Wine Knowledge

Although international ‘lockdown' put paid to our travel plans and confined us to our homes it hasn't all been negative. We have had to innovate and acquire new skills in order to get on with getting on. Here are some of the innovations and pastimes that have got my family through the last few weeks. 1. Hair Cutting It didn't...

As a keen oenophile and Francophile I have an enduring interest in the celebrated ‘Grands Vins’ of Burgundy, Bordeaux and the Rhône as well as less well-known wines from the Loire, Alsace and Provence but the region that is increasingly commanding my attention is the Languedoc. Specifically, the limestone outcrops of the Hérault, which lie between the Cevennes and the...

Sotheby’s 3-day auction in Hong Kong at the end of March smashed the record for a private owner collection, achieving sales of $30m. It got close to reaching the heights of last June’s auction in Geneva of the legendary Burgundian winemaker Henri Jayer’s cellar ($35m). The leading lot in Hong Kong was a 12-bottle case of 1990 (DRC) Romanée-Conti which...

As a wine lover, you've probably heard of La Grange des Pères, Mas Jullien, Domaine de Montcalmès or Mas de Daumas Gassac. They're all located in the north of the Languedoc in a micro-climate region known as the Terrasses du Larzac. Pioneering in Southern French fine wines for the past 20 years, they've rejuvenated a region more known to produce...

My eldest son Alfred turned 20 this week and we marked the occasion and a visit home with a bottle of Gigondas 1998 from Domaine Saint Gayan. Fortunately, Alfred was born in great Rhône vintage and I was able to cellar quite a few wines for our mutual future enjoyment. The Gigondas cost £10.95 a bottle when we released it...

We embarked on our annual Autumn trip to the Rhône in good cheer, swapping English wind and rain for the promise of glorious clear blue skies and an ambitious itinerary. It was a great opportunity to catch up with many friends in our wonderful stable of domaines across the region, as well as learning about two recent, intriguing vintages. 2017...

"Savvy Rhône fans whose tendency is to drink reds on the young side will find plenty to like in 2014, a vintage that bears comparison, stylistically, to 2012 and 2006 in the opinion of many of the producers that I visited." Josh Raynolds - vinous.com 2017 was the smallest harvest in France since 1945. Hail, coulure (lack of fruit set...

I recently joined Yapp after a number of years servicing the good and great of London's restaurants for rival merchants. What first attracted me to this company was the vibrant list, a reputation for great service and of course the unparalleled selection of wines from the South of France, the Loire and the Rhône Valley, many of which are indisputably...

Just had a wonderful tasting Chez Yapp from our new Australian winemaker Guy Lyons at Forest Hill Vineyards, who came over especially as he happened to be passing nearby. Well, he's spent last month learning about the Riesling harvest and vinification in Germany, which, in Australian terms of scale, is pretty 'nearby'!   Forest Hill Vineyards - Guy Lyons  ...

Field work is invaluable. A two-day visit to the Rhône valley last week reminded me of this fact. Sure, we knew that the 2016 vintage had been excellent in the Southern Rhône, potentially surpassing the ubiquitously good 2015, but what about in the North and the 2017 vintage for that matter?     Our first stop was in Côte Rôtie...