Articles

Wine Predictions for 2018

by  |  20-01-2018

Sending out predictions for a year, three weeks into the year may seem a bit ridiculous but I needed to wait for statistics to come out in order to rate last year’s predictions. So, this... more »

The 2017 Wine Predictions in review

by  |  18-01-2018

It’s one thing in wine to shoot your mouth off at the beginning of the year about what you believe will come to be in the next 12 months. In reality, it’s a crapshoot as... more »

Up the Douro & Quinta Nova

by  |  16-01-2018

My mother’s family is of Portuguese descent and to honor this many years ago we opened a bottle of Vintage Port that my grandfather had brought back from Porto. The build up was intense and... more »

In The Glass: Markus Altenburger – Red 2014

by  |  12-01-2018

Blaufränkisch and Plavac Mali were some of the first grapes I plunged into when starting to venture outside of my Californian safety net many years ago. It was however not the easiest grape for me... more »

The Grand Carignan Tasting

by  |  08-01-2018

There existed a time when I was daft to the wiles and wonders of the grape, Carignan. Despite pockets of old vines in California it was essentially a lost variety. Little thought and even less... more »

Pure Plavac Mali

by  |  01-01-2018

When I wrote about the passing of Zlatan Plenković last year, I made mention that his wines and in reality, a wine of Plavac Mali were largely responsible for moving me into a broader appreciation... more »

Cava’s sweet spot

by  |  29-12-2017

In a scant three days there will undoubtedly be countless people who will wake up wishing they’d had at least a glass or perhaps even a bottle less of the sparkling wine they indulged in... more »

2017: A site’s year in review

by  |  26-12-2017

Naturally, this is that time of year when everyone puts their websites on autopilot, steps back, and opens up a slew of bottles for the next week or so due to the holidays. It also... more »

Serra Barceló – The Octònia Time Machine

by  |  23-12-2017

Josep Serra (not to be confused with the la Vinyeta one) has in his possession two very nice vineyards that he bought back in 1998 which are located within the boundaries of the Capçanes village.... more »

Wine with a greater purpose: El Microscopi 2016

by  |  20-12-2017

Wine needs a story! So harps those in marketing these days and I have to agree that there is some truth to this as a wine without a story is essentially the beer, Coors Light.... more »