Catalan Wines

The new “institutional wines” of DO Montsant

by  |  08-07-2016

DO Montsant has just announced their new “institutional wines”. In brief, these are a red and white wine that will be used for the next 1-2 years to demonstrate what is seen to be the... more »

Cooperatives, terroir, and finding place in 21st Catalonia

by  |  05-07-2016

Previously, I wrote about the rise of the small cellars in DO Montsant which, unsurprisingly was well-received by those in this DO who have been working hard to present a unified front of quality wines... more »

Catalan BBQ wine gets a new look: Castell del Remei Gotim

by  |  04-07-2016

It’s been four Julys in a row that I’ve not been in the US for Independence Day on the 4th. This isn’t something that I consider to be the utmost of tragedies as it’s a... more »

Wine Folly’s “Spanish Wine Exploration” and lack of accuracy

by  |  30-06-2016

“Wine Folly’s content is often inaccurate, exceedingly narrow, and horribly derivative.” states a reviewer name W. Hughes on Amazon. His review is for the Wine Folly book which I would have to agree with as... more »

Trepat, Catalonia’s “Pinot Noir”?

by  |  28-06-2016

It’s always a minefield to compare one wine grape to another, especially when styles around the world vary so much but in terms of Catalonia’s Trepat grape and Pinot Noir, there are more aspects than... more »

In The Glass: Mas Oller – Plus 2013

by  |  24-06-2016

It was more than 6 years ago that I first visited Mas Oller. It was so long ago that I remember having trouble finding them due to a lack of sign at the time and... more »

Castellroig, for example

by  |  22-06-2016

As I’ve written before, I get very tired of people comparing Cava to Champagne and decidedly stating that Cava is in no way at the same level. This doesn’t take into account price as well... more »

Tasting the tops of Torres

by  |  24-05-2016

For the August issue of Decanter (which will be out at the beginning of July) I wrote up a profile about Miguel Torres Jr. who, since 2012 has been the General Director of the Torres... more »

The rebirth of the Escanyavella grape in Priorat

by  |  20-05-2016

There existed many old grape varieties in Catalonia; many of them in much greater numbers before phylloxera. In the days that followed this catastrophic attack to European winemaking there was something of a viticultural reckoning... more »

Taking a balanced look at the Priorats

by  |  16-05-2016

Whether viewing it as a yolk and its white or a donut and its hole, it’s hard not to see DOQ Priorat and DO Montsant closely linked given that the latter wraps nearly completely around... more »