Tom’s A LA VOLÉE columns from

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The following columns were originally published in The World of Fine Wine (WFW), the most in-depth and highly-respected wine magazine in the world, and have been reproduced here with the kind and specific permission of the senior management of that publication. Future columns will be reproduced on this site three months after their publication in WFW.

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Making a Difference?

The World of Fine Wine, Issue 81 (2023)

Every time I book into a hotel that boasts a Nespresso machine in each room, I let out a sigh. It should be seen as a nice touch—but while the coffee looks the part, with a consistently dense crema, I find the taste so insipid.

 

Brut Strength

The World of Fine Wine, Issue 80 (2023)
Why a Brut Nature should not be judged in isolation.

 

NO A LA VOLEE COLUMN IN THIS ISSUE
The World of Fine Wine, Issue 79 (2023) 

 

Flood or Fire?

The World of Fine Wine, Issue 78 (2022)

Climate change vineyard strategy is not simply a matter of mitigating faster-ripening, earlier harvests.

 

Anti-grower?

The World of Fine Wine, Issue 77 (2022)

No, just anti-oxidative!

 

NO A LA VOLEE COLUMN IN THIS ISSUE
The World of Fine Wine, Issue 76 (2022) 

 

Where next?

The World of Fine Wine, Issue 75 (2022)

It’s a question I’m always being asked: Where will the next classic brut-style sparkling wine hot spot be? And it is being asked more often since the meteoric rise of English sparkling wine.

 

NO A LA VOLEE COLUMN IN THIS ISSUE
The World of Fine Wine, Issue 74 (2021) 

 

Machine Harvesting Champagne by the back door?

The World of Fine Wine, Issue 73 (2022)

On July 29, 2021, the executive board of the Syndicat Général des Vignerons voted by a majority of 35 out of 50 to legalize the use of vignes semi-larges (VSL), a necessary precursor to machine-harvesting …

 

The rhyme and reason of it all

The World of Fine Wine, Issue 72 (2021)

An eminent wine writer emailed the Champagne & Sparkling Wine World Championships (CSWWC) about last year’s results …

 

Bottling it!

The World of Fine Wine, Issue 71 (2021)  
Adding the liqueur de tirage is not as simple as it sounds.

 

Cutting_Remarks

The World of Fine Wine, Issue 70 (2020)  
Why all of Champagne’s so-called natural corks aare faulty.

 

Champagne’s ancient grape varieties Part II

The World of Fine Wine, Issue 69 (2020)  
Who grows them today and where?

 

Champagne’s ancient grape varieties Part I

The World of Fine Wine, Issue 68 (2020)  
How Champagne’s classic varieties are more recent than you might think.

 

Fire & brimstone

The World of Fine Wine, Issue 67 (2020)  
The difference between toasty and fireworks.

 

NO A LA VOLEE COLUMN IN THIS ISSUE
The World of Fine Wine, Issue 66 (2019) 

 

Seeing red

The World of Fine Wine, Issue 65 (2019)  
The iextraordinary renaisance of artisanal Lambrusco.

 

Seeking Closure

The World of Fine Wine, Issue 64 (2019)  
A deep-dive into the differences of DIAM MytyK.

 

NO A LA VOLEE COLUMN IN THIS ISSUE
The World of Fine Wine, Issue 63 (2019)  
 

Goodbye October, Hello August!

The World of Fine Wine, Issue 62 (2018)  
The importance of the month of harvest.

 

Flushed with success

The World of Fine Wine, Issue 61 (2018)  
How to obtain magnum quality in 75cl bottles?

 

Where is the British reserve

The World of Fine Wine, Issue 60 (2018)  
Essential strategy for English sparkling wine

 

Iceless or useless?

The World of Fine Wine, Issue 59 (2018)  
A bespoke waterless ice-bucket fitted into the kitchen worktop. 

 

Champagne Charlie is my name

The World of Fine Wine, Issue 58 (2017)  
Why someone should snap-up Piper & Charles Heidsieck

 

NO A LA VOLEE COLUMN IN THIS ISSUE
The World of Fine Wine, Issue 57 (2017)  

 

Vintage by definition

The World of Fine Wine, Issue 56 (2017)  
Is there a line in the sand that separates a non-vintage harvest from a vintage harvest?

 

No method to the madness

The World of Fine Wine, Issue 55 (2017)  
The pointlessness of searching for another name for English Sparkling Wine.

 

The usage and abusage of the term multivintage

The World of Fine Wine, Issue 54 (2016)  
The origin of “multivintage” and what it really means.

 

The Future of English Fizz Part II

The World of Fine Wine, Issue 53 (2016)  

Examples of success

 

The Future of English Fizz Part I

The World of Fine Wine, Issue 52 (2016)  
How well have we done so far?

 

Transparency or numbers?

The World of Fine Wine, Issue 51 (2016)  
Essential back-label information. 

 

Clear thinking – dark thoughts

The World of Fine Wine, Issue 50 (2015)  
Dangers of light-strike!  
                                                             

Answers to the fizz quiz

The World of Fine Wine, Issue 49 (2015)

Answering Jill Mott’s letter

                                                                 

Jet-Aged Fizz

The World of Fine Wine, Issue 48 (2015)  
“Is that jetting I see?”
                                                                   

Moët back to a poignant 1914

The World of Fine Wine, Issue 47 (2015)  
A perfectly preserved 100 year old champagne

                                                                     

Bollinger

The World of Fine Wine, Issue 46 (2014)
Banned from Bollinger! What have I done! 😱

 

When to disgorge

The World of Fine Wine, Issue 45 (2014)
Would it be best to utilise an additional year of ageing before disgorgement or after?

 

Is Champagne losing its cool?

The World of Fine Wine, Issue 44 (2014)
David Chatillon, directeur général of the UMC, takes a hypocritical poke at the CSWWC!

 

The O2 arena

The World of Fine Wine, Issue 43 (2014)
The problem with oxidative Champagne.

 

Through a Glass, Darkly

The World of Fine Wine, Issue 42 (2013)
Nyetimber makes a statement with dark amber glass and the whole sparkling wine world should listen.

 

An English Icon

The World of Fine Wine, Issue 41 (2013)
Nyetimber, the story so far.

 

Future Baltic strategy required

The World of Fine Wine, Issue 40 (2013)
How to improve Champagne recovery from Baltic shipwrecks

 

Clearly the best

The World of Fine Wine, Issue 39 (2013)
Grand Siècle Les Réserves

 

On Merret: the original English method

The World of Fine Wine, Issue 38 (2012)
The 350th Anniversary of Christopher Merret’s paper

 

Cristal Clear

The World of Fine Wine, Issue 37 (2012)
Tasting Cristal in a car showroom

 

Thinking Outside the Box

The World of Fine Wine, Issue 36 (2012)
Reducing the frequency of vintage to improve the quality of non-vintage

 

Dinner with the Dom

The World of Fine Wine, Issue 35 (2012)
On the record with Richard Geoffroy

 

Eye on the Ball

The World of Fine Wine, Issue 34 (2011)
Lanson 1989 vs 1990

 

The Kings of Bling, Part 2

The World of Fine Wine, Issue 33 (2011)
How it all began

 

The Kings of Bling

The World of Fine Wine, Issue 32 (2011)
What are bling Champagnes?

 

The Russians are coming!

The World of Fine Wine, Issue 31 (2011)
The potential of Charles & Piper

 

How Prosecco could be so much more

The World of Fine Wine, Issue 30 (2010)
The next step for the Prosecco region

 

Why I’m so pro secco

The World of Fine Wine, Issue 29 (2010)
The honesty of Prosecco

 

Back to the Future

The World of Fine Wine, Issue 28 (2010)
Origins of the non-malolactic style

 

Getting hot under the collerette

The World of Fine Wine, Issue 27 (2010)
Is Champagne warming up?

 

Young or Old?

The World of Fne Wine, Issue 26 (2009)
Conditioning of the palate

 

Dom Pérignon Blanc de Blancs

The World of Fine Wine, Issue 25 (2009)
Estate-bottled Dom Pérignon?

 

Catch-22

The World of Fine Wine, Issue 24 (2009)
Considering other sparkling wine varieties

 

Down the Champagne Drain

The World of Fine Wine, Issue 23 (2009)
Why Champagne avoided the Global Economic Meltdown

 

A Full English

The World of Fine Wine, Issue 22 (2008)
How Champagne ages

 

Aging Gracefully

The World of Fine Wine, Issue 21 (2008)
Does low dosage affect the way in which a Champagne ages?