General

Tasting Kosovo wines: Stone Castle & Bodrumi i Vjetër – Cabernet Sauvignon

by  |  22-07-2017

If asked where Kosovo is, I’ve encountered many people who say that it’s the capital of Bosnia Herzegovina. Thus, to say that this breakaway republic, recognized by 111 of the UN’s 193 countries, is a... more »
Photo from DO Montilla-Moriles

The 2017 harvest begins

by  |  19-07-2017

And with the most southern reaches of Spain we come to the first grapes to be harvested in all of Europe for the 2017 vintage. In this case, we cast an eye to DO Montilla-Moriles... more »

The list of the first qualified Cava de Paratge vineyards & their wines

by  |  14-07-2017

For some time there has been a lot of information floating around about the forthcoming Cava de Paratge (Spanish: Cava de Paraje) qualification for specific vineyards and parcels within the boundaries of DO Cava. If... more »

Cartema Blanco 2012

by  |  13-07-2017

Hell hath no fury like July in Catalonia and one with little chilled wine to drink. Given this heat and blustery humidity, I was scampering about to find something to chill and while reds are... more »

In The Glass: Tomàs Cusiné – Finca Comabarra 2012

by  |  08-07-2017

I was quite excited to taste this wine as previous experience with Tomàs Cusiné wines as seen in the “Mineral” made in a negociant fashion down in DO Montsant or then the “Cara Nord” white... more »

The 8th VideNit changes things up

by  |  05-07-2017

This past weekend saw the 8th edition of “VideNit” hosted at the rural hotel of Mas Figueres in Marçà. It marked a rather large change from the previous seven events as they’ve moved it to... more »
Les Sentius in the center, a historical paratge of Porrera/Falset

Explaining paratge/paraje certifications in Catalan wine

by  |  03-07-2017

With the publication of my lengthy article at Meininger’s explaining the new certifications of DOQ Priorat, it’s worth standing back from this for a moment and understanding a key term that everyone in the wine... more »

In The Glass: Bodegas Roda – Sela 2014

by  |  30-06-2017

I was quite excited to receive this recent sample as I’d tasted the Sela 2013 sometime back and found it to be not only a great wine, but also a great value. I’m not really... more »

Observations from the annual GuildSomm survey

by  |  26-06-2017

If you’ve not seen it, GuildSomm has posted its 2016 salary survey which anyone, even non-subscribers to the site can view. They create this by putting out a poll that people answer anonymously on the... more »
Pictured with the Georgia book

In The Glass: Alaverdi Monastery – Saperavi 2011

by  |  23-06-2017

There are few winery slogans that can match that of the Alaverdi Monastery in Kakheti, Georgia. To state, “Since 1011” on the label leaves little up for debate that these monks have been making wine... more »