Catalan Wines
Bellmunt del Priorat

Understanding DOQ Priorat’s village wines: Vi de Vila

by  |  15-06-2018

While it’s important to understand the Vino de Pago & Vi de Finca classifications of Spain & Catalunya as they’re region wide, one that’s actually much more interesting and evolving is that of “Vi de... more »

Mitzpe Ramon: Israeli wine blossoms in the Negev

by  |  18-05-2018

Walking the trails of the Makhtesh Ramon in Southern Israeli exposes one to 200 million years of history. When an ancient ocean that covered the area receded, this makhtesh, or what is more simply, yet... more »

Premiere Napa Valley 2018

by  |  01-03-2018

February 24th marked the 21st annual Premiere Napa Valley auction. Following somewhat in the mold of Burgundy’s famous Hospice de Beaune, it’s a wine trade event that auctions off selected bottles or barrel lots donated... more »

Up the Douro & Quinta Nova

by  |  16-01-2018

My mother’s family is of Portuguese descent and to honor this many years ago we opened a bottle of Vintage Port that my grandfather had brought back from Porto. The build up was intense and... more »

The Grand Carignan Tasting

by  |  08-01-2018

There existed a time when I was daft to the wiles and wonders of the grape, Carignan. Despite pockets of old vines in California it was essentially a lost variety. Little thought and even less... more »

Sangenís i Vaqué: a Priorat family

by  |  17-11-2017

Having roots in Spain’s Priorat wine region means having a family that has seen some incredibly bleak times. While in the late 1800s the region experienced a boom, due to phylloxera blighting France, once the... more »
Gremi Castle and well, sheep

A Georgian wine revival, how?

by  |  28-10-2017

For those immersed in the wine world, Georgian wines have been on fire for some time, so much so that most editors I work with don’t even want new articles about the country and its... more »

And the Paratges of Cava arrive

by  |  17-08-2017

It is not unjust to say that Spain’s sparkling wine, Cava, is the antithesis of “terroir”. While 90% of this Iberian bubbly comes from within the limits of the Penedès counties in Catalunya, there are... more »

Empordà, wines from the wind

by  |  13-06-2017

Historically, Roussillon and Empordà were much more joined as the former comprised what used to be the northern portion of a larger Catalonia some 350 years ago. And despite now being the last bastion of... more »

The continuing potential of Croatian wine

by  |  07-05-2017

In regards to tourism, Croatia is now a destination in its own right and has long shed the infamous, “The Next” descriptor which has seemingly been passed on to Albania, now “The Next Croatia”. In... more »