1. Pinot Noir has become arguably the most important phenomenon in my wine world. From Burgundy to Alsace to New Zealand to Chile, I have dived into these tender territories and depth. I have travelled the whole world in a galleon, and that boat’s name was Pinot.
2. Europe is sophistication. Red earthiness, mushroomness, floor rather than foliage; white crispness, limestone, sea rather than orchard. My land is somewhere in between, but my devotion is now with the Old World. Now that I have started to understand it.
3. Bulgarian small wineries are making charming headway. This country, which, contrary to local perceptions, has never been a major wine producer, has shown perceptiveness for small chateaux with master winemakers, and their output of wines based on indigenous and foreign grapes has struck me with its unpretentious quality.
4. Muscadet with Normandy oysters in Paris.
5. Muscadet with Normandy oysters in Brussels.
6. Chablis. On its own.
