Drinking Well

Drinking well, in Bali

by  |  10-10-2019

A series that looks at how to enjoy a drink in less obvious and at times, exotic destinations. If asking a potential tourist where they would like to go, the answer is probably, “Where there... more »

The wines of the Republic of Georgia in 2019

by  |  07-10-2019

There are few countries such as Georgia which are both widely-covered in media, yet still remain incredibly misunderstood. Whether it’s the incorrect attribution to a Ray Charles song in order to be “cutesy” or the... more »

The wines of DOQ Priorat & DO Montsant in 2019

by  |  23-09-2019

I’ve been tasting the wines of DOQ Priorat and DO Montsant for nearly a decade now and am quite happy to present tasting reports of each region’s current releases for 2019. Having written individual books... more »

Carinyena Blanca: Tasting a grape that’s finding its place in Empordà

by  |  13-08-2019

Catalunya’s Denomination of Origin Empordà has just announced an institutional plan to “realize the potential” of the grape, Carinyena Blanca (White Carignan.) Going forward this will involve making it a permitted grape as per their... more »

Ribera del Duero to shine a light on their whites

by  |  01-08-2019

The Boletín Oficial del Estado (Spanish State Bulletin) isn’t light reading. There are sticky gobs of technical announcements for absolutely all facets of the government but, if one is willing to hone in on the... more »

Tast del Decenni 2019: The DOQ Priorat 2009 vintage

by  |  02-07-2019

In 2009, the heaviest shoe of the Global Financial Crisis had finally fallen. All the maneuvering, consolidating, and bailing of companies and governments truly came to a head for and was deeply affecting European countries,... more »

Searching for sparkling in Georgia

by  |  25-06-2019

In keeping up with the wines of Georgia, this week I’m in Tbilisi, tasting the current vintage. Things are definitively in motion here as while the recent protests have tapered off, a Russian ban on... more »

Champagne’s terroir problem

by  |  01-04-2019

The train to Champagne departs Paris every hour at 36 minutes past from Gare de l’Est. While the carriages might be from an past era, the trip isn’t long with the congestion and sirens of... more »

The Mas Doix – Lede Family partnership

by  |  28-03-2019

In Priorat, you hear a great deal but often know very little. This was shown no better than hearing changes were afoot last year with Mas Doix in the village Poboleda but not really knowing... more »

Let’s talk about ’16 and Álvaro Palacios

by  |  25-03-2019

A decade ago, despite living just an hour away in San Francisco, my visits to Napa Valley were readily-dwindling in regularity as tourism was then and is now, out of control. But in a nearly-final... more »