Drinking Well

Drinking well, in Kraków

by  |  21-01-2026

An ongoing series that looks at how to enjoy a drink in less obvious and at times, exotic destinations for the European or North American traveler. Some might ask why I would go to Poland... more »

The Catalunya Report 2026

by  |  14-01-2026

“I’m worried more about Climate Change than I am about sales…” When I visited Anna Espelt in the Empordà region last fall, this one quote summed up the situation for wine in Catalunya. More importantly,... more »

The wines of Penedès 2025

by  |  03-12-2025

Of all the things that changed for me in 2025, the biggest was my perception of the wines from DO Penedès. As shown by the latest Tasting Report of just under 200 wines, Penedès is... more »

The wines of Eastern Catalunya 2025

by  |  20-11-2025

Let’s have a look at what is, the eastern portion of Catalunya where the denominations of origin for Empordà, Pla de Bages, and Alella are located. I’ll start by admitting there isn’t terribly much that... more »

The wines of Jerez & Sherry 2025

by  |  11-11-2025

The last time my feet set foot on the powdery albariza soils of the Sherry lands was a decade ago. Despite this lengthy amount of time, when I paid a visit to the classic winery... more »

Bodegas el Grifo in Lanzarote celebrates its 250th anniversary

by  |  03-11-2025

In 1730, a massive volcanic eruption broke out on the Canary island of Lanzarote, just off the coast of Africa. It was initially epic in size, but became even greater as additional eruptions would continue... more »

The wines of Costers del Segre & Conca de Barberà 2025

by  |  16-10-2025

Let’s have a new look at these two regions in the central part of Catalunya which includes separate Tasting Reports for Costers del Segre and Conca de Barberà. It can be rather difficult to group... more »

The state of wine media & wine Substacks 2025

by  |  11-09-2025 ~ 8 Comments

It's time for a new look at the current state of wine media, taking into account the large upswing in people creating their own, independent newsletters, which has resulted in very new version of, The... more »

The wines of DO Terra Alta 2025

by  |  20-08-2025

With the release of the accompanying Tasting Report, it’s time to have another look at the wines of DO Terra Alta. As always, please review last year’s report for additional background. While the most southern... more »

The Perelada Experience

by  |  05-08-2025

Ages ago (maybe even before the pandemic but I can’t be sure) I was preparing to lead a wine tasting for a group of people in Priorat. One of the younger members of the group... more »