Articles

A new look at Castell d’Encus

by  |  25-09-2026

When going to taste the wines of Ferrer Bobet for this year’s Priorat Report, co-owner and general winemaking savant, Raül Bobet proposed tasting the wines of his personal project up in the Pyrénées, Castell d’Encus.... more »

The ‘C’ Word

by  |  22-09-2026

It was nearly harvest time and I was standing in a Grenache vineyard in Southern Catalunya. Or at least, I thought it was Grenache as there were two rows of vines that didn’t look terribly... more »

LionSpirit & Cypriot wines

by  |  18-09-2026

This series of samples came my way recently from the island of Cyprus. I know Cyprus for one solid reason which is, Commandaria. It was on a sommelier exam and I missed the question, but... more »

The wines of Collioure & Banyuls 2026

by  |  15-09-2026

One of the highlights in my wine reporting calendar is to visit and taste the wines of Collioure, Banyuls, and the greater Côte Vermeille. This year, it’s a large batch with over 110 wines reviewed... more »

The broad view for Wines of Portugal

by  |  11-09-2026

The first part of my trip to Porto for Alive Taste this summer was, to put it mildly, mind-blowingly hot–and this is from someone who lives on the Mediterranean side of the Iberian Peninsula. Thankfully,... more »

Of Substack & wine

by  |  08-09-2026

To borrow Ernest Hemingway’s observation on going bankrupt, wine writing on Substack started gradually and then happened all at once. It’s no secret that classic wine media has been in a decline in terms of... more »

Acústic Celler – Blanc 2024

by  |  04-09-2026

With the free fall in the wine world which may or may not be stabilizing despite all of us who love wine doing our part to drink it, producers are still trying to figure out... more »

Reinventing the wine

by  |  01-09-2026

Unlike most other alcohols, selling wine over the last half century has required not just branding, but a narrative, and despite being very aware of this, wine has never actually managed to fully control its... more »