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Wine Stories
5 stories about single bottles — from a broken cork to the artist who drew the label.
Ten Champagnes, ranked by my own score — from Krug to supermarket bottles
From Krug Grande Cuvée to a non-vintage hypermarket bottle, ten Champagnes noted on this magazine, ranked by one consistent yardstick — my own score out of 5 — and lined up against Vivino averages and Wine-Searcher world averages.
Six dessert wines compared — from d'Yquem to Tokaji
From Sauternes botrytis wines to a Canadian icewine and a Hungarian Tokaji, six dessert wines noted on this magazine compared by my score, Vivino average and Wine-Searcher world average — plus a plain look at what makes botrytis wine, icewine and Moscato sweet in different ways.
8 Wines Under US$20 World Average That I Scored 4 or Higher
Giving a high score to an expensive wine is easy. This piece does the opposite: only wines with a Wine-Searcher world average under US$20 that I scored 4 or higher (out of 5), ranked by a value index (my score divided by price).
Wines You Can Buy at Korean Hypermarkets — Only the Ones I've Actually Tasted
"Top 5 Wines at E-Mart" articles are everywhere, but few are written by someone who has actually drunk the bottle. This picks five wines that already have a note on this magazine and a documented sighting on a Korean hypermarket shelf, with my score set next to Vivino's.
The Broken Cork — Opening Mouton Rothschild 1987 After 34 Years
On 5 December 2021 the capsule came off covered in mould, and the cork snapped on the way out. What reached the glass had no business looking that young.