Blog

I try and write a little bit about every wine I taste and projects I work on, as well as the odd thought on keeping this website updated.

I'm not a professional blogger, so please forgive any non-journalistic rambling. Most of my serious articles are on pink.wine and elizabethgabay.com, as well as in my book, Rosés of Southern France.

• A spreadsheet isn't good enough. Wine data is messy. Part 1

  A workman is only as good as his tools. The 21st century wine critic needs a nose, a palate, a laptop and a database - and the knowledge of how best to use it for wine

  [wine] [data] - December 2022
• Resources for wine cartography

  The data is already out there - here is where to find it

  [wine] [cartography] - October 2022
• Rudist limestone wines

  Volcanic terroir, clay terroir, limestone terroir and Rhone-valley pebbles, ok, but what are Rudists and what are they doing in my wine?

  [wine] [cartography] - December 2021
• The World's Most Average Wine

  What is The Most Average Wine in the whole world?

  [wine] - August 2021
• Choose the screwcap

  Or preferably the glass cap - but why run the risk of one-in-20 corked bottles for no reason?

  [wine] - August 2021
• The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Bandol

  Currently infamous for its politics, Bandol nonetheless makes brilliant and innovative wines which defy its alleged traditionalism

  [wine] - July 2021
• Yesterday was a root day, tomorrow is a flower day, and today is... Sunday the 27th?

  Biodynamic wines are increasingly mainstream - but they mean wildly different things to everyone

  [wine] - June 2021
• 2020 value-for-money Bordeaux report

  One step forward for quality and on-release drinkability, two steps back for value-for-money for Bordeaux in 2020

  [wine] - June 2021
• Fixing terroir with a magic wand

  If you could take a magic wand, wave it at your terroir, and change one thing, what would it be?

  [wine] - May 2021
• How to pair rosé with food

  Matching the right wine with the right food is important but tricky - here's an easy checklist

  [wine] - April 2021
• Bordeaux is a hotspot for great value-for-money

  I look to Bordeaux, of all places, for great value-for-money reds in the €12-20 brackets

  [wine] - March 2021
• Is there room in the vineyard for Cabernet Franc?

  What's the point of a grape variety that only ever makes less interesting wines than another? At least, that's how I see it.

  [wine] - February 2021
• Why IGP wine is BAD

  And I blame the winemakers

  [wine] - January 2021
• Austria's Role in creating the Chinese wine industry

  A fascinating story going back 130 years, almost entirely forgotten

  [wine] - December 2020
• Terroir, territoire, style - what is an AOP? Part 1

  Consistency, what consistency?

  [wine] - November 2020
• Pairing food and wine isn't just voodoo (maybe)

  Every now and then, it works

  [wine] - November 2020
• Natural wine

  I want to love it, but ugh is it bad sometimes

  [wine] - October 2020
• How to be a wine expert - part 1, reading a wine label

  Buy the cheapest, and 9 things to learn from reading the label

  [wine] - October 2020
• My vision of a perfect AOP system

  We ditched VDQS, so why do we still have a distinction between AOP and IGP? Why are some AOPs nestled in others? Why do some regional wines have an IGP and others an AOP?

  [wine] - October 2020
• Rosé Bandol. Dry Tokaj. Still Champagne. Bordelais Syrah.

  Non-traditional underdogs. How long should tradition be protected from innovation?

  [wine] - October 2020
• Friendship ended with Pinot Noir. Now Syrah is my best friend!

  But don't get comfy because Beaujolais Nouveau is on its way

  [wine] - October 2020
• I'm not sexy enough

  And why I don't post so many bottle photos on Instagram

  [wine] - September 2020
• Ningxia - the future of fine wine in China?

  Maybe, but not for me, not yet.

  [wine] - September 2020
• How to fall in love with a grape you hate

  Can one wine change my mind on a whole varietal?

  [wine] - September 2020
• Post-climate change Bordeaux? No thanks.

  Modern Bordeaux is, for me, beyond recognisable - I don't want 15% alc!

  [wine] - September 2020
• Peruvian wine?

  Peruvian, Argentine and Brazilian Chardonnays

  [wine] - September 2020
• Choosing a new font size

  Boring 16px or easy-on-the-eyes 24px? It's about as exciting as it sounds, but text is 99% of a website

  [tech] - August 2020
• [draft] Paint with all the colours of the wine

  All the colours - as long as they're red and white.

  [wine] [draft] - August 2020
• Two more NV Vins de France

  Two inexpensive white non-vintage VdFs - trendy or trash?

  [wine] - August 2020
• The only two Tinta Cão rosés in the world

  Ok maybe there are three - but hey still impressive!

  [wine] - August 2020
• Good news from Lebanon

  Four thoroughly decent wines from 1,000m+ altitude

  [wine] - August 2020
• Pink port - a little disappointing

  Why do reputable port houses make outstanding reds and whites, but seemingly forget how to make wine the second it's pink?

  [wine] - July 2020
• Budget Bordeaux

  Drinking top clarets for under €15

  [wine] - July 2020
• 2019 Bordeaux report

  My vintage report for Bordeaux 2019

  [wine] - July 2020
• My new website

  Rebuilding my site in Eleventy, all new everything

  [tech] - June 2020