Catalan Wines
A rainbow of wonderful wines

And the Porrera wine gang was all there

by  |  01-04-2016

As was usually when coming in from one of the trails around the village of Porrera, my dog had spotted a cat and ran off through the houses. We've been through this game many times... more »
Russell at his apartment in el Masroig

D. Russell Smith, a Texan in the vineyards of Montsant

by  |  29-03-2016

When researching the book for DO Montsant, I did everything I could to uncover every wine that was being made with any degree of seriousness within the appellation. This took me to all the far-flung... more »

A glàss of clàss? Understanding “Clàssic Penedès”

by  |  18-03-2016

In recent years, there has been a great deal of push back against the Denomination of Origin bodies in Spain which have been perceived as moving too slowly in terms of modifying outdated restrictions to... more »

In The Glass: Jané Ventura – Sumoll 2013

by  |  12-03-2016

Sumoll is a rather old, odd variety. Despite being native to the region of Catalonia, it was disregarded in general and especially so after Spain entered the EU in 1986 and local varieties were seen... more »

Dumb SUV driver wipes out old vines

by  |  11-03-2016

Last weekend, a group of retired Barcelonians, out on a weekend jaunt in an undoubtedly ridiculous SUV destroyed a number of old vines when they drove in to a field claiming that they were "looking... more »
A warehouse is beautiful once full of wine

Vins Nus, Simplesmente Vinho, & the search for a tolerable Spanish wine fair

by  |  08-03-2016

I have bitched mightily in the past about how patently horrible wine fairs are in Spain. This however is not a continuation of this series as I attended the Vins Nus fair last Sunday and... more »

These wines of solidarity

by  |  07-03-2016

Despite this being a rather mild winter, even for Mediterranean standards, it seems that once spring arrives, there is a change of heart for people and they are more open and giving. Perhaps it’s for... more »

Like water through a stone: Raül Bobet

by  |  04-03-2016

This is part four a four-part series on “rebellious” winemakers in Catalunya. Please read Part One, Part Two, and Part Three Another winemaker who constantly goes against the grain and stands in the face of... more »

Like water through a stone: Eduard Pié

by  |  03-03-2016

This is part three a four-part series on “rebellious” winemakers in Catalunya. Please read Part One, Part Two, and Part Four To put the massive size of DO Penedès in to perspective, you can drive... more »

Like water through a stone: Ton Rimbau

by  |  02-03-2016

This is part two a four-part series on “rebellious” winemakers in Catalunya. Please read Part One, Part Three, and Part Four What you see with Anna Espelt contrasts massively with Ton Rimbau in Vilobí del... more »