maghreb. Unlike other countries – Mauritania, ... -
The Quintessence of Japan IV
(Continued from “The Quintessence of Japan III” on 4 March 2016) Although independently conceived, Japanese sake classification and German wine classification bear an uncanny ... -
The Gin Exclave
Situated in northwestern South America, Colombia covers some 1.15 million sq km (roughly as large as France and Spain combined) and has a population ... -
The Evergreen State
Situated in the northwesternmost of the US, Washington State (officially the State of Washington) covers some 185,000 sq km, roughly half the size of ... -
The Quintessence of Japan III
(Continued from “The Quintessence of Japan II” on 8 January 2016) For all the cultural and technical similarities between sake and wine, the concept ... -
The Eurasian Paradox
Turkey (officially the Republic of Turkey) is one of the few contiguous transcontinental countries in the world. Situated on the European side, its capital ... -
The Golden State VI
(Continued from “The Golden State V” on 29 January 2016) There seems to be two watershed moments, largely concurrent, in the meteoric rise of ... -
The Levantine Cedar
Home to one of the most ancient winemaking cultures in the world, Lebanon has been producing wine for at least 5,000 years. Archaeology indicates ... -
The Burgundian Heritage
The comparison and contrast between Bordeaux and Burgundy seem to have an uncanny power to constantly attract passionate arguments from both camps. This age-old ... -
The Golden State IV
(Continued from “The Golden State IV” on 24 December 2015) As California’s largest and most prolific county-level AVA (American Viticultural Area), Sonoma County has ... -
The Spanish Kaleidoscope
Covering just over half a million square kilometres, Spain accounts for a lion’s share of 85% of the total area in the Iberian Peninsula. ... -
The Cisalpine Ethos II
(Continued from “The Cisalpine Ethos” on 18 December 2015) Revered since Roman times, Piemonte (or Piedmont in English) has always been one of the ... -
The Quintessence of Japan II
(Continued from “The Quintessence of Japan” on 11 December 2015) Although the origin of sake remains shrouded in mystery, it is commonly held that ... -
The Mongolian Symbol
Mongolia’s most famous son Genghis Khan – and his descendants – may have created the largest contiguous empire in world history and reigned supreme ... -
The Golden State IV
(Continued from “The Golden State III” on 27 November 2015) For long periods in its viticultural history, the US did not have any formal ... -
The Cisalpine Ethos
Situated in northwestern Italy, Piemonte (or Piedmont in English) neighbours France to its west and Switzerland to its north. As revealed by its name, ... -
The Quintessence of Japan
It is widely accepted that cereal wine originated from East Asia, and subsequently reached Southeast Asia and South Asia. The umbrella term “cereal wine”, ... -
The Russian Emblem
By far the single largest country in the world, Russia spans from 41st to 82nd parallels north. Barring its limitrophe regions bordering Azerbaijan, Georgia ... -
The Golden State III
(Continued from “The Golden State II” on 30 October 2015) The Central Coast is a large and geographically elongated regional AVA (American Viticultural Area) ...
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