Wine Atlas

It was out with the old and in with the new during November as Houghton Wines made two important decisions about its future.

On the one hand David Woods, CEO of parent wine company Hardy Wines, and Houghton senior winemaker Rob Bowen were on hand to officially open the winery’s new cellar door facility.

On the other, Houghton’s White Classic was announced as the new name of Houghton’s White Burgundy.

Both events will prove pivotal for Houghton’s viability in the coming decades of growth for the Western Australian wine business.

Having decided to expand its base of operations in the Swan Valley, Houghton unveiled its $1 million cellar door facility on November 20.

A dramatic increase in visitor numbers forced Houghton to revamp its existing resource, making this new work the biggest growth in more than two decades.

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Greetings from the vine!

Today I bring you a collection of wine terms, tips, trivia and events I call "Wine Wanderings." Without further ado, let the wandering begin!

Quote of the Week: "One barrel of wine can work more miracles than a church full of saints."

- Italian proverb

b Did you know that Champagne is only made in Champagne? Wine-growing in France's Champagne region dates to the end of the third century A.D. Until the 17th century, only still (non bubbly) white, red and rose wines were produced, different than the champagne we know today.

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You've heard of chick lit? Of course. But do you know junk lit? I do. I encounter it all the time. It's verbiage from people pretending to be experts, when all they're really doing is selling their spiel.

"Wines From Spain: Far From Ordinary Wine Guide 2005-2006" is decidedly not junk lit. It's a thoughtful, insightful, informative guide to the finest wines America imports from Spain, which is the world's third largest wine-producing country. The guide, published by Wines of Spain, spotlights history and winemaking laws and offers a comprehensive glossary of Spain's wine grapes as well as a thorough list of the country's disparate and intriguing wine regions. Best of all, it's got clearly written, user-friendly tasting notes written by one of the great wine minds in the world, Doug Frost, one of three wine pros in the world to attain both master of wine and master sommelier honors.

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