Catalan Wines
Tasting what is yet to come at Vinyes dels Aspres
by Miquel Hudin | 18-08-2012
Recently, we were up at Vinyes dels Aspres to drop off some copies of the Empordà guide and given the time of year, we found David Molas and his assistant down in the cellar bottling.... more »
The dogs of wine
by Miquel Hudin | 15-08-2012
Once you go around to enough wineries (anywhere in the world), you start realizing that dogs are a common element. Sure, the winery cat may pop up here and there, but for some reason, when... more »
Wines from the wind
by Miquel Hudin | 13-08-2012
It's not terribly easy to explain the Tramuntana, this northern wind that blows heavily across the Empordà counties in Catalonia, the northeast corner of Spain. Sure, it's a wind, but it's not just any wind.... more »
Sereno Sidecar: The cocktail is real
by Miquel Hudin | 03-08-2012
It really wasn't meant to be originally. While ensconced in the "Fortress of Solitude" (a rather isolated 11th century Catalan farmhouse) working on the Empordà guide we'd take a break here and there to do... more »
The Alt Empordà fires and vineyards
by Editorial | 25-07-2012 ~ 1 Comment
It's been a rather terrifying couple of days in Northeastern Catalonia. On Sunday afternoon fires broke out at the top of Alt Empordà which moved at great speed due to strong Tramuntana winds. Alt Empordà... more »
Onwards to Celler el Masroig
by Editorial | 21-07-2012
Day Two of our trip to Priorat coordinated by Hostal Sport saw us off to Celler el Masroig which provided for a much, much different visit than we'd experienced at Clos Figueras as they are... more »
Tasting Clos Figueras
by Editorial | 19-07-2012
On our first day while staying at Hostal Sport, we took a quick jaunt up to Clos Figueras which exemplifies most everything that's good about Priorat. Honestly, prior to heading there, I was suspecting that... more »
A stay at Hostal Sport in Falset
by Editorial | 18-07-2012 ~ 2 Comments
The first thing to realize with Hostal Sport is that it's not an inn ("hostal" in Spanish) and not a place for "sport" but rather a fantastic four star hotel and restaurant in the Priorat... more »
Wanna buy a castle?
by Miquel Hudin | 16-07-2012 ~ 1 Comment
You would think that, given the wide availability of Castell de Biart wines around Empordà that this winery, built upon the ruins of a 12th century castle that Napoleon destroyed while running back to France... more »
An end to Californian Chardonnay
by Miquel Hudin | 09-07-2012
It usually starts off innocently enough at a California winery tasting room, "Here, try our Chardonnay." I shake my head in a vigorous, whiplash-inducing "no" to which the tasting room employee invariably says, "It's good,... more »