Wine Talk Newsletter – Full List
The Wine Talk newsletter from Living Wines has been published regularly since 2008 when we first started importing French natural wines.
In the Wine Talk newsletter we provide readers with the opportunity to purchase packs of our wonderful wines – you can, of course, buy wines at any time by approaching one of the many wine shops or wine bars that sell our wine, or buy them directly from us provided you want to purchase either 6 or 12 bottles.
The Wine Talk newsletter also includes articles and stories on a range of issues as well as information about wines that are about to arrive or have just arrived, in Australia.
The articles in the Wine Talk newsletter also cover a wide range of issues relating to natural wines including how they are made, what natural wines are, how things are changing as a result of climate change, why we strongly prefer wines that have not been sprayed or the vines grown with chemical fertilisers, information about French appellations and much, much more.
You can also find more about our wines and our restaurant experiences on our Instagram site:
Each of the Wine Talk newsletters is listed below with a mention of any articles which are still relevant. For example we don’t mention any packs because they only last a few days and are therefore no longer relevant.
Apart from keeping our customers up to date with wines that are heading to Australia or hav ejust arrived the Wine talk newsletter addresses current information such as the weather in France and the impact on the vines in various regions, information about our suppliers, information about appellations and grape varieties and much more.
Wine Talk Newsletter Complete List
The Living Wines Wine Talk newsletters (and previous Terroir Wines newsletters) that have been published are listed below and can be downloaded clicking on the links.
- A story about French wine containers made from wood;
- A few more French wine terms;
- Two English wine terms that are somewhat misused;
- Some wine news from France;
- A special wine story about the effects of climate change on vineyards and grapes;
- A story about the Caladoc grape variety.
- A few more French wine terms;
- Some news from France, including news of the 2024 harvest;
- A story about the Sauvignonnaisse grape variety.
- A story in this Wine Talk newsletter about wine faults – this month the story is about mousiness;
- A special wine story about an experiment in France to mitigate the effects of climate
change in vineyards; - A story called Bits and Pieces which has a number of brief items including places to
find our wines in Hobart and some French terms explained; - A story about the “petrol” aroma detected in Rieslings;
- A story about four interesting grape varieties that are variants of well-known
varieties.
- A story in this Wine Talk newsletter about wine species with emphasis on Vitis Vinifera
- Wine faults: Carbon dioxide in still wines
- Bits and Pieces – news about the wine scene
- Information about summer storage
- A story about French winemakers Renaud Bruyère and Adeline Houillon’s vineyards
- Wine faults: Reduction
- Article on Phenolic Ripeness
- Grape variety: Muscat d’Alexandrie
Wine Talk 126 – September 2024
- Grape variety: Trousseau
- A story in this Wine Talk newsletter about La Petite Empreinte, Mosse and de Moor wines;
- Part 5 of our faults in wine story and what causes them – for this month is an exploration of oxidation and the effect it has on wines;
- A short story on the Burgundy Côte d’Auxerre appellation.
Wine Talk 125 – July-August 2024
- Grape variety: Ploussard
- A story in this Wine Talk newsletter about the Geschickt wines that had recently arrived;
- Another story about the arrival of new Mataburro wines;
- Part 4 of our faults in wine and what causes them for this month is an exploration of Brettanomyces and the effect it has on wines;
- A short story on snow and mildew and their effect on grapevines.
- Grape variety: Terret Bouret
- Part 3 of our faults in wine stories and what causes them – the story for this month is – the enigmatic cork taint that is very complicated;
- A short story on the problem of fining wines.
- Grape variety: Savagnin
- Part 2 in this Wine Talk newsletter of our faults in wine stories and what causes them – story for this month is – more acid chemicals that can cause faults in wine;
- A story about the frosts that have been ravaging vineyards in France this year;
- Can natural wines be kept to mature?;
- A story about Jura wine appellations that permit Vin Jaune to be created.
- The start of a series in this Wine Talk newsletter of short stories we will be writing in the next few newsletters about faults in wine and what causes them;
- A story about how we save wine labels for future reference;
- A story about the Coteaux Bourguignons appellation because we are offering a wine from this appellation in some of the packs this month;
- A story about the Enfariné grape variety which is planted in tiny quantities in the Jura and neighbouring Doubs départments and can be found in some of the cuvées
of Domaine des Cavarodes.
- A story about how we allocate wine;
- We have been reading about the effects of climate change on agriculture in general and grapevines in particular and have summarised these effects in a story, outlining
each of the main problems; - An explanation of the back label of a Piollot Champagne;
- A story in this Wine Talk newsletter about the Pinot Noir grape variety which is one of the most widely planted grape varieties in Burgundy and many other places in the world including Tasmania, where we are based
- A story in this Wine Talk newsletter about French winemaker Alice Bouvot’s back labels;
- Some information about the lack of visitor centres in French vineyards and why;
- A short introduction to enzymes in grapevines and their role;
- A story about the Braquet grape variety which is used for red wines in the local Nice appellation called Bellet;
- We have also written a brief story recommending four restaurants with natural wines that are worth visiting in Nice.
- Some wine-related news stories in this Wine Talk newsletter that interested us including which country is the largest producer of wine, an explanation of the rules relating to Vin de France wines, and a discussion of some of the polyphenols in wine;
- A story about what is covered by appellation rules in France;
- A story about the very new Voltis grape variety in Champagne which has been introduced to counter the effects of climate change. (This is a double-up from the previous month).
- Grape variety: Voltis
- A story about autochthonous yeasts;
- News from France – including a proposal for a new alcohol tax;
- A story in this Wine Talk newsletter about the phenol called quercetin in wine – is it the cause of headaches?
- How Grapevines Grow – Photosynthesis Part 2.
- Grape variety: Chenin Blanc
- How Grapevines Grow – Photosynthesis Part 1
- Information about French winemaker Valentin Montanet and the Cadette family wines
- Octavin back labels explained in this Wine Talk newsletter
- Domaine Bornard – Exciting Changes
- Not all Pet Nats are natural!!
- Grape variety: Terret Noir
- Bits and Pieces
- Variety versus varietal (again)
- Damaging effects of microplastics and nanoplastics
- Getting rid of the term sustainable
- A story in this Wine Talk newsletter about different Pinot types in Alsace
- Vegan wines explained
- Grape variety: Auxerrois Blanc
- New Arrivals – A story in this Wine Talk newsletter about Michel Guignier’s Ethereal Gamays and his vineyards
- Drought in Europe
- The Carbon Dioxide dilemma
- Grape variety: Tannat
- A very interesting podcast about Burgundy geology
- Some observations about soil
- What is ChatGPT and why all the fuss?
- Grape variety: Grenache Gris
- A new book: The World of Natural Wine by Aaron Ayscough
- A note in this Wine Talk newsletter about wine capsules
- The Future of Cork
- Grape variety: Macabeu
- A Book About Interesting Places to Stay in Country France
- Grape variety: Côt/Malbec
- Dreyer Slide Show – A decsription of a slide show of the Dreyer 2022 harvest and a link to the show
- News in this Wine Talk newsletter about wine: New grape varieties approved in France
- Grape variety: Muscat a Petit Grains
- Some brief thoughts about grapevines in this Wine Talk newsletter
- Exploring leaf structure of grapevines
- “Ropiness” in wine
- Appellation: Saint Bris (Burgundy)
- Grape variety: Pinot Blanc
- Some thoughts about natural wines
- News from the wine world
- Cover crops research
- Appellation: Juliénas including information about the delicious Cadette wine from that appellation
- Grape variety: Pinot Auxerrois
- The wines of the Axel Prüfer in this Wine Talk newsletter
- France rain report
- Appellation: Pommard
- Grape variety: Clairette
- The wines of the Milan family in this Wine Talk newsletter
- Wine investors affected by climate change
- Appellation: Aligoté appellations
- Grape variety: Vermentino / Rolle
- Weird French wine rules
- Answers to readers’ questions
- I see the term massale selection used to refer to vines, but I have no idea what it means.
- Is it legal to mix red and white juice in the same wine?
- Appellation: Mâcon appellation
- Grape variety: Cabernet Franc
- Our solution to the shortage of key ingredients for Australian winemakers??
- A story in this Wine Talk newsletter about Nicolas Carmarans and the Aveyron Region including a diversion to the Millau Viaduct
- Answers to readers’ questions
- Is that wine natural?
- In some of your recent newsletters there has been mention of Rose (not Rosé) varieties of some grapes. How do they come about?
- Why do some of the labels of Domaine Mosse wines have Mosse on them and others do not?
- Appellation: Champagne, Rosé des Riceys and Coteau Champenois
- Grape variety: Grolleau Noir
- A story in this Wine Talk newsletter about the Geschickt vineyards in Alsace
- A story about the Geschickt labels
- Photos of the Jean-Marc Dreyer Harvest in 2021 (also Alsace)
- Answers to readers’ questions
- Why do some winemakers allow wines to go through malolactic fermentation and others don’t?
- I read recently that sparkling wines from Limoux were around a long time before Champagne. Is this true and what sort of wines are they?
- Appellation: Kaefferkopf Grand Cru
- Grape variety: Alicante Bouschet
- Book Review: The Japanese Guide to Healthy Drinking
- The slow but inevitable effect of climate change
- New Places in France to visit
- L’Auberge de la Roche
- Le Soleil
- Livingston
- Le Doyenné, Saint-Vrain
- And some new places in Australia to visit
- Bar Merenda
- Paski Vineria Popolare and Paski Sopra
- Ante
- Casa
- Kid Curry
- Answers to readers’ questions
- What exactly is carbonic maceration and does every winemaker do it the same way?
- I was reading an article about Burgundy producer Ponsot recently and it referred to one of the vineyards as being under “métayage”. What does this mean?
- I read recently that the European Union is about to require cover crops in organic agriculture, and this will also apply to vineyards. Why?
- Appellation: Vezelay
- Grape variety: Arbane
Wine Talk 101 – September 2021
- A new newsletter about French Natural Wine
- Dramatic 2021 grape harvest in France
- Answers to readers’ questions
- What is “grower Champagne”?
- Are many French winemakers producing natural wine?
- We often see the term “yield” mentioned in wine reviews along with a figure inhl/ha. What does this mean, and should the figure be high or low?
- Appellation: Saint Romain – Burgundy
- Grape variety: Pinot Meunier
- Answers to questions
- What is a foudre and what are the advantages in using them for winemaking?
- Why are there so many catastrophic events in the vineyards of France and is this normal?
- Life in and above the soil – Part 2
- Grape variety: Merlot
- Our story about “Life in the Soil” held over to next month
- A tribute to Dominique Belluard
- Answer to wine questions:
- Why do some people use the term “variety” when others use “varietal” when referring to grapes?
- What is the difference between Arbois and Arbois-Pupillin on a Jura label?
- Grape variety: Romorantin
- La Guinelle Vinegar – in pictures
- Warning: bacteria eat rocks!
- Grape variety: Gringet
- First the bad news – The destruction of the 2021 French vintage
- Following the French defining natural wines officially the Swiss have now done the same
- Grape variety: Gamay Fréaux – a tienturier grape variety
- London-based importer Tutto’s interview with Jean-Pierre Robinot
- Answers to questions we have been asked recently
- Why is there some effervescence in this wine?
- Why do Moulin à Vent wines seem to have more minerality than other Cru Beaujolais?
- What is dosage in a sparkling wine or Champagne?
- Grape variety: Melon le Queue Rouge
- Grape variety: Aramon
- Answers to questions we have been asked recently
- What is an IGP?
- What is volatility and why does it matter?
- An article in this Wine Talk newsletter about the changes at Domaine Bornard
- Answers to questions we have been asked recently
- What does Direct Press mean?
- If barrels are topped up, what happens to the barrel where the topping up wine comes from?
- Are there any rules for Vin de France wines or can the French winemaker do whatever they like?
- France: The beginning of the end of Glyphosate products
- Grape variety: Pineau d’Aunis
- A story in this Wine Talk newsletter about drinking wine helps keep the mind sharp!!
- Grape variety: Altesse
- Grape variety: Ondenc
- Our review of the book “Wines of the French Alps by Wink Lorch”
- The appellation Coteaux Bourguignons explained
- Additives in wine series: Megapurple
- Grape variety: Fer Servadou
- A story in this Wine Talk newsletter entitled “Some notes about colour in wine”
- A story about how to get free access to Alice Feiring’s past stories
- A story on the Vouvray appellation where our producers Vincent and Tania Careme live and work
- Grape variety: César
- Towards a definition of natural wine in this Wine Talk newsletter
- A description of a wine from one of our Jura producers – Catherine Hannoun
- Grape variety: Niellucciu / Sangiovese as used by Domaine Milan
- A long article in this Wine Talk newsletter on the Sulphur Debate
- Grape variety: Verdanel
- Resveratrol, red wine and reducing anxiety
- A tale of two wine compounds: Rotundone and Sotolon
- Grape variety: Gewürztraminer
- Le Rouge & Le Blanc now available in a digital English edition
- Exploring minerality in wine in this Wine Talk newsletter
- A semi-humorous article om a Living Wines Lexicon
- The secret life of yeasts – Part 2
- Grape variety: Molette
- The catastrophic effects of climate change in vineyards
- A story in this Wine Talk newsletter we wrote on how to interpret the Le Fooding Website
- Glyphosates banned in some European wine regions
- Grape variety: Cinsault
- A background story on Alice and Olivier de Moor
- A story in this Wine Talk newsletter entitled “Positive effects of natural wine”
- Grape variety: Roussanne
- A story about our visit to Jean-Marc Dreyer’s vineyard
- Exploring the secret life of yeasts: Part 1
- The effect of glyphosates on the soil
- Appellation News: Macvin de Jura
- Grape variety: Aligote
- Two Australian Natural Wine Bars for your Wish List: Wines of While and Lucinda
- Additives in Wine: Bentonite
- Grape variety: Mondeuse
- A story in this Wine Talk newsletter on wine trends of 2019
- A story about “Additives in Wine: Thiamine hydrochloride”
- Grape variety: Viognier
- The first story in this Wine Talk newsletter in a series entitled “An irregular series on permitted additives, processing “aids” and residues in wine.”
- A story entitled “Oysters, Picpoul and Roman roads”
- A story in this Wine Talk newsletter entitled “New rules in France to combat the effects of climate change”
- More of the story entitled “Gut bacteria, health and natural wines: Part 3”
- A story in this Wine Talk newsletter entitled “New restaurants in country France” one of which has closed ie Cafe des Alpes.
- Grape variety: Gros Manseng
- The second part of the story in this Wine Talk newsletter entitled “Gut bacteria, health and natural wines: Part 2”
- Grape variety: Auxerrois
- A story in this Wine Talk newsletter entitled “Gut bacteria, health and natural wines: Part 1”
- Grape variety: Riesling
- A story in this Wine Talk newsletter entitled “Mistakes we read in the press – 1”
- A rebuttal of the idea that “A slight “prickle” or fizz in the glass is a winemaking fault”
- Grape variety: Sylvaner
- Winter in the Jura
- Deraine and Sextant: Generational Changes
- It all starts with the soil – Part 4
- Article entitled “It all starts with the soil – Part 3”
- Coteaux Bourguignons and major changes in what you might be drinking from Burgundy
- Grape variety: Marsanne
- Article entitled “It all starts with the soil – Part 2”
- Grape variety: Folle Blanche
- Grape variety: A discussion of Chateauneuf du Pape grapes
- Three different rock types and their influence on the grapes
- Article entitled “It all starts with the soil – Part 1”
- France in 2017 – A story about the Bornards
- New Jura Wines from Arnaud and Malou Greiner – A story that provides some background about the Greiners and their vineyards and winemaking
- What is a vigneron?
- Grape variety: Mourvedre
- Aromas and flavours in wine: Part 2 (flavours)
- Grape harvests and climate change in Europe
- Grape variety: Carignan
- Aromas and flavours in wine: Part 1 (aromas)
- Grape variety: Cinsault
- Are Champagne flutes a thing of the past?
- Organic wines rate better on traditional scores – new evidence
- Grape variety: Pinot Gris
- A story on our recommendation for the serving temperature for red wines
- Grape variety: Auxerrois Blanc
- In conjunction with pack 2 which was a Burgundy pack we wrote about a number of the more obscure Burgundy appellations.
- Grape variety: Abouriou
- Review of newly published book on organic viticulture
- Grape variety: Picpoul
- A story on “The emergence of pétillant naturel wines”
- Grape variety: Sauvignon Rose
- No grape variety this month
- BEYOND PARIS PART 3 – Languedoc-Roussillon, Champagne, the South-West – this story is nearly ten years old so some of the restaurants and bars featured do not exist still (although quite a few do). The ones you will no longer find are: Percherons as Mathieu Perez has moved to Spain and Pas Comme les Autres in Beziers has closed. As far as we know, all the others are open.
- Featured French winemaker: Valentin Montanet
- Grape variety: Grenache Blanc
- No grape variety this month
- No grape variety this month
- Grape variety: Menu Pineau
- BEYOND PARIS PART 2 – THE LOIRE
- Some of our favourite places in France for eating well and drinking natural wines – Loire Valley
- Serving and storing natural wines
- Grape variety: Colombard
- BEYOND PARIS – PART 1 – Some of our favourite places in country France for eating well and drinking natural wines
- Grape variety: Marselan
- Review – Bistronomy: A book about the resurgence of bistro food in Paris
- A story – A new look at terroir – the role of microbes and other living things
- A story about the Champagne region and the town of Troyes called “The Aube – the quiet Champagne achiever”
- Grape variety: Terret
- A story about rosé entitled “Rosé: An all year round drink”
- Grape variety: Muscat a Petit Grains
- Wine of the month: Julien Altaber Bourgogne Blanc 2013
- A story about the process of fining wines called “Is it fine to fine a wine?”
- Grape variety: Meslier
- Wine of the month: Les Lendemains qui Chantent from Axel Prufer
- A long story entitled “The Jura explained: Are these the world’s most versatile wines?” which delves into the geology and the types of wines and the wine appellations in this fabulous region.
- Grape variety: Melon la Queue Rouge which is a contraversial variety in the Jura.
- A story about a visit to Mito Inoue in the Auvergne including a climb up a volcanic peak covered in snow to reach one of her tiny vineyards.
- A long story entitled “The differences between Organic wines, Biodynamic wines and Natural wines”.
- Grape variety: Len de l’El which is also a common grape in Gaillac. We have also written a linked story about a wine made by Causse Marines in Gaillac called Les Greilles in which one of the grape varieties was Len de l’El.
- Some self-congratulations in the introduction due to this being the 50th newsletter;
- Grape variety: Sérine from the Rhone Valley;
- Appellation: Côte Rôtie;
- Wine containers series: Fibreglass.
- A story entitled “The benefits of bacteria in wine”;
- A story about the obscure but really interesting grape variety called Romorantin;
- Appellation: Pommard where Fanny Sabre has some key sites.
- Grape variety: Bourboulenc;
- Appellation: Maranges;
- A story about how wine matures;
- A very long article in response to an attack on sommeliers and top-end restaurants by Huon Hooke because they were stocking “orange wines” and wines he didn’t know, showing he couldn’t cope with the fact that the hipster generation were rejecting wines made from grapes that had been sprayed with dangerous concoctions that ended up in the wine.
- A story about our producers who we were about to receive shipments from including some background information about each, namely Jean-Pierre Robinot and Philippe Bornard;
- Grape variety: Savagnin – and we have also written a more detailed story in the May 2024 newsletter;
- Appellation: Arbois-Pupillin in the Jura.
- Some comments about orange wine and serious consequences, where we get annoyed at the conflation of orange wines with natural wines due to the fact that not all orange wines are natural and not all natural wines are orange;
- Grape variety: Tempranillo;
- Appellation: Fiefs Vendéens.
- Reviews of two wine books, one by Wink Lorch on the wines of the Jura and another called Land and Wine: The French Terroir by Charles Franke;
- An article called “Some musings about the wines of Gaillac” which looks at the history and current state of the wine industry in Gaillac in southern France;
- And in keeping with the Gaillac theme the grape of the month is Mauzac which is very common in this region.
- Grape variety: Cabernet Sauvignon;
- Appellation: Aveyron IGP.
- Two stories about our producers – the first is about the wonderful de Moor family and the other is about the masters of Chenin Blanc from Vouvray, the Carême family;
- Grape Variety: Merlot;
- Appellation: Bourgogne Chitry;
- Wine Talk Special Article: Carbonic Maceration – a long article about carbonic maceration including a peek into a tank undergoing CM at the Octavin winery.
- A reasonably in-depth story about natural Champagne;
- A review of a small, but interesting, book called What’s in your Wine by Blind Corner which explores some of the strange things that are added to Australian wines making them unsuitable for vegans and vegetarians if they knew what had been added;
- Grape variety: Pinot Blanc.
- The first story in this newsletter is about a trip (that we have done a number of times) to our most remote producer Nicolas Carmarans in the Aveyron in Central France. We love both visiting him to discover the latest wines, but also to enjoy the countryside and his wonderful hospitality. The trip involves:
- Travelling either up the A75 highway from the Languedoc or down from the the volcanic area around Clermont-Ferrand;
- If we are driving from the Languedoc looking forward to crossing the breathtaking Millau Viaduct;
- Visiting the village of Laguiole where the famous brightly-coloured cutlery is made;
- Visiting the famous 3 star Michelin restaurant run by the Bras family to enjoy their famous vegetable dish called Gargouillou;
- Visiting the village of Aubrac to enjoy the famous potato and cheese dish of the region known as Aligot;
- Visiting the remote house of Nicolas and wandering though his vines of Negret de Banhars and Fer Servadou among others;
- You can read more about a trip along the A75 in our Foodtourist Web site here.
- Grape variety: Jurançon Noir;
- Appellation: Bourgogne Passe-tout-grains.
- A story about Michel Guignier in Beaujolais;
- Grape variety: Aubun;
- Appellation: Gevrey-Chambertin;
- A long-form story about changes occuring in the appellation system in France.
- A visit to Jolly Ferriol in Roussillon;
- Grape Variety: Macabeu;
- Appellation: Muscat de Rivesaltes;
- A story about the development and current use of the term “natural wine”.
- Appellation: Touraine in the Loire Valley;
- Grape variety: Chasselas.
- Grape variety: Prunelard;
- Appellation: Mercurey;
- A story about the temperature for serving various wines.
- Tour de France issue.
- A story about a visit to our cider producer, Julien Fremont, in Normandy;
- the Aramon grape variety;
- Appellation: Vouvray in the Loire Valley – famous for Chenin Blanc;
- ‘-age’ words in French winemaking: remontage;
- Minerality in Wine: Part 2.
- A short story about attending the La Dive Bouteille natural wine salon in France;
- Also a write up of the Rootstock festival in Australia for those of you who are nostalgic about attending that event;
- Pineau d’Aunis grape variety explained;
- Appellation: Coteaux d’Ancenis in the Loire Valley;
- Minerality in Wine: Part 1 – the first part of a long-form story about minerality in wine.
- Only special packs this month due to travel to natural wine salons in France.
- Ploussard grape variety;
- Appellation – Bourgogne Vézelay;
- ‘-age’ word – Egrappage.
- Fermentation of wine Part 1 (natural yeast versus commercial yeast);
- Grolleau (Groslot) Noir grape variety;
- Appellation: Anjou;
- ‘-age’ words – Débourbage.
- A story about what to drink with Chinese food;
- The chardonnay grape variety;
- Appellation: Beaune (central Burgundy).
- A nostalgic story about Sidecar in Hobart;
- Grape variety: Grenache;
- Appellation: Gevrey-Chambertin;
- ‘-age’ words: Pigeage;
- A story about matching wine and food.
- Gamay de Bouze grape variety;
- A description of many wines from a variety of our producers;
- Appellation: Cour-Cheverny;
- ‘-age’ words: Cavaillonnage; Décaillonnage
- Article about the rise of sommeliers;
- Duras grape variety;
- Appellation: Volnay.
- New Burgundy appellation: Coteaux Bourguignons;
- Ondenc grape variety;
- Appellation: Touraine;
- Wine label explained: Piollot Cuvée de Réserve.
- New oak versus cement for wine vessels;
- Cinsault grape variety;
- Sulphur and natural wines;
- Appellation: Coteaux du Layon.
- The César grape variety from the Yonne départment;
- Mainly stories and items about current events and packs.
- A story about pet-nats and how they are made;
- The Negret de Banhars grape variety.
- A short story about matching Vin Jaune from the Jura with cheese following an enlightening experience at Garagistes in Hobart;
- French wine labels explained: Derain Mercurey;
- Aloxe-Corton wine appellation.
- What are natural wines? This article explains why we started importing natural wines and we stand by everything we said in 2011;
- French wine labels explained – Gahier Trousseau;
- Grape variety of the month – Pinot Beurot;
- Wine appellation – Buzet in South West France.
- Grape variety of the month: Altesse in the Savoie;
- Cote de Brouilly wine appellation;
- A discussion of the arrival of the second shipment from Belluard and a nice photo of a Gringet vine in the Le Feu vineyard showing how the leaves are almost circular;
- And this was the first newsletter issued under the Living Wines banner – all the 19 earlier newsletters were issued as Terroir Wines.
Each of the newsletters from here down were issued under our previous name of Terroir Wines.
- Grape variety of the month: Trousseau;
- Muscadet Coteaux de Loire wine appellation.
- A story about food pairings with white wines;
- A note about Chardonnay;
- Grape variety of the month: Gringet from the Savoie. We repeated this in more detail in May 2021.
- Grape variety of the month: Côt (called Malbec in Australia) whuci we repeated in more detail in December 2022;
- A story about the Saint Aubin wine appellation in Burgundy.
- A story about the Arbois wine appellation in the Jura region;
- A story about the grape variety of the month: Fer Servadou, which we repeated in more detail in June 2020;
- Wine labels explained: Bornard Les Chassagnes.
- A story about the arrival of Bornard Jura wines and Carmarans Aveyron wines in Australia;
- A story about the Les Baux de Provence wine appellation after a visit we made to new producer the Milan family;
- An important (and lengthy) story called “The allure of oxidative wines”.
- A visit to Axel Prüfer in the Languedoc who we had just started importing wine from;
- More information about the opening of Garagistes in Hobart;
- A story about the Marcillac wine appellation in southern France;
- A story about the grape variety of the month: Melon de Bourgogne;
- French Wine Labels Explained: La Soeur Cadette Vin de France Melon.
- We announced the opening of what became a hugely significant restaurant in Hobart called Garagistes which not only was the first restaurant in Australia to have only natural wines on the wine list, but also worked closely with producers to encourage organic production of vegetables and fruits.
- The grape variety of the month was Aligoté, a common grape variety in Burgundy. We wrote about it again, due to the increased popularity of this variety in April 2019.
- A story about an unexpected restaurant visit in Beaujolais which saw us being carried away by an extraordinary range of natural wines available.
- We point to an article by famous winemaker Randall Grahm of Bonny Doone in California who rails against many of the so-called modern practices in vineyards and calls for a return to terroir. The link is in the newsletter.
- The grape variety of the month is Loire Valley variety Grolleau Gris, we also wrote about Grolleau Noir (used a lot by the Mosse family) in December 2021.
- The grape variety of the month was Chenin Blanc which we repeated in more detail in October 2023.
- Long story about the meaning of natural wines and why we import them called The Natural Wine Movement;
- An article on the Pinot Noir grape variety which we wrote a more detailed story about in March 2024.
- This month our grape story is about Sauvignon Blanc because at that time we imported wines from a supplier in Sancerre. More recently (2023/4) one of our current suppliers (Domaine de la Garreliere) in the Loire valley is producing a beautiful wine from this grape called Cendrillon.
- This month we explained the Cabernet Franc grape variety which thrives in the Bourgueil region in the Loire Valley. We wrote a more detailed story about this grape variety in January 2022.;
- The label of a wine from Bourgueil is also explained.
- A story about the Negrette grape variety that is grown by our producer in the Fiefs Vendéens appellation in the Western Loire region;
- A detailed description of a wine label from the Fiefs Vendéens appellation.
- We have a story about the 2009 Tour de France which climbed the Mont Ventoux which is very close to the house we bought in the Ventoux region;
- We have written a story about the Mourvedre grape variety and a more detailed story is to be found in the September 2017 newsletter;
- And yet another article explaining French wine labels.
- Last month we wrote a review of a visit to Terroir in New York, this month we visit Terroir in London!
- Our grape variety this month is Gamay which is very popular in Beaujolais and elsewhere. In later newsletters such as April 2012 we wrote about one of the tienturier versions of Gamay called Gamay de Bouze;
- We included another story about appellations in France.
- In this newletter we included a story about the Terroir Wine Bar in New York which we had recently visited;
- We included an article about the Clairette grape variety, and we wrote a more detailed story in the April 2022 newsletter;
- We also included an article giving a high level understanding of French wine labels.
- For those of you who like the Gamay gape variety there is an article about the Beaujolais region entitled “We don’t have any Beaujolais”.
- There is an article about the grape of the month, Carignan which is popular in the Languedoc region. We wrote a more detailed story about Carignan in the June 2017 newsletter.
- There is a short description of the Roussanne grape variety in this newsletter. We wrote a more in-depth story in the May 2019 newsletter.
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