Author Archives: Karl Laczko

Greybeard’s Corner – Harvests End

Posted on October 23, 2011 by Karl Laczko

By the time you read this harvests all over the Northern Hemisphere will have ended or be well on their way to finishing. 2011 has been a challenging harvest in both Europe and America but for different weather related reasons. … Continue reading →

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A wine decorking experiment

Posted on October 16, 2011 by Karl Laczko

Last night I opened up a bottle of Gigondas that I’d been hoarding since 2007, Les Terrasses des Flauzières 2004 by Domaine Le Mas des Flauzières, bought in a wine store in Nice on a business trip. Sadly as soon … Continue reading →

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Sleb Wines – A NEWTS Tasting

Posted on September 28, 2011 by Karl Laczko

Celebrity wine; a damning phrase to some people but a must-have piece of memorabilia for die-hard fans. For years now it seems that many major (and a few more minor) celebrities get bitten by the wine bug in one way … Continue reading →

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A Whites only evening

Posted on September 13, 2011 by Karl Laczko

It’s unusual to go to a wine tasting where it is a red free zone, but that’s what Alistair Stewart of Richard Granger Fine Wines decided for an evening of aromatic white wines, showing a selection of Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, … Continue reading →

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A Chinese Toast

Posted on September 9, 2011 by Karl Laczko

The 2011 Decanter World Wine Awards dinner was held last Wednesday with the results of the top awards winners announced on the night. For the first time in its history a Chinese Wine took an International Trophy, the highest award … Continue reading →

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Greybeard’s Corner – August 2011

Posted on September 5, 2011 by Karl Laczko

Summer’s end has come and as the northern year slips towards shorter days and colder nights it’s time for my monthly roundup of the greater wine world and my miniscule corner of it. Wine News: South Africa hit the headlines … Continue reading →

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Tempranillo Day, Hola!

Posted on September 1, 2011 by Karl Laczko

Today was the 1st International Tempranillo Day, organised by TAPAS (Tempranillo Advocates, Producers and Amigos Society), a North American Organisation dedicated to promoting this intrinsically Spanish grape in America and Internationally. To be fair, for reasons of impartiality, I should … Continue reading →

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Tonight’s Tipple – An Izadi Duo

Posted on August 29, 2011 by Karl Laczko

Earlier in the year I got two bottles of wine made by Bodegas Izadi, a 2008 Rioja Blanco (white) and 2006 Rioja Crianza (red), from Dillies in Hexham. Bodegas Izadi is a relatively recent Spanish winery, founded in 1987 in … Continue reading →

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A Most Unusual (NEWTS) Tasting – Part 2

Posted on August 28, 2011 by Karl Laczko

After some delicious whites the evening moved to the reds, but we stayed with Austria for the Pittnauer 2008 St. Laurent Dorflagen, a 13% Qualitätswein Trocken from the Burgenland region. Likened, and genetically related, to Pinot Noir, the St. Laurent … Continue reading →

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A most unusual (NEWTS) tasting – Part 1

Posted on August 24, 2011 by Karl Laczko

Last week’s NEWTS tasting was one for my fellow Wine Centurions, a selection of unusual grape varieties rarely seen in bottle or review. I took a slightly perverse enjoyment seeing the look of confusion on many of the faces in … Continue reading →

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