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.
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.
California is hailing 2013 another first-rate vintage, following last year’s harvest, which was extremely highly rated right across the state.
