The JamesSuckling.com tasting team talks with owners and winemakers from Brunello vintners Ciacci Piccolomini D'Aragona, San Polo, Renieri, Casanova di Neri and San Polino to find out their feelings on the 2018 vintage, which will be released on the market in January.Read the full report here: https://www.jamessuckling.com/wine-tasting-reports/can-brunellos-cool-and-classic-2018-vintage-be-considered-great-2022-annual-report/

James chats with Chris Tyrrell, winemaker for his family's Tyrrell's Wines in Australia's Hunter Valley. They discuss the latest vintages and how they compare with previous years."First rule of our vines is just because they're old doesn't make them good," Chris tells James. "I think the old-vine thing ... you shouldn't do it unless the wine is worthy."Read more about his wines and other great bottles from down under in our 2022 Annual Australia Tasting Report.

JamesSuckling.com Senior Editor Zekun Shuai talks with Spanish winemaker Telmo Rodriguez about his latest releases, including some single-vineyard wonders. You can read more about the wines and the latest trends toward wine drinkability and gastronomic harmony in our new Spain report here, by clicking here.

JamesSuckling.com Senior Editor Zekun Shuai discusses Chilean winery Almaviva's 2020 vintage – the 25th-anniversary bottling – with winemaker Michel Friou and managing director Manuel Louzada.

James sits down with Charles and Harry Symington of the eponymous Symington Family Estates in Portugal's Douro Valley to discuss in detail their 2020 vintage Port offerings."How did it go down and how did it compare to the last declared year?" James asks the two.Charles Symington, the head winemaker of the winery, said rain and warm weather in the early part of the year led to bud bursts two to three weeks early and an early flowering, followed by a dry summer with below-average rainfall and a hot stretch from early July to early August. Then, in mid-August, more rains finally came, "which allowed us to get through maturation quite nicely."Have a listen to their entire conversation to learn how the weather in 2020 went into bottle for each of the wines they made from that year, including their Warre's Vintage Port 2020 and Dow’s Vintage Port Quinta do Bomfim 2020.

Associate Editor Claire Nesbitt recently tasted and discussed the latest vintages of Rare Champagne with chief winemaker Emilien Boutillat and brand director Maud Rabin on Zoom from our office in Tuscany and you can listen to the conversation and insights shared here.Rare Champagne 2008 is supple and soft for a cool vintage, with a complex array of tropical fruit and spice notes, having spent 11 years on the lees with almost two years of bottle age. Rare Champagne Rosé 2012, just released on the market, shows fresher fruit and fantastic vibrancy and elegance, made as a blend of 60 percent chardonnay and 40 percent pinot noir, with 8 percent of pinot noir red wine from Les Riceys.Both wines are vinified in 100 percent stainless steel and are blends of chardonnay and pinot noir mainly from the Montagne de Reims.Read about more great Champagnes in our annual Champagne report.

JamesSuckling.com Senior Editor Zekun Shuai interviews Robert Santana of Spain's Envinate about his winemaking philosophies. "We want to taste wines that take you to the place," Robert says. "The second important thing for us is the character," which comes from a deep understanding of how vintages are affected by the weather each year, and the third element is the "soul" of the wine – "that is the people that are around in the vineyard and in the cellar. We think it's very important that these people are happy and understand [our philosophies] and do the work."

Francisco Baettig and JamesSuckling.com Senior Editor Zekun Shuai talk about the differences between the 2020 and 2021 vintages in Chile. Because 2020 was dry and hot, Baettig said, "the challenge was to preserve the freshness of the fruit ... so vineyard management really was key in terms of promoting a little bit of the vigor of the plant."Harvesting was also done earlier than normal in order to preserve the color, "so overall when we try the wines you'll see that the alcohol is pretty moderate," Baettig said. "You won't see overripe flavors but of course, you will see wines with some power and concentration."To read our full 2022 Chile report, click here.

Senior Editor Zekun Shuai sits down with Ricardo Baettig of Chilean winery Morandé to talk carbonic maceration, new varieties in Chile and what the future holds for the country's wine scene.You can read our full 2022 Chile report here: https://www.jamessuckling.com/wine-tasting-reports/chile-annual-report-beyond-carmenere-and-into-an-ocean-of-freshness/

JamesSuckling.com Senior Editor Zekun Shuai chats with Marcelo Papa, the winemaker and technical director of Chilean winery Concha y Toro, about the 2020 and 2021 vintages and how the weather each year affected their wines.