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Champagne Louis Roederer: Cristal 2013 Release

Cristal is often considered Champagne’s ultimate prestige cuvée.

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In Focus

Weingut Kurt and Beatrix Hummel
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Just Arrived

Champagne Devaux launches Chapoutier Collaboration Sténopé 2011

Champagne Devaux is run by the Union Auboise co-operative and based in the southern satellite of the Champagne region, in the Côtes des Bar, known for its Pinot Noir.

Vineyards in Marlborough, New Zealand

New Zealand 2021 Harvest: Sauvignon Blanc Shortage on the Horizon?

Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc is New Zealand's top export. The reported drop in harvest volume will create supply issues.

Mixing Cocktails at Home: All You Need for the Perfect Home Bar

With the right ingredients and some basic equipment, a whole world of cocktail possibilities opens up. We reveal all the basics you need to set up your own bar at home.

Champagne Rare Millésime 2008 Launches

The newly launched Champagne Rare Millésime 2008 was hailed as 'infinite' by cellar master Régis Camus

In Praise of Sauvignon Blanc – and Poodles

Sauvignon Blanc, an ancient and versatile grape variety, often finds itself the victim of vinous snobbery. One writer makes an apt comparison to challenge this notion.

Pop-Up Bar Dedicated to CBD-Based Cocktails Opens in London

CBD, or cannabidiol, is the effective but non-psychoactive ingredient of cannabis. There now is a London pop-up.

Negroni: The Count’s Cocktail

Campari, gin and vermouth: these are the three ingredients of the legendary cocktail classic Negroni. It was named after Count Negroni and comes in numerous versions.

Somm Challenge: Top Seven Wine Pairings for Cauliflower Steak

Cauliflower steak: We asked seven wine professionals for the perfect wine pairing for this recipe with a creamy artichoke sauce.

Coffee: Our Favourite Elixir

Coffee almost is a magic potion. But it is also big business. Here is a brief history of coffee and an exploration of the most important coffee-growing regions.

Spirits: The Best Quotes about Gin

Gin is cult – no wonder that it has figured in so many memorable songs, films and books. Falstaff presents the best quotes:

Dry Extract Interview: Natalie Christensen of Yealands, New Zealand

Dry Extract is Falstaff’s mini-interview feature. We ask top professionals from the world of wine, food and travel to answer thirteen deceptively simple questions in quick-fire fashion. The answers are more revealing than you think.

Dry Extract Interview: Ludivine Griveau of Domaine des Hospices de Beaune, Burgundy, France

Dry Extract is Falstaff’s mini-interview feature. We ask top professionals in the world of wine, food and travel to answer thirteen deceptively simple questions in quick-fire fashion. The answers are more revealing than you think.

Food and Wine: The Eternal Frisson

Falstaff’s man about town talks about a great love affair – that between food and wine.

Germany: the VDP’s Grosser Ring Sets Auction Date for November 2021

The VDP’s annual Grosser Ring auction is a key event for Riesling lovers. The new auction date was set for November.

Somm Challenge: Top Five Wine Pairings for Spaghetti Bolognese

Spaghetti Bolognese is one of the absolute classics of Italian cuisine. We asked five top sommeliers for the perfect wine pairing.

Somm Challenge: Top Eight Wine Pairings for Beef Tartare

We asked eight top sommeliers which wines they recommend with beef tartare – and the expert tips vary greatly: From Spanish Rosé to Sparkling Sake to English Blanc de Noirs.

Somm Challenge: Top Eight Wine Pairings for Crown Roast of Lamb

So simple, yet always a show-stopper: we asked eight top sommeliers which wines they recommend to go with a crown roast of lamb.

Dry Extract Interview: Julie Cavil of Krug Champagne, France

Dry Extract is Falstaff’s mini-interview feature. We ask top professionals in the world of wine, food and travel to answer thirteen deceptively simple questions in quick-fire fashion. The answers are more revealing than you think.

Dry Extract Interview: Rex Pickett, Author of Sideways, California, USA

Dry Extract is Falstaff’s mini-interview feature. We ask top professionals from the world of wine, food and travel to answer thirteen deceptively simple questions in quick-fire fashion. The answers are more revealing than you think.

Wineries & Estates

Weingut Hiestand

Guntersblum

At first we thought the abbreviation "JJ" on the Riesling Kreuz stood for "Jrosses Jewächs" (G pronounced as J in dialect in the Rhine region), and indeed this wine easily meets the GG requirement. But of course Guntersblum is not within reach of the dialect spoken in the Rhine region, and the "JJ" in the best wine sites actually stands for their ancestors initials, Julius Jakob Hiestand (1876-1938). Year after year, his descendants delight us with organic wines that are precisely crafted: defined aromas, distinct in their expression, and all with great harmony and balance. Those who enjoy the subtle ensemble of a good wine are in good hands here.

Weingut Josef & Philipp Bründlmayer

Grunddorf

Dedication and love for the craft are still the best prerequisites for quality. This is especially true when it comes to things that people should and want to enjoy – such as wine. Philipp Bründlmayer carries this dedication and love in his DNA – his wines are thus a thing of joy: expressive, pure, linear and of unmistakeable provenance. Tucked away in the village of Grundorf, the wines evolve and mature in stainless steel tanks and large wooden barrels. Grown on the mighty loess terraces of Gedersdorf and Rohrendorf, they are thus labelled with the regional appellation of Kremstal – a lovely area predestined for viticulture with exactly the kind of climate so essential for the character and aromatic development of wine. Apart from experience, craftsmanship and climate, soils are a decisive factor in the creation of great wine. In the Kremstal region, both loess and metamorphic and sedimentary conglomerates offer ideal conditions for the typically dry wines Austria is so appreciated for. Philipp und Josef Bründlmayer grow and make wine with an understanding of their soils and their craft, informed by tradition. The vineyard sites they farm are eminently suited to this endeavour: they are unruly, on rugged terrain, and demand manual rather than mechanised farming. They also are – if you allow them to be and treat them right – ideally suited to those grape varieties the region is known and loved for Philipp Bründlmayer allows his wines to express themselves and their origin without make-up – without frills or safety nets. Across 23 hectares/57 acres of vineyard, he and his team farm 90 different sites, all with their own climatic conditions. Not only does he bottle wines that are absolutely typical of their variety and style, they also bear his unmistakeable signature. Residual sugar never exceeds one gramme per litre – the wines are thus bone dry and exquisite ambassadors for their region – pure Kremstal.

Weingut Friedrich Kiefer

Eichstetten

Helen and Martin Schmidt are currently celebrating an anniversary: ten years ago, they took over the historic Kiefer winery in Eichstetten. There was a lot of work to tackle in the winery, which was founded in 1851, but the Schmidts managed to preserve the best of the past - such as the stately wooden barrel cellar - and combine it with the most advanced modern technology, which is evident in the clear structure of their range. Terms like "tradition" and "three-star" are self-explanatory. The fact that the quality is also right is all the more remarkable given the size of the farm: 155 hectares!

Weingut Hannes Reeh

Andau

Hannes Reeh is a rather unconventional winemaker in Andau, Burgenland who consistently strives towards his goals. He makes the wines and they are thus a reflection of Hannes Reeh himself: an intriguing mix of family tradition, new world experience, regional authenticity and optimism. His winemaking is guided by intuition and he loves what he does. Andau is the wine village on the far eastern edge of the Seewinkel sub-region of Neusiedlersee bordering Hungary. With 2,400 sunshine hours, it is one of the sunniest and driest regions of Austria. The soils are gravelly and yield wines of exceptional power, depth and ripeness. There are three different wine ranges. The “Klassik” range comprises single varietal wines that offer everyday drinking pleasure. “Heideboden” are blends in white and red (there also is a sweet heideboden wine) that highlight the attributes of the Seewinkel. “Unplugged” are Hannes Reeh’s specialities, they have no frills but plenty of feeling. “Unplugged” is pure Andau – no fining, no enzymes and no cultured yeasts are used.

Weingut Stefan Zehetbauer

Schützen am Gebirge

Stefan Zehetbauer is the tenth generation of his family to run this wine estate in Schützen am Gebirge, in the centre of the Leithaberg region. The vineyards are located on and around the Schützner Stein mountain and are characterised by the slate and limestone soils of the region. Stefan Zehetbauer aspires to make wines with depth, distinctive minerality and ageing potential. This endeavour starts in the vineyard while he has a low interventionist approach in the cellar. The wines are fermented spontaneously an no enzymes are used. The wines are then allowed extended ageing on lees. The white reserve wines and all red wines are unfined – expressing a sense of place always comes first. The Leithaberg varieties Blaufränkisch, Pinot Blanc and Chardonnay make up the majority of the range. The top wines come from the Steinberg vineyard, one of the best sites in the region with poor mica schist soils. However, the Zehetbauers love thinking outside the box: in the late 1980s, they pioneered Cabernet Franc in the region and have made a name for themselves with their single-vineyard Cabernet Franc from the Steinberg.

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