Ryan - thanks very much for these kind comments; probably too kind, but I'm really glad the book has meant so much to you.
You ask what's caught my attention recently. I have to say that the white wines of Santorini, which I visited at the end of June, impressed me enormously; you may have seen some of my coverage of this in the blog section of this site, but if not, do take a look. I hope there are American importers for Sigalas, Gaia and Hatzidikis; they certainly deserve them. I am a long-term fan, as far as Greek reds go, of the great Xynomavro grape, which is capable of echoing the kind of rugged, uncompromising beauty of Piedmontese reds but in a slightly warmer, more Aegean style. They age very well, too. I haven't done a lot of tasting of these recently, but do look out for any bottle with this grape variety name on, as well as wines from the regions of Naoussa and Goumenissa, where it is the main variety.
The only other piece of travel I have done recently was to Bulgaria, where I discovered some very promising reds from Catharina, Terra Tangra and Stephan von Neipperg's Enira, though I can't say yet that they strike me as great terroir wines. I am planning a 'terroir trip' to Argentina for early next year with my friend Brian Croser from Australia. More reports later, but do hunt down the red wines of Fabre Montmayou (Vistalba) if you don't already know them. Herve Joyaux-Fabre hunted down some superb parcels of old-vine Malbec in Mondoza before the rest of the world had woken up to them, and the Grand Reserva (sic) Malbec and Grand Vin are magnificent reds with a plunging depth, poise and earthiness you rarely find in Chile.
Their UK prices make them some of the best red-wine bargains in Britain at the moment. And what about bottles opened at home? Well, I've just finished my last bottle (sigh) of Olivier Jullien's 1998 Mas Jullien. If you ever see it, buy it. It is the greatest red wine I have ever drunk from the Languedoc, with magnificent composition, depth and texture. I shared this with a sommelier friend of mine and his fiancee, and we drunk it side by side, in unmarked decanters, with Lynch-Bages 1990. The comparison dishonoured neither bottle, and I'm not sure in the end I didn't enjoy the Mas Jullien a little more, despite the purity and classicism of the Lynch.
I'm also getting into my case of 2001 La Torre from Jean Gardies in the Roussillon: a magnficient, Mourvedre-rich beast from a great vintage. It would make a fascinating comparison with a great Bandol: sweeter, more sumptuous, less gruff ... but equally extractive. But wines like this prove what a great terroir Roussillon has, and it's one that is still excitingly in mid-discovery, with growers like Pascal Verghaeghe, Herve Bizeul and Jean-Luc Thunevin piling in. I heard good things about Sam Harrop's work at Matassa, too, though I haven't yet tasted his wines. Thanks again for the message, Ryan.