Spices &
The Spice Merchant's Hour

Syrah from cool sites contains rotundone — the same compound that gives black pepper its bite.

American oak gives wines vanilla and dill; French oak gives clove and cinnamon. The spice is a choice of forest.

Warm vintages concentrate sugar and spice; cooler ones keep the pepper sharp and the fruit lifted.

Medieval European wines were often spiced (hippocras) — proof that taste for warmth is older than terroir itself.

Serve at 17°C with smoky, peppery food. Spicy wines need company that argues back.

Malbec was a Bordeaux grape before becoming Argentina's signature · Syrah and Shiraz are the same grape · Priorat vines grow in volcanic slate called 'llicorella'.