Articles

Let’s talk about ’16 and Álvaro Palacios

by  |  25-03-2019

A decade ago, despite living just an hour away in San Francisco, my visits to Napa Valley were readily-dwindling in regularity as tourism was then and is now, out of control. But in a nearly-final... more »

Looking back on Sauvignon Blanc

by  |  20-03-2019

My flight had arrived on time. This may seem a trivial concern but when flying Iberia’s budget line, Vueling, you prepare for the annoying but expect the worst. Sometimes that just means seats arranged for... more »
Do not get between Allison Janney and a porró.

Guzzling with the stars; six new celebrity wines

by  |  18-03-2019

From press releases about Sarah Jessica Parker’s forays wearing gumboots into the vineyards of New Zealand, to Brangelina’s lucrative Provençal Rosé adventures, to Jon Bon Jovi’s uh, Rosé, to Drew Barrymore’s, uh… other Rosé (wtf?)... more »

Khikhvi: impossible to say, impossible not to love

by  |  15-03-2019

When in Georgia researching the book, there were a handful of words I learned immediately: “hello” (gamarjoba), “yes” (ki/kho), “no” (ara), and “thank you” (madloba). “Cheers” (gaumarjos) arrived quickly out of necessity but it was... more »

Blind tasting and finding typicity in DOQ Priorat

by  |  07-03-2019

What do you call a group of blind wine tasters? A “fool”, a group of blind wine tasters is called a fool. I am an itinerant member of one such fool in Barcelona and the... more »

Family wineries and the issue of Climate Change

by  |  04-03-2019

Last week I was invited to a friendly, relaxed lunch in Barcelona, albeit one that was focused on the serious topic of Climate Change and how it relates to winemaking. The unfortunate joke behind the... more »

Natural etc. Can Sumoi

by  |  01-03-2019

Europe is in the “Recuperation Era” of winemaking and by that I mean that there is still a lot of recuperation of old varieties, vineyards, and winemaking methods taking place to produce the modern, evolving... more »

A review of “It Starts With Wine”

by  |  25-02-2019

The passage of time has taught us that history repeats itself for those who refuse to learn it and wine, is exceptionally hard to capture on film. To date, I’m of the opinion that the... more »

In the Glass: AA Badenhorst – Secateurs Red Blend 2012

by  |  21-02-2019

I try to live a life as free from regret as possible and overall, I think I do a pretty decent job of keeping my “regret debt” within decent margins. There are however two regrets... more »

Speaking of Herència Altés

by  |  18-02-2019

In Spain, judgment of a person is regularly passed based upon their given name. If you can figure out the origin of either of the family names, you base your conclusions upon that. If the... more »