Catalan Wines

A judgment in Grenache, Perpignan edition

by  |  22-05-2019

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 2016

by  |  10-05-2019

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 Blanco

by  |  12-04-2019

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 Levant

by  |  04-01-2019

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 it

by  |  04-12-2018

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 itself

by  |  29-11-2018

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 »

In The Glass: Bodegas Roda – Sela 2015

by  |  29-07-2018

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 2015

by  |  16-07-2018

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 »

And that’s Albariño, Pazo Señorans Colección 2014

by  |  29-06-2018

Albariño, and to a greater extent, DO Rías Baixas has been one of the many success stories in Spanish wine. I’d warrant that if hard pressed to name a Spanish white grape, the one that... more »

Another hit of El Escocés Volante: Manda Huevos 2014

by  |  30-05-2018

Coming round to another of the wines from Norrel Robertson’s El Escocés Volante gives me the chance to link to two previous articles, this one which talks more about Norrel and his project as well... more »