Author Archives: Hugo

Grower Champagne

Posted on November 23, 2011 by Hugo

Well the party season is upon us and it’s time to start thinking about bubbles.  Now there are plenty of cheaper and excellent alternatives, like Prosecco for example, but for many people, tough times or not, bubbles means Champagne.  However, … Continue reading →

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Riesling Trocken

Posted on November 3, 2011 by Hugo

The other week I was searching for a bottle of Malvasia delle Lipari for the Italian wine course I’m running, which I tracked down to The Winery in Maida Vale, West London (see here for the post on the Malvasia).  … Continue reading →

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The Wonders of Italian Passitos

Posted on October 17, 2011 by Hugo

I’m currently running an Italian wine course that tours the country over six weeks.  Sourcing the wines for the course is a fun task, but for some wines an extremely tricky one.  For things like Chianti and Barolo you’re fairly … Continue reading →

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Chenin the Versatile

Posted on October 10, 2011 by Hugo

In the summer we spent a week in Touraine, which meant getting to drink plenty of Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc, the two primary varieties of the Central Loire.  The latter gives good quality and great value wines in the … Continue reading →

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Exploring the Maĉonnais

Posted on September 12, 2011 by Hugo

Welcome back to Hugo’s Reserve after the August break.  We spend two weeks in France, the first in Touraine in the Central Loire (that’s another story) and the second in the Maĉonnais, in Southern Burgundy. As you can see from … Continue reading →

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Calabrian Rarity

Posted on August 10, 2011 by Hugo

Anyone been to Calabria?  It’s just about the most remote region of Italy, being the toe of the boot, as my simple but charming hand-designed map shows.  The Apennines run right down the middle of the region, leaving just a … Continue reading →

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Swiss Oddities

Posted on July 29, 2011 by Hugo

Who has drunk any Swiss wines?  Not many of you I’d bet, apart from my dedicated Swiss readers of course.  Like its Alpine neighbour Austria, Switzerland makes some excellent wines but doesn’t have the economies of scale of the larger … Continue reading →

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Exploring the Wines of the Veneto

Posted on July 22, 2011 by Hugo

In my current Italian wine course we’ve been taking a tour of the whole boot, starting at the North and slowly working our way down to the South and the Islands over six weeks.  Last week we were looking at … Continue reading →

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Visellio Primitivo Salento 2001

Posted on June 17, 2011 by Hugo

Whilst we’re on the subject of where varieties emanate from, how about California’s own Zinfandel?  Well, a few years ago DNA evidence showed it to be the same variety as Primitivo, which comes from Puglia, the heel of Italy.  That … Continue reading →

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Château du Cèdre Cahors 2006

Posted on June 16, 2011 by Hugo

Where’s Malbec from?  Hmm, good question.  Well these days its new spiritual home is Argentina, where it makes delicious, rich and sensual wines that go extremely well with their signature dish, a fat and bloody steak.  That’s become the benchmark … Continue reading →

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