Articles
Emeril Lagasse, well-known showcooker

Showcooking & Wordsenglish in Catalan wine

by  |  17-10-2016

There really isn’t a week that passes in Catalunya where I don’t see some event that has a session of “showcooking” scheduled. I’m not really sure how this word entered the regular vernacular although to... more »

A missed point on sweet Sherry

by  |  11-10-2016

I was quite stoked when I saw this headline as I thought the author of the article was going to bring up the point that, as one of the driving markets for sweet and blended... more »

Catalan Carignan & The “Best” Catalan Wine

by  |  10-10-2016 ~ 1 Comment

Last Friday the winners were announced for the 4th edition of the Vinari Awards. This is the main wine award for all of Catalonia and this year I participated as one of the judges. So,... more »

WTF? Vaso Ramazashvili – Pinot Noir 2015

by  |  07-10-2016 ~ 2 Comments

When I was browsing around the offer at 8,000 Vintages, I stumbled across this wine which is a Pinot Noir. For those who aren't up on your Saperavi, Khikhvi, and Rkatsiteli, Pinot Noir is not... more »

Bridging wine’s language silos

by  |  30-09-2016

Vinum is a wine shop in my adopted village of Porrera where it's usually the mother of the family that owns it, Cori who you'll find behind the counter. She's from the next county over,... more »

The Grapes of Spain

by  |  28-09-2016 ~ 2 Comments

If there is one native Spanish grape that a typical wine drinker will know, it is Tempranillo, and for most consumers, the story ends there. In the second half of the 20th century, it was... more »

Enough with Sherry & Grandma

by  |  26-09-2016

It seems to have started at least a decade ago when someone introduced an article on Sherry by saying that people shouldn't confuse it with that sweet drink that your grandmother would sip on. Others... more »

In The Glass: Jean Leon – 3055 Merlot/Petit Verdot 2015

by  |  23-09-2016

One of the wineries high on my list to visit in Catalonia is that of Jean Leon. Being that it's in DO Penedès, it's a touch out of the way for just casually stopping in,... more »
Yes, that is indeed my chicken scratch

The “Correction” in wine writing

by  |  22-09-2016 ~ 5 Comments

Seems to be a melancholy, pensive time in wine writing. Steve Heimoff posted this article about the Golden Age of Wine Critics having passed. It was a nice read set in the midst of a... more »

In The Glass: Cave de Tain l’Hermitage – Cornas 2012

by  |  19-09-2016

I don't really know why the AOC Cornas appellation in Rhône isn't more sought after. It's a very small region over just over 100ha with very small production of just half a million bottles--in a... more »