Roll out the barrel – getting beyond oak in wine
Simon asks why winemakers are still obsessed with putting wine in oak. Or are they?
Originally published in Noble Rot issue 30.
My top 10 natural wine discoveries in 2022
Simon chooses 10 wines that surprised and delighted him in 2022.
Tasting Romanian natural wine with Philip Cox
Tasting Romanian natural wines with the owner of one of the largest wineries in Romania – Philip Cox – might seem like an odd choice for Simon. But this meeting of two very different minds ended up being enjoyable and educational for both of us.
Orange couture – a Denavolo vertical
The story of an incredible and unexpected lunch which took in a complete summary of Guilio Armani’s Denavolo wines.
Originally published as “Dina is served” in Noble Rot issue 29.
I Come from Nowhere (Wine Classification is an Ass)
Wine classifications guarantee provenance, but why have many of their controlling institutions become de facto style police?
Originally published as “System of a Dão” in Noble Rot issue 28.
Sour grapes over clean wine
Hannah Fuellenkemper takes a look at the somewhat murky world of clean wine, and why it’s caused such a stir in natural wine circles
Is food and wine pairing irrelevant?
Simon gets grumpy about the state of food and wine pairing in restaurants, outlines some of the most deadly sins and ponders if this fussed over topic is even still relevant.
The new Lisboa: Chinado
Simon visits João Tereso, a sound engineer turned winemaker with a penchant for breathing new life into old vineyards, and for crafting delicious natural wines in the Lisboa region.
Auf Wiedersehen Pét
Simon gets ranty about pét nat, natural wine’s ubiquitous fizz. This article was originally published in Noble Rot Magazine, issue 27.
The new Lisboa: Rodrigo Martins and Espera
Simon visits consultant and natural winemaker Rodrigo Martins, to learn about his change to working exclusively with organic viticulture and his personal Espera project. We also talk about his frustration with the DOC classification process in Lisboa.