Spanish Wines

New wine protest in le Boulou at the French-Spanish border24-05-2017

Heading north from Barcelona Airport, I was greeted to the signs as seen above warning that there was going to be a “manifestation” or protest by the Southern French winemakers on the 23rd of May.... more>

Rare wines grapes of Rioja: Maturana Tinta & Mazuelo15-04-2017

It may seem like a tired trope to bang on the fact that most people, when hearing the regional name, “Rioja” think that all wines are made from Tempranillo, but it’s the most common word... more>

López de Heredia – Viña Tondonia Reserva 200407-04-2017

I’ve spent this whole week in La Rioja, a name in Spanish wine that even the most casual of wine drinkers have usually heard of if nothing else. It’s been a trip that’s been a... more>

The future of Pingus in 2014, 2015, & 201627-03-2017

Peter Sisseck and his winery, Dominio de Pingus should need little if any introduction to those who know Spanish wines. An enologist by study, he found his way to Ribera del Duero, encountered some fine,... more>

A tasting in Croatia of Garnacha, Garnatxa, & Grenache18-03-2017

We’ve arrived to a day and age wherein I don’t understand how someone can’t appreciate Grenache–if not love it. Sure, there are people who are going to only like white wines, or wines with a... more>

Bodega Otazu’s Vitral, the 2,000€ ruse24-02-2017

A few days ago, word came down that there is a new, ultra-premium-priced wine from Spain, the Bodega Otazu – Vitral 2013. Undeterred by the idea of a mere 1,000€ for Pingus or l’Ermita, they’ve... more>

Bodegas Roda – Sela 201301-12-2016

Rioja is a place that continuously confuses me. It’s easy to hate on it simply because there are so many cheap wines produced from under its DOC mark–that extra ‘C’ meaning Calidad or Quality. Unfortunately... more>

A missed point on sweet Sherry11-10-2016

I was quite stoked when I saw this headline as I thought the author of the article was going to bring up the point that, as one of the driving markets for sweet and blended... more>

The Grapes of Spain28-09-2016

The grapes in the lead photo for this article are not ripening. They are in fact quite ripe as they’re the grape Xarel·lo that you find commonly in the Penedès region of Catalonia, Spain as... more>

Enough with Sherry & Grandma26-09-2016

It seems to have started at least a decade ago when someone introduced an article on Sherry by saying that people shouldn’t confuse it with that sweet drink that your grandmother would sip on. Others... more>