CATEGORIES

Wine lover's guide to ALSACE

Pretty postcard villages, delicious food, fascinating history and, of course, excellent wines - this beautiful northeastern corner of France has everything a wine lover could ask for

José Pizarro does Christmas Spanish style

In a Decanter exclusive, the celebrated chef offers up an alternative menu for the seasonal celebration

Perfect whiskies for wine lovers at Christmas

What better gift could there be for a wine and whisky lover than a whisky matured in barrels previously used for wine? Our selection of 12 great bottles shows just why it can be a match made in heaven

WHITE CHATEAU

Hitherto a bit-part player, the white wines of this celebrated southern Rhône region are well placed to find themselves increasingly in the spotlight, as a result of the changing climate conditions. Our Rhône expert recommends 20 of his favourite examples to seek out

Chablis 2023

Variable weather made it challenging at times, but a late hot spell came to the rescue, resulting in plenty of good wines for drinking and for keeping. Having tasted almost 400 Chablis 2023 wines, our expert selects 30 of his favourites, along with five from top producers in neighbouring crus

Looking BACK, looking AHEAD

As 2024 draws to a close, we asked eight of our regular contributors to nominate their most memorable wine experiences of the year and to reveal what they're anticipating most in their plans for 2025

25 TOP SYRAH/SHIRAZ REDS

Two names, a multitude of personalities. For almost two centuries, Syrah has been woven into the fabric of the southern hemisphere's wine world. Today, it makes some of the most exciting and terroir-expressive wines to be found south of equator, with a growing shift towards single-site bottlings

A Resource for the World? - Argentina is unique in the genetic diversity preserved in much of its vine material. With climate change and disease posing increasing threats worldwide, Catena Zapata winery is asking what lessons can be learned to protect vineyards within and beyond the nation's borders

Argentina is unique in the genetic diversity preserved in much of its vine material. With climate change and disease posing increasing threats worldwide, Catena Zapata winery is asking what lessons can be learned to protect vineyards within and beyond the nation’s borders

Great Cabernets of South America

Other varieties may hog the limelight across South America, but the world’s most popular grape for red wines has played a critical role in the continent's wine heritage. We trace Cabernet Sauvignon’s story here, and recommend 16 benchmark wines to try

PROVENCE by train and bike

With rail links to Paris, Nice, Marseilles and beyond, a vast network of cycle paths and quiet roads, and a plethora of historic wine estates, Provence is an ideal destination for an eco-friendly, car-free and carefree) holiday

IN THE MIX

These days most of the world’s vineyards are planted to just a single variety, but what happens when multiple varieties are planted, harvested and blended together?

Malvasia A BUYER'S GUIDE

If ever a grape was hard to pin down, it'd be Malvasia. Indeed it’s not even a single grape variety. In all of its many varied, and often completely unrelated guises, it has been the mainstay of popular wine styles across the centuries. Our expert takes a closer look...

RIBERA ADOPTS THE NEW OLD WAYS

It’s not so much a new direction for winemakers in Ribera del Duero, but a growing recognition that traditional methods and wine styles set aside by the previous generation can now provide a way ahead to revitalise the region

Roussanne around the world

Up for a challenge? For winemakers as much as wine drinkers, getting a handle on a mercurial grape such as Roussanne isn't easy. But wherever it's grown, when the balance is right, it truly repays the effort

Napa Cabernet 2021

There's a lot of excitement about this vintage, in which conditions were relatively calm and temperatures stable through summer. Ongoing drought reduced yields but intensified flavours, but it means quantities are down and you may need to act fast to secure top wines. Our Napa correspondent selects 60 great wines from more than 500 that he tasted, with many very high scores

10 reason to discover Uruguay

Squeezed between Brazil and Argentina on the Atlantic coast, Uruguay has mostly flown under the tourist radar - until now. Once dubbed 'the Switzerland of the Americas', it's a welcoming country that has much to offer the travelling wine lover

Leo Erazo

The old vines and special terroir of Itata, southern Chile, have beena source of inspiration for this intrepid winemaker. The 2023 fires were a setback, but his commitment to this ancient wine land is undiminished

Carmenère 30 YEARS IN CHILE

The unanticipated discovery in the Maipo Valley of this now-signature grape was Chilean wine's defining moment. Three decades on, some of the country’s leading winemakers reflect on how they made a lost French variety their own

Alex Gambal - Gambal is among the most successful Americans to make wine in Burgundy, the learning curve was steep and the obstacles were nearly insurmountable. The challenges and pleasures of his journey are admirably laid out in his book Climbing the Vines in Burgundy

Having sold his successful wine business and written a book about his experiences as a groundbreaking American expat négociant/winemaker in Burgundy, Alex Gambal tells our correspondent about starting out in the 1990s, the problem with current Burgundy prices and his go-to wine

Manuel Moraga Journalist & radio host

During and just after completing my Master’s in communication, I started working on a health and lifestyle program at Radio Nacional de España [Spain’s national state-owned public service radio broadcaster] and developed a particular interest in food and travel.

Vinho Verde

Light, fresh, summery wines yes of course; but Portugal's verdant northwest increasingly offers an array of styles that showcase its sub-regional diversity and the nuance its wines can achieve

Wine wisdom

Our regular learning section helps you get more from your glass

Thailand A wine lover's guide

Tropical Thailand may not seem like the obvious destination for wine buffs, but the local wines are starting to win awards and Bangkok’s burgeoning wine scene is also accruing accolades

Sea bream crudo

Accented with the bright, lively flavours of blood orange and cumin seeds, this summery fish dish calls for an equally fresh and fruity dry white to wash it down and lift the palate

NoLo 2.0

It’s nearly 10 years since Seedlip arrived on the drinks scene, heralding the dawn of no- and low-alcohol spirits. As more products join the category every year, we take a look at the new breed of spiritless sipper

Greek rosé

As we hit peak rosé season, our Grecophile writer is on a mission to get the message out that this popular holiday destination is also the place to go for vibrant and exciting pink wines

Sula Vineyards

In just a quarter of a century, Sula Vineyards in Nashik, in tropical central west India, has risen from being just the germ of an idea to selling more than a million cases every year – educating a generation of Indians about wine in the process

Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon 2021, Chardonnay 2022

Untypically for one of our vintage reports, in Western Australia we’ve put the spotlight on different vintages for red and white, with Cabernets coming from the tricky 2021 and Chardonnays from the contrastingly heat-driven 2022. Our author in residence selects 20 top wines from each

Wine lands on the rise

Turkey’s history stretches back to include the very origins of wine, yet its modern industry is but a few decades young. As the country enters a new phase of rediscovering its own wine identity, our expert with the inside track introduces Turkey’s regions, key producers, grape varieties and their many complexities

Wine wisdom

Our regular learning section helps you get more from your glass