Articles

1999 Vintage in Priorat vs. Châteauneuf-du-Pape

by  |  15-02-2021

While my memory is less amazing with each birthday, I can tell you exactly where I was at the beginning of 1999. Two friends came down from my hometown on December 31st, 1998 so that... more »

The definitive wine guide for Valentine’s Day

by  |  12-02-2021

Hot on the tails of the Definitive Wine Guide for Thanksgiving and the Definitive Wine Guide for Christmas, it’s high time to take on yet another holiday–the most famous one in mid-February. Did you feel... more »

Tasting Descendientes de J. Palacios 2019

by  |  10-02-2021

Last October, in one of the few open windows for travel in between the lockdowns that we keep experiencing during this pandemic, I made a trip to Bierzo to taste their wines and compile research... more »

Scala Dei’s Artigots 2017

by  |  08-02-2021

If visiting the 12th century monastery of La Cartoixa in the village of Escaladei, you’d be forgiven for not noticing the dirt road that wobbles up along the left side of the old stone walls.... more »

DO Tarragona gets a different taste of the bubbly

by  |  05-02-2021

DO Tarragona has just announced significant changes to their Plec de Condicions which are working to shape their regulatory rules to reflect the current market trends of wine, especially when it comes to bubbles. They’ve... more »

A tasting of Sommos Garnacha

by  |  03-02-2021

The last day I was up in Barbastro to research the Somontano Report, I visited Sommos to sit down with the winemaker, José Javier Echandi, over lunch and discuss what they’re doing in their massive,... more »

The wines of DO Somontano for 2021

by  |  01-02-2021

Secreted away along a bend in the Vero River, Barbastro is a surprisingly large town of nearly 17,000 people in north-eastern Aragón. It’s historic as well, having been founded during Roman times when it was... more »

DOQ Priorat prepares to approve new varieties

by  |  28-01-2021

News in the grape variety department this week revolved around the final approval given by the French INAO regulatory body approving six new varieties for use in Bordeaux. This has come about due to a... more »

In The Glass: André Clouet Brut Millésimé 2008

by  |  27-01-2021

And now for something different as I don’t really drink much Champagne. I know, I know, it’s horridly sacrilegious as I’ve been told repeatedly by many a colleague in the UK wine trade. But, being... more »

An update on Priorat’s Vall Llach winery destruction

by  |  25-01-2021

As was reported on January 10th, the primary cellar holding nearly all the wines of Vall Llach in Porrera collapsed under the weight of snow from “Storm Filomena”. Due to the ongoing municipal confinement, it... more »