Wine With Jimmy

Wine With Jimmy Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Wine With Jimmy, Food consultant, 71 Townmead Road Fulham, London, London.

It’s the all-important infectious enthusiasm and passion for the world of wine that enables Jimmy Smith to communicate to his audience in a relaxed, welcoming and fun way.

15/09/2026

🇺🇸 Discovering Biodynamic Viticulture PART 1 on California W**e Month 🇺🇸

🏡Littorai W**es⁠ is one of the benchmark producers of cool-climate Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in California, and an important pioneer of the idea that California w**e can be defined by individual vineyard sites rather than by ripeness, power or w**emaking technique. Founded by Ted and Heidi Lemon in 1992 (first vintage 1993), Littorai works primarily with vineyards in the Sonoma Coast and Anderson Valley of Mendocino County, producing small quantities of vineyard-designated w**es with an explicitly Burgundian philosophy of terroir. They work with key sites such as B.A. Thieriot Vineyard, Hirsch Vineyard, The Haven (Littorai’s original estate vineyard) and the Pivot (cue Friends…) to name a few.

🐂Littorai began adopting biodynamic farming around 2000, initially at The Haven, before extending the philosophy to other estate, leased and grower vineyards. Today Littorai states that approximately 85% of its vineyard sources are farmed using biodynamic methods, while the remaining 15% use only organic materials. They are not certified but practising.

🐂In biodynamic grapegrowing, special preparations are used in very small quantities to stimulate soil and plant health. The main ones are:

Preparation 500 – Horn manure: Cow manure is packed into a cow horn and buried over winter. It is later diluted in water, vigorously stirred (“dynamised”) and sprayed onto the soil. It is intended to encourage soil microbial activity, humus formation and root development.
Preparation 501 – Horn silica: Finely ground quartz is placed in a cow horn and buried over summer. After dilution and dynamisation, it is sprayed as a fine mist over the vines, with the aim of encouraging photosynthesis, ripening and plant vitality.
Preparations 502–507 – Compost preparations: Small quantities of yarrow, chamomile, stinging nettle, oak bark, dandelion and valerian preparations are added to compost. They are intended to regulate decomposition and nutrient cycling.

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14/09/2026

🫧 Here at **ery harvest is starting, but it starts before the grapes are picked and processed. I’ve often said the w**emaking is 70% cleaning, 20% logistics and 10% romance (which is what we’re all lured in by!).

🧽Here’s the honest and un-sexy side. Cleaning. Cleaning picking crates for harvest. Fall out from such acitivities; squelchy feet, damp clothes, blurred glasses but with that rising anticipation of harvest season. I’m not sure but I think this trumps cleaning barrels as one of the innate jobs in the w**ery. Also slightly satisfying watching the crates dwindle on the pile on the time-lapse!

🍀Good luck to all the pickers and processers out there, enjoy the forthcoming weeks, and I know many of you have already started, so keep up the stoic work.

Disclaimer: No crates were harmed in the making of this video.

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13/09/2026

🎤Here I interview Gavin Chanin **e a passionate and dedicated producer of cool climate Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from Santa Barbara County. His w**es are quite wonderful and can often put-to-bed the myth that Californian w**es are often rich and ripe.

🇺🇸 California W**e Month 🇺🇸

🇺🇸September is Californian W**e Month! Follow my series where I interview some of the key movers and shakers of the Californian w**e scene .w**es .w**es.uk

🏡 Chanin W**es⁠ is a small, terroir-focused producer founded in 2007 by Gavin Chanin, and has become an important name in the modern generation of Santa Barbara County Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Chanin’s philosophy centres on individual vineyard sites, old vines, restrained ripeness and relatively low-intervention w**emaking, producing w**es that emphasize freshness, acidity, texture and vineyard character rather than sheer fruit weight or extraction.

🍇Whole-cluster fermentation (whole-bunch fermentation) means fermenting Pinot Noir with some or all of the grape bunches intact, including the stems, rather than completely destemming the fruit before fermentation. With whole-cluster fermentation, the w**emaker instead puts intact bunches directly into the fermenter. A w**ery might use 10%, 30%, 50%, 80% or even 100% whole cluster, with the remainder destemmed. This can encourage a degree of intracellular fermentation—enzymatic reactions occurring inside intact berries before they rupture. It can contribute particularly attractive, lifted aromatics. The stems themselves can also add herbal-spice notes so the ripeness/lignification of the stems is important.

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11/09/2026

🇺🇸 California W**e Month 🇺🇸

🇺🇸Woo-hoo! September is Californian W**e Month! Follow my series where I interview some of the key movers and shakers of the Californian w**e scene .w**es .w**es.uk

🙋🏻‍♂️Here I talk to grapegrower and w**emaker Andy Smith (legendary surname) of **ery in the Green Valley of Russian River in the Sonoma Coast. We discuss the unique decision of high density plantation, at 3,600 acres per vine and the associated benefits.

🌿 High density planting: Following the Burgundian approach, Andy decided to plant at high density, some 3,600 vines per acre, on this original 10 acre plot of Pinot Noir. A major benefit is the natural shading of vines and grape clusters leading to a reduction in sun exposure. This enables brighter acidities and greater aromatics in the fruit. In addition is healthier soils with greater microbial life. Further intention is to encourage competition between vines, restrict individual vine growth and encourage deeper rooting and small, concentrated clusters.

🏡 DuMOL⁠ is a highly regarded, small-production California w**ery focused on cool-climate, vineyard-driven w**es, particularly Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Syrah. The w**ery was founded in 1996, but a defining period in its development came with the arrival of Scottish-born Andy Smith, now DuMOL’s w**emaker, viticulturist and partner. DuMOL has become particularly associated with the cooler western reaches of the Russian River Valley, including Green Valley, where proximity to the Pacific Ocean produces a long, relatively cool growing season. They source fruit from iconic sites such as Charles Heintz vineyard. The w**es of DuMOL hold concentration, weight and complexity finely balanced with freshness.

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10/09/2026

🇺🇸 California W**e Month 🇺🇸

🇺🇸September of Earth, Wind and Fire fame is Californian W**e Month. Follow my series where I interview some of the key movers and shakers of the Californian w**e scene .w**es .w**es.uk

🙋🏻‍♂️Here I talk to w**emaker Ryan Hannaford of **e in the Santa Rita Hills, Santa Barbara County, California, about the 🇫🇷 connection of including key figures such as Etienne Montille, Brian Sieve (both Burgundy) and Rodolphe Peters (Ch*****ne). Ryan is not 🇫🇷 but 🇦🇺

🇺🇸The Sta. Rita Hills AVA is a cool-climate w**e region in Santa Barbara County, California, famous for world-class Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Situated in the western Santa Ynez Valley between the towns of Lompoc and Buellton (Sideways Hitching Post fame). Unique east-to-west transverse mountain ranges funnel cold Pacific Ocean fog and ocean breezes directly into the vineyards.

🏡Racines is one of the most compelling international projects in California’s Sta. Rita Hills AVA, bringing together the traditions of Burgundy, Ch*****ne and Santa Barbara County. The estate was founded as a collaboration between Étienne de Montille and Brian Sieve of Burgundy’s Domaine de Montille and Rodolphe Péters, sixth-generation vigneron of Ch*****ne Pierre Péters. Their objective is not simply to reproduce French w**e styles in California, but to apply a European philosophy of terroir, precision and restrained w**emaking to the distinctive cool-climate vineyards of the Sta. Rita Hills.

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09/09/2026

🇺🇸 California W**e Month 🇺🇸

🇺🇸September is Californian W**e Month. Follow my series where I interview some of the key movers and shakers of the Californian w**e scene .w**es .w**es.uk

🙋🏻‍♂️Here I talk to of a cool climate producer close to Annapolis in the northern part of the West Sonoma Coast. Andy and his brother, along with w**emaker Vanessa Wong, craft some beautiful vibrant and fresh w**es.

❓Is Syrah misunderstood in the US?
The w**e industry, sommeliers, w**e journalists, educators - we all love the variety. But why is that consumers in the States do not?

❓How does a cool climate craft Syrah?
I talk to Andy here about climate, weather and hang time and how it shapes the Syrah protecting compounds like ‘rotundone’

⚫️ Rotudone. It is a sesquiterpene with the molecular formula C₁₅H₂₂O. It is a natural chemical compound that gives black pepper and certain cool-climate w**es their distinct spicy, peppery aroma (along with juniper, clove, cardamom etc). It has an extremely low odor threshold, meaning tiny amounts (measured in nanograms per liter) can be easily smelled by most people. However approximately 20% to 25% of people are genetically insensitive (anosmic) and cannot smell rotundone at typical levels.

🤨Have you tasted Andy Peay’s Syrah? I love them, I lovely their youthful brightness with lavender, violet, pepper and bright red fruit - and they age into this lovely savoury-iron style in certain vintages.

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08/09/2026

🇵🇹 Alentejo ‘Talha’ series 🇵🇹

I continue my fascinating and banterful chat with Vas Fernandes w**emaker about:

1) The set date of 11th November, St. Martins Day, where the w**e is allowed for the first time to be drawn off its skins. As harvests are getting earlier, from October a hundred years ago, to August today, is this set date too late now? This means we have on average 3 months of skin contact compared to just 1 month in the past.

2) Low-intervention methods and the role of sulfur. The importance here is to protect ancient tradition and heritage so the methodology remains largely the same with the important inclusion of very low amounts of SO2.

3) How to clean the talha - as Vas mentions, an agile, nimble and slim person needs to get into the vessel to clean out the leftover skins, and to clean after usage. Danger pay!

Notes:
🏺The ‘talha’ is an old hand-made clay amphora of huge local cultural importance in the Alentejo, Portugal. Somewhat similar to the Georgian ‘qvevri’ but not buried underground.

🏡 Adega Vidigueira: Adega Cooperativa de Vidigueira, Cuba e Alvito⁠ is one of the most important cooperative w**eries in southern Alentejo and a key reference point for understanding the distinctive w**es of the Vidigueira subregion. Founded in 1960, the cooperative was established by local growers from Vidigueira, Cuba and Alvito to protect the area’s vineyards, indigenous grape varieties and long-established w**emaking traditions. Custodians of the Antão Vaz grape variety, in a hilly topography flanked by the Serra do Mendro and flanked by the Guadiana River.

**emaking **e

06/09/2026

🇵🇹 Alentejo ‘talha’ series 🇵🇹

Here I talk to of about the unique style that is ‘pahlete’ in Alentejo, Portugal. Of course w**e is consumed. And Rita sings.

🔴⚪️🟠 ‘Palhete’ is one of Portugal’s most traditional and increasingly rediscovered w**e styles, occupying a fascinating position somewhere between a light red and a dark rosé though classed by many locals as a white as Rita explains. Rather than being produced by simply blending finished red and white w**es, Palhete traditionally involves red and white grapes being harvested and fermented together, often because the varieties were interplanted in the same old vineyard. The resulting w**es tend to have a pale ruby, garnet or pink-red colour, moderate tannin and an emphasis on freshness, perfume and drinkability.

🏺Talha: Talha is the 2000 year-old traditional clay amphora dating to Roman times used for fermenting and storing w**e in Portugal’s Alentejo, representing one of the country’s oldest surviving w**emaking traditions. Those of you who know ‘qvevri’ w**es from Georgia will be interested. It remains particularly closely associated with villages around Vidigueira, including Vila de Frades, often regarded as the cultural heartland of Vinho de Talha.

🏡 Gerações da Talha ‘Generations of the Talha’ is a small, family-run producer based in Vila de Frades, near Vidigueira in Portugal’s Alentejo, a village widely regarded as one of the great centres of the region’s ancient vinho de talha tradition. The estate is closely associated with the Honrado family, whose knowledge of talha w**emaking has been passed from one generation to the next.

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05/09/2026

🇵🇹 Alentejo ‘talha’ trip, Portugal 🇵🇹

Here I talk to the lovely and energetic Maria Pica of the estate from a wonderful vista overlooking the sub-region of Vidigueira. Here we locate the town of Vidigueira, the talha village-capital of Vil de Frades, the Serra do Mendro and the Alqueva Dam on the Guadiana River.

🗻The Serra do Mendro is one of the most important geographical features influencing viticulture in the Vidigueira subregion of Alentejo. Although relatively modest in elevation (highest peak is 424 m (1,391 ft) the range has a disproportionately large influence on vineyard climate, soils, exposure and ultimately w**e style.

🌊 The Alqueva Dam. Built across the Guadiana River near Moura, the dam was completed in 2002, creating the enormous Alqueva Reservoir, which extends across much of eastern Alentejo and into neighbouring Spain. With a storage capacity of around 4.15 billion m³ of water and a surface area of approximately 250 km² (97 sq mi), it is often described as the largest artificial lake in Western Europe by surface area. This has been essential both agriculture and viticulture.

🏡 Quinta do Paral is an ambitious modern w**e estate in Vidigueira, combining contemporary w**emaking with a strong commitment to the region’s old vineyards, indigenous grape varieties and traditional w**e culture. The present project began in 2017 by German entrepreneur Dieter Morszeck. They have nearly 60ha planted with almost 20ha of very old vines. They have traditional method sparkling, whites, reds and rosés from entry level to premium, and, of course talhas. They have also developed into a broader w**e tourism estate, incorporating olive oil production, restaurants and a 22-room luxury w**e hotel. Mark my words, the food is delicious.



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04/09/2026

🇵🇹 Alentejo ‘talha’ trip, Portugal 🇵🇹

THREE grapegrowing decisions that can help to craft great quality ‘talha’ w**es.

Here I talk to of about three major decisions/factors that can help craft ‘talha’ w**es.

🏺Talha: Talha is the 2000 year-old traditional clay amphora dating to Roman times used for fermenting and storing w**e in Portugal’s Alentejo, representing one of the country’s oldest surviving w**emaking traditions. Those of you who know ‘qvevri’ w**es from Georgia will be interested. It remains particularly closely associated with villages around Vidigueira, including Vila de Frades, often regarded as the cultural heartland of Vinho de Talha.

🏡 Gerações da Talha ‘Generations of the Talha’ is a small, family-run producer based in Vila de Frades, near Vidigueira in Portugal’s Alentejo, a village widely regarded as one of the great centres of the region’s ancient vinho de talha tradition. The estate is closely associated with the Honrado family, whose knowledge of talha w**emaking has been passed from one generation to the next.

THREE factors that help create high quality talha w**es:

1️⃣ Earlier night-picked grapes, often picked today around middle of August, helps create lower pH levels and higher total acidities important for creating balance against the tannin extracted from maceration on skins.

2️⃣ Vidiguiera has a higher ‘diurnal’ shift, the difference between daytime and nighttime temperatures and the cool nights help preserve acidity.

3️⃣ Geology - the schist soils are said to help create higher acidities too, but also stronger vines with deeper root systems.



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