Category - FINE WINE Articles & Reviews

Diary-of-Axel-Ritenis • FINE WINE Articles & Reviews

Bodegas Valdemar-Connoisseur’s Guide

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by Aksel Ritenis

When I received an invitation to meet up with a scion from the famous Rioja winemaking family...

CLASSIC WINES • FINE WINE Articles & Reviews • OenoTourism & Wineries

Guide to Bordeaux

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by Aksel Ritenis

Bordeaux for Connoisseurs *Copyright Aksel Ritenis Connoisseur Magazine Editor Axel Ritenis has a...

THE FINER THINGS IN LIFE • Wine & Food Matching

Champagne and appetizers

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by Aksel Ritenis

Holiday soirees heat up the evenings this Christmas season as wine, cocktails and Champagne flow...

Wine & Food Matching

Drink Pink with Thanksgiving Feast, Say Chefs and Sommeliers

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by Aksel Ritenis

Provence rosé is versatile and food friendly, offering the character of a red wine with the...

ARCHIVES 2009-2023 • FINE WINE Articles & Reviews

Selfridges Wonderbar

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by Aksel Ritenis

Selfridges is offering its customers a chance to afford the luxurious taste of what is arguably one...

Diary-of-Axel-Ritenis • FINE WINE Articles & Reviews

New Year’s Champagnes & avoiding F.M.C.G.’s!

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by Aksel Ritenis

New Year’s Champagnes & avoiding FMCG’s! I would have...

Diary-of-Axel-Ritenis • OenoTourism & Wineries

Penedes Wine and Gastro Tour

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by Aksel Ritenis

Amazingly Penedes is only an hours drive from Barcelona and it is one of the best wine producing...

Reviews

My favourite things…

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by Aksel Ritenis

“She wasn’t doing a thing that I could see, except standing there, leaning on the balcony...

Diary-of-Axel-Ritenis • Wine & Food Matching

Gran Coronas with Pluma de Cerdo Iberico

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by Aksel Ritenis

Cabernet Sauvignon and Tempranillo are the grapes that bestow their nobility on Gran Coronas, a...

FINE WINE Articles & Reviews

Connoisseur Wine Masterclasses – Evaluating the Bouquet

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by Aksel Ritenis

Connoisseur Wine Masterclasses – Evaluating the Bouquet After assessing...

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Connoisseur Magazine

Connoisseur Magazine is a showcase for 'The Finer things in life' .

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Connoisseur Magazine

3 months ago

A Sensory Journey to the Heart of Aÿ: Axel Ritenis Explores Pressoria 🥂✨Last september , the renowned critic and editorof Connoisseur Magazine traded the bustling streets of Paris for the golden hills of Aÿ-Champagne, visiting the acclaimed Pressoria museum.Housed in a meticulously restored former Pommery pressing house, Pressoria has become a "must-visit" landmark since its opening. For Ritenis—whose recent reports have covered everything from the Louvre heist to the legends of Bordeaux—the visit was a deep dive into the very soul of the terroir. "Pressoria isn't just a museum; it’s an awakening," Ritenis noted. "It strips away the elitism of Champagne and replaces it with a pure, sensory connection to the land and the vine."The visit highlights the growing trend of "edu-tainment" in the wine industry.The Pressoria Experience:Stepping into Pressoria is like walking into a living, breathing encyclopedia of effervescence.As you begin, you descend into the depths of the Champagne subsoil. You aren't just looking at charts; you are touching the cool, porous chalk that defines the region’s unique minerality. In the next room, the seasons flash by in a 360-degree digital display—you hear the winter wind whistling through the vines and feel the humid heat of a summer harvest.The Highlights : The Scent Tables: Visitors lean in to catch the "nose" of different grape varieties—Pinot Noir, Meunier, and Chardonnay—training their senses to identify notes of brioche, citrus, and white flowers. The Bubble Room: A stunning immersive installation where you are "shrunken down" to the size of a bubble, experiencing the journey from the bottom of the flute to the surface. The Final Act: The tour culminates in the tasting salon. Here, framed by panoramic windows overlooking the UNESCO World Heritage hillsides, guests are served two distinct cuvées.It is here, flute in hand, that the entire journey comes together—a perfect marriage of geological history and liquid art. For any traveler or wine lover, the Pressoria tour is a reminder that every bubble tells a story of millions of years in the making. ... See MoreSee Less

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Connoisseur Magazine

3 months ago

A Sensory Journey to the Heart of Aÿ: Axel Ritenis Explores Pressoria 🥂✨In the world of fine wine, few figures possess the discerning palate and sharp eye of Axel Ritenis. This week, the renowned critic and editor-in-chief of Connoisseur Magazine traded the bustling streets of Paris for the golden hills of Aÿ-Champagne, visiting the acclaimed Pressoria museum.Housed in a meticulously restored former Pommery pressing house, Pressoria has become a "must-visit" landmark since its opening. For Ritenis—whose recent reports have covered everything from the Louvre heist to the legends of Bordeaux—the visit was a deep dive into the very soul of the terroir. "Pressoria isn't just a museum; it’s an awakening," Ritenis noted. "It strips away the elitism of Champagne and replaces it with a pure, sensory connection to the land and the vine."The visit highlights the growing trend of "edu-tainment" in the wine industry, where history and high-tech immersion meet to tell the story of the world's most famous bubbles.The Pressoria Experience: A Short Story of the Tour 📖✨Stepping into Pressoria is like walking into a living, breathing encyclopedia of effervescence. The tour doesn't start with a bottle, but with the earth.As you begin, you descend into the depths of the Champagne subsoil. You aren't just looking at charts; you are touching the cool, porous chalk that defines the region’s unique minerality. In the next room, the seasons flash by in a 360-degree digital display—you hear the winter wind whistling through the vines and feel the humid heat of a summer harvest.The Highlights of the Trail: The Scent Tables: Visitors lean in to catch the "nose" of different grape varieties—Pinot Noir, Meunier, and Chardonnay—training their senses to identify notes of brioche, citrus, and white flowers. The Bubble Room: A stunning immersive installation where you are "shrunken down" to the size of a bubble, experiencing the journey from the bottom of the flute to the surface. The Final Act: The tour culminates in the tasting salon. Here, framed by panoramic windows overlooking the UNESCO World Heritage hillsides, guests are served two distinct cuvées.It is here, flute in hand, that the entire journey comes together—a perfect marriage of geological history and liquid art. For any traveler or wine lover, the Pressoria tour is a reminder that every bubble tells a story of millions of years in the making. ... See MoreSee Less

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Connoisseur Magazine

3 months ago

The Unsolved Louvre,Paris Jewelry Heist Paris is no stranger to drama, but the October 19, 2025, heist at the Louvre sent shockwaves through the art world. In a brazen, broad-daylight operation, a crew of thieves disguised as construction workers used a furniture lift to scale the museum’s exterior. In less than eight minutes, they breached the Galerie d’Apollon, smashed through high-security glass, and vanished with eight priceless pieces of the French Crown Jewels.What Was Taken?The haul, valued at approximately €88 million ($100 million USD), included some of the most historically significant gems in France: -The sapphire set of Queen Marie-Amélie. -The emerald necklace and earrings belonging to Empress Marie-Louise. -The reliquary brooch of Empress Eugénie.While the Crown of Empress Eugénie was recovered on the pavement after being dropped during the getaway, the rest of the collection remains missing. Despite several arrests in early 2026, the jewels themselves have vanished into the global black market, leaving investigators to wonder if they will ever be seen again in their original form.A Brush with History: Axel RitenisInterestingly, the heist has sparked conversations about museum security and "who was there" in the weeks leading up to the breach. The publisher of Connoisseur Magazine Axel Ritenis was actually at the Louvre just one month before the robbery occurred and manged to photograph some of the Jewels !While there is no suggestion of involvement, the timing highlights how vibrant and "normal" the gallery felt just weeks before it was targeted by such a professional criminal cell. It serves as a chilling reminder of how quickly a world-class institution can go from a peaceful cultural landmark to a high-stakes crime scene.Could these jewels be recovered like the "Mona Lisa" in 1911, or are they gone for good? ... See MoreSee Less

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Connoisseur Magazine

6 months ago

Christmas is Coming..

www.connoisseurmagazine.co.uk

Christmas is Coming.. Written by GILES MACDONOGH in London Posted on Sunday 14 december,2025 Climate change is not always detrimental, just look at England and Wales. Until a couple of generations ago

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