(Decanter) - Rare doesn't always mean better, writes Hugh Johnson in his latest column for Decanter magazine's September 2018 issue.
It was far simpler when we all knew less.
Running through the ‘classic’ wine regions; explaining the different grapes used in Bordeaux and Burgundy, and their different aims; pointing out that there were alternatives – Loire, Rhône, Italy… but they weren’t the be-all and end-all. We were all beginners. Wine writers then had an easy job.
The question now is who are we writing for.
One reader is still vague about (even) Bordeaux and Burgundy, and is surprised to hear how they make Champagne; another tuts impatiently (get on with it, can’t you?) when you explain that Marsanne and Roussanne are white Rhône grapes, or that Tasmania is cooler than the rest of Australia. Mention Juhfark or Négrette? They’re so last year.