Articles

The almightiest of scores: Zero Parker Points

by  |  16-10-2020

As a rehash, the whole “100 points scale” that Robert Parker “invented” is actually a 50-100 point scale that’s based upon the American educational grading system. So in essence, the lowest score a wine could... more »

In The Glass: Gran Bierzo Rosado 2019

by  |  14-10-2020

I’m thankfully no “wine influencer“, so I’m not terribly accustomed to my Instagram, “blowing up” but blow up it did when I posted this rosé from Bierzo last week. It was in a blind tasting... more »

A book review of “Firing Blancs”

by  |  12-10-2020

I mention it often as it seems an unchanging fact, but fiction in wine writing is a rare beast. Quality fiction is something even rarer. And being able to write a sequel is but the... more »
Photo by Morana Zibar

The nitty & gritty about The Wine Instagram

by  |  09-10-2020

Lockdown brought about an exponential increase in my social media screen time to the point of saturation and forced me to re-evaluate the good, the bad and the ugly of both Twitter and Instagram. My... more »

A farewell to beloved Barcelona wine bar, Monvínic

by  |  05-10-2020

Monvínic, one of the first truly-dedicated wine bars in Barcelona that was once hailed as the best wine bar in the world by a Wall Street Journal columnist, finally announced last week that they’ve closed... more »

In The Glass: Obergo – Expression Garnacha 2016

by  |  30-09-2020

I’m on my way to DO Somontano for a couple of days. While their wines are readily available in supermarkets in some parts of Spain, I’m looking to gain a better appreciation of what this... more »
Photo by Recaredo

Bringing the restaurant to the winery

by  |  28-09-2020

What’s a winery? When you arrive to Napa Valley for the first time, don’t be shocked that no winery has a restaurant at it. Why? Surely, there’s a great synergy to be found in having... more »

In The Glass: Raúl Pérez – Ultreia Saint Jacques 2017

by  |  25-09-2020

For those coming around to DO Bierzo and the charm of the variety, Mencía, Raúl Pérez has long been hailed as one of the star winemakers of the region and its primary grape. Bierzo is... more »

Rethinking the wine writing award

by  |  23-09-2020

This recent article by Alicia Kennedy held one of the most insightful and powerful comments I’ve seen in some time regarding awards: Awards reinforce hegemonic narratives of industries that uphold the oppressive structures that govern... more »

New DO Montsant wineries to know, 2020 edition

by  |  21-09-2020

The Denomination of Origin Montsant wasn’t even in existence 20 years ago and yet, it’s proven to be a Spanish DO very much on the move. What started out as a collection of just a... more »