Catalan Wines

And pop goes the Priorat

by  |  08-09-2023

The evening of the 19th of August was a Saturday and wasn’t cool by any means. The summer heat still crinkled and surrounded with an unpleasant touch on the skin. Even with the sun having... more »

A tasting of top Slovenian wines

by  |  19-07-2023

When I should have been celebrating the “independence” of my fellow Americans this past 4th of July, I was instead in Ljubljana, Slovenia celebrating good wines. This was part of a trip to visit, Štajerska... more »

Tast del Decenni 2023: The DOQ Priorat 2013 vintage

by  |  14-06-2023

So after this forced stretch of time out in the weeds, we’ve now returned to holding the annual Tast del Decenni events for DOQ Priorat. What these are is very simple in concept in that... more »

A taste of Alicante

by  |  15-03-2023

The Salamanca neighborhood of Madrid is one of if not its poshest. Fancy hotels, fancy restaurants, and fancy stores with few products in a large, expensive space dominate the horizon. Indeed there are fancy wine... more »

Looking back, looking forward with Ukraine

by  |  27-02-2023

Whatever Putin may have been planning in order to mark the one-year anniversary of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine didn’t come to pass last week despite the rumors. Russia simply continues with more of the... more »

Capçanes & the wines of ‘La Nit de les Garnatxes’

by  |  19-09-2022

In the annual Fira del Vi for the Priorat region, there are really two tasting events that you can’t miss. The only problem is that they happen on the same evening as one another in... more »

The return of la Cimera del Xarel·lo!

by  |  07-07-2022

A tasting featuring Xarel·lo sounds like a wonderful thing. That’s why back in 2015, Josep Cusiné of Parés Baltà and Ignasi Segui of Vinyes Singulars had the idea to make it happen at the 16th-century... more »

Under a summer sky with Vinyes Domènech

by  |  12-08-2021

Like most everything during the pandemic of the last year and a half, enotourism has had to pivot and change from what had become standard issue. Showing up to a winery and tasting a couple... more »

Sant Martí, birth to new wine & death to pigs

by  |  13-11-2020

The day of Saint Martin of Tours is November 11th and it doesn’t go unnoticed in Spain. Across the whole country and especially in Catalunya, it’s touted as the day to slaughter pigs and drink... more »

Taking stock of bottle-aged Sherry

by  |  11-11-2020

Despite the great quantity of books on Sherry these days (such as this one), it seems that we’re still lacking one which debunks all the misinformation, misconceptions, and plain old clichés cursing this fine wine.... more »