Ridge Vineyards’ winemaker and chief executive, Paul Draper, is set to retire from the Santa Cruz estate it has been announced.
A Rioja masterclass in London proved that, despite the greater expense, French oak doesn’t always give better results than American barrels.
California is hailing 2013 another first-rate vintage, following last year’s harvest, which was extremely highly rated right across the state.
Paul Draper of California’s Ridge Vineyards talks to Patrick Schmitt about his non-interventionist approach; why American oak can be superior to French, and his reasons for adopting ingredient labelling.