Articles

Woe be the soul who must memorize declared years of Vintage Ports

by  |  13-03-2020

A less glamorous aspect of advanced wine studies–especially when it comes to the of the Court of Master Sommeliers–is the requirement to have at the ready, all the years where Vintage Ports were declared. “Oh... more »

Torres brings Forcada to the forefront

by  |  11-03-2020

Spanish winemaking stalwart, Torres has announced an expansion of Forcada grape plantings near the village of la Llacuna in Alt Penedès. Embracing their overall plan to reintroduce this grape into production, they’ve planted the vines... more »

What you might not have known about Georgian wine & food, Part I

by  |  09-03-2020

Daria Kholodilina is the co-author of Georgia: A Guide to the Cradle. Here she breaks down a number of lesser-known facts about the food and wine of this delicious country. See Part II for more.... more »

DO Empordà first region in Spain to allow the Carinyena Blanca grape

by  |  04-03-2020

It has finally been announced in the almighty, Official Spanish State Bulletin (Boletín Oficial del Estado) that Carinyena Blanca (White Carignan) will be allowed for use in DO Empordà starting with the 2020 harvest, making... more »

A hop across the Douro: Quinta de Tourais

by  |  02-03-2020

When heading to the Douro Valley for The New Douro tasting last year, I came across a little hotel called, Original Douro Hotel in Peso da Régua. It was a touch more expensive than some... more »

Catalan exports up, wine down. Time to bend tariffs?

by  |  28-02-2020

The Catalan Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Fishing, and Foods (Agricultura, Ramaderia, Pesca i Alimentació) had their annual round table meeting this week to discuss final figures for 2019. The good news is that exports of... more »

A book review of “The Concise Guide to Wine & Blind Tasting 3rd Ed.”

by  |  27-02-2020

Not terribly long ago, I reviewed the second edition of Neel Burton’s foundational tome on tasting wines blind. Towards the end of 2018, he brought out a revised third edition which probably makes anyone with... more »

The absolute best Rioja wines! (available in the UK…)

by  |  24-02-2020

If you’re going to hold a tasting that focuses on one of Spain’s oldest quality wine regions, a sure-fire way to juice it up a bit is to have the venue be one of the... more »

Playing the game of Three-Cab Monte

by  |  14-02-2020

I was leading a tasting recently and out of random curiosity, one of the clients asked, “By the way, what Cabernet Sauvignons can you recommend?” I wasn’t really expecting that as we were tasting through... more »
Photo by Edetària

El Mas d’Edetària Selecció, the first ‘Vi de Finca’ in DO Terra Alta

by  |  07-02-2020

And now for some much-needed good news in wine: I’m happy to report that there’s been a new Vi de Finca announced which is also the first one from DO Terra Alta! Yes, “El Mas... more »