Articles

Sant Martí, birth to new wine & death to pigs

by  |  13-11-2020

The day of Saint Martin of Tours is November 11th and it doesn’t go unnoticed in Spain. Across the whole country and especially in Catalunya, it’s touted as the day to slaughter pigs and drink... more »

Taking stock of bottle-aged Sherry

by  |  11-11-2020

Despite the great quantity of books on Sherry these days (such as this one), it seems that we’re still lacking one which debunks all the misinformation, misconceptions, and plain old clichés cursing this fine wine.... more »

DOQ Priorat’s new “grower” classification

by  |  09-11-2020

In any given wine region there’s usually a little bit of everything when it comes to who is making the wine. You have the one-person show where the owner grows the grapes and makes the... more »

In The Glass: Crivellé i Valls – Llàgrimes del Priorat 2018

by  |  06-11-2020

Whenever anyone asks me what judging wine is like, I tell them that it’s very hard, tiring work and they invariably laugh at me. I realize it’s impossible to imagine that swishing and smelling wine... more »

Celebrating an article milestone

by  |  02-11-2020

If you’re reading this, congratulations for managing to be online still! For anyone in the United States, I can’t blame you for avoiding all forms of mass communication for the next 48 hours or so... more »
Photo by Tenuta di Capezzana

Capezzana & DOCG Carmignano

by  |  29-10-2020

“Never too young. Never too old.” This is such a wonderful manner to describe DOCG Carmignano and was said by Eric de Rothschild, the director of an “obscure” winery called, Château Lafite Rothschild, when he... more »
Photo by Malu Lambert

From Cape Chianti to hero: Grenache in South Africa

by  |  26-10-2020

“I grew up with Grenache,” shares South African wine legend, Jan Boland Coetzee. His pale blue eyes focused on the verdant Swartland hills from our vantage point on Adi Badenhorst’s porch. The crops and vines... more »

The DO Montsant 2020 harvest comes to a close

by  |  23-10-2020

Essentially all the vineyards within the DO Montsant have been picked this year. According to their official statistics, only a handful in the north are still to arrive so in effect, the harvest has closed.... more »

In The Glass: Clau de Nell – Grolleau 2011

by  |  21-10-2020

I adore grape variety summaries such as these: “Widely planted though little recognized”. Where some may see that as meaning a variety exists in a sea of bland obscurity, I see it as a challenge.... more »

New DOQ Priorat wineries to know, 2020 edition

by  |  19-10-2020

The wines being produced under the auspices of DOQ Priorat are always in flux and always evolving. They have to because the region from hence they issue forth grows ever more extreme while at the... more »