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Street smart winemaking

No vineyards? No problem. A new breed of wineries are setting up shop in American cities, and even letting customers make their own quaffs.

10 great things on the drinks scene

With wines going au naturel and indigenous sake shaping up to be the celebrated toast on everyone’s lips, 2014 looks set to be an exciting year for adventurous tipplers.

Rating the service

At the 4th Southeast Asia Sommelier Competition, sommeliers had to overcome stage jitters and tricky challenges to prove their mettle to judges. Lin Weiwen spends a day with them behind the scenes.

No shortcut to success

Susana Balbo overcame several setbacks—including a failed winery—and tells Lin Weiwen how she bounced back to become one of the icons of the Argentinian wine industry.

The pruner who never calls in sick

Automated technical workers are now trundling their way into vineyards. The next glass of Chardonnay you drink may have had its vines pruned by a robot.

Dessert wines

Whether it is a modern style Sauternes, a herbaceous Italian Vin Santo, or a fresh Riesling Auslese, there’s a sweet wine to meet your palate.

Sweet solutions

Bordeaux-based oenologist, Fabrice Dubourdieu, always brings a bottle of Sauternes to Asian dinners as the elixir is an effective all–rounder for wine pairings.

Planting a brighter future

Having established his reputation with impressive Shirazes, Barossa Valley-based winemaker, Grant Burge, is now experimenting with Pinot Noir in Tasmania.

Bubbling over

You’ll rarely find ambassador for Piper-Heidsieck and Charles Heidsieck, Ned Goodwin, drinking wines from Bordeaux when he’s off-duty. The Master of Wine prefers quaffs from Jura and Loire Valley.