A short weekend trip to Dubrovnik so we didn’t make it to any vineyards but here’s a quick lowdown of the local wines we tried:

Pošip - a white grape variety, grown traditionally on the island of Korcula, situated on the east coast of the country roughly halfway between Dubrovnik and Split. It produces quite full bodied wines with flavours of zesty apples, lemons and aromas of almond and vanilla.

Malvazija - The Istarska Malvazija grape (aka Malvasia in other countries) produces white wines with stone fruit aromas and flavours of peach and apricot and apple. Usually comes from the Istrian Peninsula, on the northernmost part of the Croatian coastline. It is super versatile and can be produced in a number of different styles.

Plavac Mali…..

It’s easy to see why The Marqués de Riscal was recently awarded the title of second best winery in the world 2022 in the recent World’s Best Vineyards contest. One of the oldest wineries in all of Rioja DOC and producing their first vintage in 1862, they proudly hold a back catalogue of all their wines for every year dating back to 1862.

6 million bottles are produced per annum, with another 4 million bottles produced in Rueda. French oak is used for ageing their most premium wines & all grapes are hand harvested & sorted. American oak is used for maturation of their other wines. Traditional foot stamping is even still used for some of their wines. We were lucky enough to visit while harvest was still underway so got a chance to see the winery in full swing, which was wonderful to see.

Santorini has a unique terroir that was created by a volcanic eruption in 1620 BC; the result is a volcanic ecosystem, dry and sandy soil and a natural immunity to the nasty pest known as phylloxera meaning the island has extremely old rootstocks. Just one of the reasons this island can produce such pure and complex wines. So much fun to see the traditional basket vines in person and not just in a text book! Known locally as ‘kouloura’ the vines are trained by hand into a round shape, low to the ground. This protects the vine from the high winds the island often gets and it provides leaf canopy shade for the grapes to protect them from sunburn. Also present are pumice stones- not just useful for pedicures! - the stones absorb humidity during the night and feed it into the vines like a natural irrigation system

Four days in Beautiful Bordeaux! Where to start? Four days is not nearly enough time to traverse this entire wine region but I certainly gave it a good shot! I divided my time between Saint-Émilion, Bordeaux city and the coastal area around Cap Ferret. 

Most important things to know about Bordeaux as a wine region? The terms Right Bank and Left Bank- you may have heard these terms before been confused by what they mean? Put simply, the wine regions of Bordeaux are separated by the Gironde estuary and two main rivers (the Garonne and Dordogne) Depending on which side of the estuary you are, determines if it is a Left or Right Bank area. Simples right! 

Other main difference between the areas are the type of grapes grown there. Wines from Bordeaux usually tend to be a blend: white wines are mostly Sauvignon Blanc blended with Semillon and some of the best are found in the regions (or Appellations) of Pessac-Léognan and Entre-Deux-Mers. Reds can be a blend of a number of different varieties, again dependent on the region. Left Bank reds are mostly dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon. This grape grows best in the Left Bank area due to the presence of gravel in the soil. Cab Sauv is a thick skinned grape that needs the extra heat radiated from the gravel stones in order to ripen successfully in this part of the world!  Right Bank wines are usually Merlot dominated (most planted grape variety due to clay and limestone soils) blended with other partners like Cabernet Franc. 

Central Otago vineyard series: Domaine Thomson - arriving at the cellar door in the Lowburn region surrounded by the Dunstan and Pisa mountain ranges with a view down to Lake Dunstan and the stunning purple lavender in full bloom is quite the welcome!

The Hall-Jones family have always had a love of Burgundy and were even on holiday there when they signed the deal to purchase the Lowburn vineyard. A year later and they purchased a house in Burgundy and so their relationship between the Old and New Worlds of Pinot Noir expression began.

Carefully selected clones along with meticulous organic and biodynamic viticultural practices leads to the production of Pinot Noir which are silky, bright, elegant and complex and we have long been fans of these wines featuring them in many of our tasting events. Add these wines to the gorgeous views from the newly renovated cellar door, and we think it's safe to say that any visit to Central Otago just wouldn't be complete with a visit here.

Central Otago vineyard series - Brennan Wines are located in the beautiful Gibbston Valley and have vines dating back to the early 1990's when the family first purchased land in the region. Fast forward to 2006 when the first tiny quantities of Pinot Noir were produced and Sean Brennan now heads up the family business which strives for excellence in every bottle

While Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are the flagship varieties of the label, they are no means the only ones focused on. The winery has plantings of grape varieties that are oft seldom seen in this part of the world like Muscat, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Grigio, Riesling, Tempranillo and even some Zinfandel!