Spanish Wines

Ribera del Duero to shine a light on their whites01-08-2019

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>

The newest Spanish Vino de Pago: Vallegarcía12-06-2019

What once was 14 is now 15 as the EU has just published official recognition of the newest Vino de Pago in Spain: Vallegarcía. Maybe you’ve heard of this winery of the same name but... more>

A judgment in Grenache, Perpignan edition22-05-2019

Taking the TGV from Perpignan in the direction of Spain gives you that brief glimpse of what being a protagonist in a billion-dollar superhero franchise must feel like. There’s this rush as you gain more... more>

In The Glass: Veronica Ortega – Cobrana 201610-05-2019

For some time, Mencía, a grape native to the Bierzo region, was the “Pinot Noir of the moment” for Spain. The comparison seems to always be made with any grape, Spanish or not, that’s red,... more>

Not Tinto, Blanco. Tempranillo Blanco12-04-2019

1988 was nuts. There was the Iran-Contra Affair, the Eritrean War for Independence, the Nagorno-Karabakh War, a Kuwait Airways hijacking, an Iran Air flight shot down “accidentally” by the US, the Soviet Union launching its... more>

Tasting the finest wines of València & Spain’s Levant04-01-2019

This past New Year’s Eve found me in València, hired on as the “wine expert” for a group that had flown down for the UK to say goodbye to 2018 and take on the mantle... more>

VdT Castilla y León wines, for when DO doesn’t do it04-12-2018

Perhaps you’ve never heard of it but the Spanish Autonomous Community of Castilla y León is the country’s largest. And no, it’s not Castilla y La Mancha of Don Quixote fame as that’s another region... more>

“Carinyena”, the original Carignan now free to be itself29-11-2018

Carignan doesn’t see a whole lotta love. It’s most certainly no Pinot Noir nor Chardonnay nor Cabernet Sauvignon in terms of name recognition nor pan-global wine enjoyment. It’s not even at the level of Grenache... more>

Bodegas Roda – Sela 201529-07-2018

I’ve been following the evolution of this Sela from Bodegas Roda for some time now and you can read up what I wrote about the 2013 and 2014 vintages. For anyone unfamiliar with the winery,... more>

Coming to terms: Vicente Gandía – Bobal Único 201516-07-2018

I’m not terribly old yet (I think) but I’m sure I’m already starting to repeat myself. I meet a lot of people and I give a lot of talks on things so I just get... more>