Wine Reviews

Founded in 1879, the premises of the Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España (known as CVNE or Cune), is made up of a cluster of buildings, mainly from the 19th Century, arranged around a patio surrounded by facilities for winemaking, ageing and bottling.   The Company is remarkable for various reasons: its size, its family character, the...
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D’Arenberg is one of Australia’s oldest and most well known wineries. It was founded in 1912 by Joseph Osborn, when he bought the “Milton Vineyards”, already well-established in the region to the north of the Gloucester and Bellevue townships, now known as McLaren Vale (South Australia). The Osborn family has been growing its own grapes since...
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Bodegas Bilbaínas is part of Spanish wine history and an institution from the 'la estación’ neighbourhood of Haro. Founded in 1859 by a French wine company, it passed into the hands of a group of friends "from Bilbao" in 1901, hence its name today. It is considered one of the area’s most classical wineries, producing well known brands such as...
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Franciacorta is in the heart of Lombardy, and stretches between Brescia and Lake Iseo. It lends it name to a wine, a production method (the traditional or classic) and the area where the highest quality sparkling wines in Italy are made. The Ca' del Bosco winery’s name comes from the house surrounded by woods in Franciacorta, where Annamaria...
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Founded in 1914, this family wine group has become the undisputed leader in the cava industry and the world’s biggest producer of sparkling wines made by the traditional method, with 18 wineries in the most prestigious wine regions in the world. Freixenet takes its name from Freixeneda, a 13th century property located in the Alt Penedes. It owns...
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Gramona is a fine example of how a family winery should be run. Jaume and Xavier Gramona, with their deep seated roots in the cava world, have clearly defined views. They have managed to grow the company and position it as a major reference among the "author's cavas" of today.  Their cavas undergo the longest average ageing in the industry and...
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There are two key dates in the history of Jacquesson. One is 1798, when Memmie Jacquesson founded the champagne house in Chalons. And the other is 1974, when the Chiquet family acquired the company, setting up in the village of Dizy, where many of their vineyards are located.  The company then took a new direction – reducing production and seeking...
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Domaine Weinbach is one of the oldest and most prestigious wineries in Alsace.  It was founded by Capuchin monks in 1612. Early documents show that some of its vineyards were planted as far back as the year 890.  In 1898, the Faller family acquired 26 hectares located among different Kaysersberg Valley Crus.  Today they practice biodynamic and...
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Barbadillo represents a piece of living sherry history. This family winery was founded in 1821 by Don Benigno Barbadillo and his cousin. The old bodega in Sanlucar de Barrameda, facing the sea and the Coto de Doñana, owns 500 hectares of vineyards spread over two estates, Gibalbin and Santa Lucia.  Among other distinctions, it has the honour of...
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