Author Archives: dccrossley

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About dccrossley

Writing here and elsewhere mainly about the outer reaches of the wine universe and the availability of wonderful, characterful, wines from all over the globe. Very wide interests but a soft spot for Jura, Austria and Champagne, with a general preference for low intervention in vineyard and winery. Other passions include music (equally wide tastes) and travel. Co-organiser of the Oddities wine lunches.

Otros Vinos – The Full Monty

Posted on 11/10/2017 by dccrossley

I went to a Tasting yesterday, which I hope to write up next week. What stood out about it was that so many wines were almost identical. Of course, that helped the best wines, the really good ones, to stand … Continue reading →

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Out of the Box 2017 (Part 2)

Posted on 05/10/2017 by dccrossley

In this second part of my write-up of the Out the Box Tasting at The Crypt on the Green, Clerkenwell (Tuesday 3 October), I’m covering wines from Basket Press Wines, Nekter Wines and Swig. For a bit more of an introduction to the Tasting, and to read … Continue reading →

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Out of the Box 2017 (Part 1)

Posted on 05/10/2017 by dccrossley

Out the Box groups together seven small, independent, wine importers to give them a group platform in the ever competitive and crowded British market. This market may be both of these things, but it has also grown enormously over the past … Continue reading →

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J’ai Soif et J’ai Faim

Posted on 27/09/2017 by dccrossley

Around ten minutes walk south of Clapham Junction runs Battersea Rise, a busy main road in what just about counts as Outer London down here. Much like hundreds of others of its kind it possesses a string of cafés and … Continue reading →

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Dirty Dozen at the Vinyl Factory

Posted on 26/09/2017 by dccrossley

There are a dozen wine merchants in this group, who were showing wines at The Vinyl Factory in Soho on Tuesday last week. How dirty they are, I’ll leave you to assess, but the dirt in question is terroir (presumably). … Continue reading →

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Gut Oggau Family Reunion

Posted on 20/09/2017 by dccrossley

Many family reunions are fraught with tension, petty jealousies and conflict under the surface. This particular family reunion was the happiest I have ever attended. Gut Oggau is probably known to many who will read this article, but for those … Continue reading →

Posted in Austria, Austrian Wine, biodynamic wine, Natural Wine, Neusiedlersee, Wine, Wine Tastings | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Secret Garden and The Pig

Posted on 17/09/2017 by dccrossley

Tim Phillips isn’t a name many of you will have come across. Tim has several winemaking strings to his bow, with projects in South Africa and in Italy, but Tim’s current focus is very different. Clos du Paradis is not … Continue reading →

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Japan Part 2 – Mountain Air and Vineyards

Posted on 11/09/2017 by dccrossley

It is likely to be a very small minority of my readership that is not now aware that Japan makes wine, and some of it pretty tasty too. Even customers of our upmarket UK supermarket, Marks & Spencer, have been … Continue reading →

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Japan Part 1 – Tokyo, the Wedding and a ’88 d’Yquem

Posted on 09/09/2017 by dccrossley

Much as I love visiting any country where there are vineyards, two of my favourite places, Japan and Norway, are not well known for their wines. This is not strictly true, of course. Japan is slowly gaining at least a … Continue reading →

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Recent Wines, Summer ’17, Pt 2

Posted on 15/08/2017 by dccrossley

A forlorn attempt to catch up with recent wines before I take a summer break. What to leave out is so difficult, but after a bit of reluctant pruning, here are the most exciting and interesting wines I’ve drunk at … Continue reading →

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