Decanter February 2023

At this time of year most of Europe and North America is blanketed by thick cloud, which occasionally dumps drizzle, sleet, snow or some other rather chilly form of precipitation on us. So it’s also the perfect time of year to be dreaming about somewhere with glass-clear blue skies, turquoise seas, awe-inspiring mountain ranges and ancient, beautiful towns. Can we therefore suggest Spain? It has all of the above plus, of course, some truly excellent wines, just to put the Jerez – sorry, cherry – on the top. Then there’s the excitingly varied food, made by world-class chefs from superb local ingredients, the easy access by air, rail or road, and the kind climate, even early or late in the year. And did we mention the wines? We may have…

TIM ATKIN MW is a Decanter contributing editor and awarded wine journalist, author, broadcaster, judge and photographer. He publishes timatkin.com, where his 2022 Rías Baixas Top 100 report is available now at just £5 SARAH JANE EVANS MW is an awarded journalist, author and broadcaster, a DWWA Co-Chair, and chair of Spain’s Gran Orden de Caballeros del Vino. Her new book The Wines of Central and Southern Spain is set for release in early 2024 SHAWN HENNESSEY is a food and wine writer and a Sherry educator. Born in Canada, she has lived in Seville, Spain for 30 years. Find her work, life and details of her Sevilla food and wine tours, at azahar-sevilla.com NEIL RIDLEY is a writer, educator and consultant on spirits and cocktails. Author or co-author of…

Wine cans get boost on supermarket shelves UK retailer Waitrose has begun replacing the majority of small wine bottles with aluminium cans in another sign of ‘alternative packaging’ becoming more prominent. Waitrose said the move will help cut its carbon footprint, although Champagne, Prosecco, Cava and Rioja aren’t included in the switch, due to appellation regulations. ‘Aluminium cans weigh significantly less than glass and create less than half the amount of CO2 than the equivalent single-use glass bottle,’ said Barry Dick MW, beer, wine & spirits bulk sourcing manager at Waitrose. More people are buying drinks in canned formats, too, he said. ‘We hope the move will encourage suppliers to continue to develop a diverse and exciting range of wines in cans.’ While traditional glass bottles still dominate and are…

Look out for more Rhône white wines in restaurants and retailers in the next few years, after regional body Inter Rhône said it wanted to increase production and focus. ‘Rhône Valley vineyards have always produced great white wines,’ said Inter Rhône president Philippe Pellaton, adding that they ‘deserve more recognition’. There are ‘many real gems’ across different appellations, from ‘fresh and lively wines, to more fleshy and fruity wines, to wines for ageing’, Pellaton said. Star Napa Valley winemaking couple Andy Erickson and Annie Favia will move the home of Favia wines from Coombsville to an estate in the prestigious Oakville area, via a partnership with the Huneeus family. A new winery will be built. ‘It’s a great opportunity to bring our philosophy of farming and winemaking to a broader…

The current chair of the board of directors for the Court of Master Sommeliers, Americas discusses the current state of the Court in the US, her favourite wines and the upcoming Women’s Sommelier Symposium, taking place on 19-22 February in Santa Barbara County, California ‘Certainly, we’ve had a lot of drama with the Court of Master Sommeliers, as well as scandal. The symposium, though, came about as a larger question… As Master Sommeliers, we would look at our programmes and see that, at the beginning levels, we have a lot of women participating. [But] as we go up to the higher and higher levels of exams, it was clear that the ratio of men to women dramatically changes. ‘Much of it came down to women not feeling that sense of…

Following a boozy festive period, I decided to start the new year under alcoholic austerity and partake in Dry January. This made reading January’s edition rather challenging, particularly perusing through ‘Wines of the Year’, where the judges’ descriptions led to a Pavlovian response. In particular the López de Haro 2004 Rioja seemed a fitting way to break my abstinence, so I ordered a bottle in preparation for February 1st. I also liked the look of the Mauro Molino 2017 Barolo – perfect for February 2nd. As it stands I have a bottle lined up for each day until the 14th – I’m not too sure this exercise in willpower has achieved much... Alex Segar, London Coincidentally, recent research suggests that while alcohol sales take a hit during Dry January, our…