Polly Hammond

Local taxes and legislation may make India a more daunting export market than China, but a new generation is increasingly enthusiastic about wine, and a growing number of impressive Indian wines are released every year. This is your chance to learn about this complex country from a panel of top experts.

New Zealand is one of the newest parts of the New World of wine. The Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc that catapulted it onto the global stage was only planted in the 1970s, but within 20 years, New Zealand’s white wines were commanding the highest average prices in the world. Then came Otago Pinot Noir which has…

The only former professional chef to have made wine in Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Hungary, England, France, Ukraine and Kazakhstan and Norway, Nayan Gowda is currently working in the high-altitude vineyards of Bolivia. The internet connection was far from perfect, which explains the less-than-brilliant quality of the video and sound. And the fact that we…

Wine has leapt into virtual tastings, but what happens with the doors re-open? Let’s look at the good and the bad and the future of virtual wine events in this very meta #RealBizWine.

What is luxury wine? How does it differ from ‘fine wine’? And how is it going to fare in a post COVID-19 world? Join us for this collab with ARENI Global. We’ll talk to Maggie Henríquez, CEO of Krug Champagne, about these and other questions of importance to a financially crucial segment of the wine…

For most wines, the difference between commercial success and failure may largely depend on the words and images printed on a small piece of paper. For this unique webcast, we invite award-winning designer Neil Tully MW to share his insights into how he goes about working with the producer to create a label that will…

Like every other sector, the wine industry is struggling to come to terms with COVID-19, but this is not the first major challenge it has faced over the centuries. How have wine producers and sellers fared during previous plagues and wars. We hear from respected historians Rod Phillips, author of “Wine: A Social and Cultural…

All grapes were not created equal. Some are commercially successful. Others have been unjustly forgotten. Some are more popular than they deserve to be. Others may not survive in their current regions as temperatures rise. And then, of course, there are new vinifera crosses like Marselan, hybrids and labrusca – not forgetting genetic modification. And…

What does it take to build a resilient brand? Today, we talk with top producers, Marilisa Allegrini, Roberto Bava and Jose Rallo of Donnafugata, and UK importer, David Gleave MW, about positioning, communication, perception, and relevance…at home and abroad.

Lighter bottles, solar panels and windmills, fewer chemical inputs… What does sustainability mean to the wine industry in 2020? How seriously is it being taken? How does it compare to, and differ from, Organic and Biodynamic? And how much do standards and certifications vary between countries and regions? Is environmental sustainability compatible with economic sustainability?

The South African wine industry is in crisis. New laws outlaw the movement of wine within the country, making exports almost impossible. The legislation was partly justified by the incidence of truck hijacking on the roads from the winelands to the ports. Producers have proposed the use of private security firms to protect the shipments,…

When important stuff happens in the wine world, who covers it in the media, and how well is it done? Richard Siddle earned his stripes as a journalist before becoming editor of a wine trade publication and starting his own online platform, the highly influential ‘The Buyer’. Question Siddle and other guests about how professionals…