Essays
The Early History of Bordeaux and Rioja
by Charlie Leary | 09-10-2023
There's a commonly-held belief that starting in the mid- to late-nineteenth century, Bordeaux had a “revolutionary” impact on Rioja wine production. In particular, in the 1860s, the winemaker of Bordeaux’s pioneering Chateau Lanessan, owned by... more »
Release of the 2015 Vi Novell
by Miquel Hudin | 16-11-2015
When talking about anything “nouveau” in the wine world, most mouths open and say, “Oh, Beaujolais Nouveau?” as that is hand’s down the most famous of the early release wines in the world. And by... more »
A vineyard that time ignores
by Miquel Hudin | 05-06-2015
If you happen to live just south of Girona and go to Sant Celoni often to take the regional train, then you, much like me, would take the GI-555 as it offers something of a... more »
A further history of Priorat’s “clos” wineries
by Miquel Hudin | 02-08-2014
When we started researching the first edition of our Priorat book two years ago, one of the big goals was to unravel all the various versions of history that are known to crisscross DOQ Priorat.... more »
You say “lip stinger”, I say no
by Miquel Hudin | 20-07-2014
I’m not sure why I’m such a pedantic twit when it comes to wine grape names. I suppose it’s because all European grapes have a name that typically means something whether it’s the place they’re... more »
One very old Iberian wine cellar
by Miquel Hudin | 23-02-2014
For those who might have seen or remembered it, there was a great line from the 1980s TV series ALF which was, “You crawl under houses, you hear things.” The same can be said in... more »
Roman wine under Barcelona
by Miquel Hudin | 29-06-2013
European cities are generally excellent in having a multitude of museums to visit and while Barcelona is no Paris, it has its fair share as well. But, one of the museums that is often overlooked... more »
A world of wine underfoot
by Miquel Hudin | 04-04-2013
Last year, when working on finishing tracks for the high speed rail connection from Barcelona to France, the construction workers unearthed what was basically a 2,000 year-old wine cellar just north of the city. It... more »
The Empordà/Costa Brava confusion
by Miquel Hudin | 19-03-2013
Browsing around the internetz this morning (as that’s what Tuesday mornings are for) I came across a new company offering guided winery tours. These are a dime a dozen these days in Spain as due... more »
Malbec in opposite poles of the world: Bordeaux and New Zealand
by Editorial | 14-03-2013
This was originally posted on El Solà d’Ares, a blog by Catalan wine and olive oil craftsman, Antoni Sánchez-Ortiz who is working in New Zealand right now. He’s also the enolog behind the fantastic Melis... more »