French Wines
Terrace overlooking the countryside

Riberach wine hotel, Roussillon

by  |  25-01-2016

To know the land of Roussillon is not to drive briefly through it, deftly avoiding Perpignan via the A9 highway either heading to adventures more northern in France or more southern in Spain. The real... more »

The thing about Burgundy, Louis Latour Côte de Beaune Villages 2013

by  |  18-01-2016

There are but a few French region names that elicit such exuberance as Burgundy and more specifically, the Côte d’Or. You can’t really go wrong with that name. Even in English, “The Golden Slope” is... more »

Adrien Vacher – Roussette de Savoie Cuvée Réservée 2014

by  |  07-01-2016

For Christmas, I don’t usually ask for much but this year I said, “Okay, my tasting experience in French whites is flabby on some fronts. Get me a box of the following AOPs…” Said box... more »

The rest of 2016

by  |  05-01-2016

Continued from yesterday, a few more observations about what’s to come in 2016 in general and outside of Catalonia. Southern France I just received an email from Michel Blanc in Châteauneuf going on at length... more »

Cava versus Champagne

by  |  30-12-2015

With New Year’s Eve just around the corner and having slogged through multiple bottles of sparkling wine during the Christmas meals, I felt it a good time to talk about Champagne and Cava. One should... 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 »

Grenache Day 2015: Wines in review

by  |  21-09-2015

In case you weren’t aware, Grenache Day was on the 18th as it’s the third Friday of every September. It’s a way to promote the profile of the Grenache grape by the Grenache Association as... more »

Viens à Vingrau, a wine excursion in Roussillon

by  |  25-07-2015

If imitation is the highest form of flattery, then the French village of Vingrau is flattering the crap out of nearby neighbor Calce. You see, for some time Calce has put on a little annual... more »

Jean Jacques Confuron la Montagne & Burgundy 2012

by  |  23-07-2015

There is, typically a rush of air from the room when a bottle of French wine from the famed region of Burgundy emerges from a cellar. Care is taken upon opening with the foil neatly... more »

Vino de pago, Vi de finca, & Grand Cru

by  |  22-06-2015

It seems that nearly every year now, a new “vi de finca” comes on to the market in Catalunya. Great, what on earth does this mean? And in case that’s not enough of a mystery... more »