Events

Chêne Bleu’s decade of rosé evolution

by  |  23-04-2016

It was exactly two years ago that I was first introduced to Chêne Bleu at the G-Night event that takes place during Alimentària--'G' for Grenache lest you forget it. Of all the wines that this... more »

AOC Lirac: Wine worth crossing the river for

by  |  09-04-2016

AOC Lirac isn't a name that rolls off most wine drinkers' tongues when talking about the Southern Rhône Valley. Honestly, it wasn't one that rolled off mine either given that most people talk about Châteauneuf... more »
The layout of the judging hall

Judging the Concours International de Lyon

by  |  05-04-2016

Last weekend, after a whirlwind, crash course, sink or swim, trial by fire trip (I'm sure a few more idioms could be tossed in there...) through Burgundy with a quick pass through Côte Rôtie and... more »
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 »
Zlatan in his winery, courtesy of Zlatan Otok

RIP Zlatan Plenković

by  |  19-03-2016 ~ 1 Comment

Last Thursday, March 17th, while many were celebrating St. Patrick's Day, a legend of Croatian wine, Zlatan Plenković died while on a ferry traveling from Split to the island of Hvar. It's a tragic loss... 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 »

Taking the Court of Master Sommeliers Level 1 – Introductory Exam

by  |  12-12-2015

So, maybe you've read up about the various differences between the WSET & Court of Master Sommeliers (CMS) and now you're headed on the CMS path of things. The first stop on this is to... more »

Priorat kills it at Guia de Vins de Catalunya

by  |  24-11-2015 ~ 1 Comment

Yesterday was the annual presentation of the Guia de Vins de Catalunya. It's an annual guide that reviews between 1,500 wines within the region of Catalonia. Of course they're also allowing wines from Catalonia Nord... more »

Release of the 2015 Vi Novell

by  |  16-11-2015

When talking about anything "nouveau" in the wine world, most mouths open and say, "Oh, Beaujolais Nouveau?" as that is hand's down the most famous of the early release wines in the world. And by... more »

Spanish wines to feature at Vinisud 2016

by  |  13-11-2015

I received an email the other day announcing that "Spanish Wines" will be featured at the next edition of Vinisud in 2016. For those unfamiliar with this event, it takes place in Montpellier and I... more »