Articles

A taste of 2021 Pošip from Korčula, Croatia

by  |  08-08-2022

There’s little debate about the fact that one of my most favorite white grape varieties from Croatia is Pošip. Please immediately make note that this is not a synonym for the Hungarian grape, Furmint. That’s... more »

The 2022 vintage so far: Iberia and its northeast

by  |  05-08-2022

I’m usually quite loathe to talk about a vintage in progress unless there’s been some kind of major event such as the mildew insanity of 2020. Unknowns are a plenty and the knowns far and... more »
Photos, Danae Rodríguez for Marisol Rubio

Marisol Rubio, Pedro Ximénez at the limits

by  |  03-08-2022

The white Spanish grape variety, Pedro Ximénez is something of a curious creature. For those who may know its name, there’s probably the association with Sherry where it (along with Moscatel) produces the dessert wines... more »
Photo courtesy of Abadia Retuerta

Spain’s newest Vino de Pago in Abadia Retuerta

by  |  01-08-2022

It seems that there’s been a bit of activity again in terms of regional approvals from Brussels as on 31 May, 2022 the Official Journal of the European Union certified the Abadia Retuerta and Bolandin... more »

The hidden truth of alternative wine bottle formats

by  |  28-07-2022

A few weeks previous on Twitter, someone in the wine trade was extolling the virtues of a new, non-glass wine bottle format that uses a plastic liner for the wine. There are many of these... more »

A new taste of the island wines from Vis, Croatia

by  |  26-07-2022

Croatia puts a lot of marketing bucks into backing its claim of having “over 1,000 islands”. In truth, there are actually 1,244 by their count but of those, it’s really only 80 or so that... more »

Cul de Cuvée 23-07-2022

by  |  23-07-2022

A bluntly-curated selection of absolutely random recent bits from around the wine and drink world served up “mostly fresh” for your enjoyment. If you’ve ever thought, “Well I do like Scotch, but I don’t like... more »

In The Glass: Domaine de Bila-Haut – L’Esquerda 2018

by  |  22-07-2022

My fascination with Roussillon, France isn’t just because it’s the land that was historically Catalunya Nord (Northern Catalunya), but more that it’s neither here nor there. It’s most definitely not Languedoc (to which it is... more »
Road leading to "Los Laureles"

Single vineyard certifications come to the Canarias

by  |  20-07-2022

The Denomination of Origin Islas Canarias (the DO created in 2012 that covers all the islands) updated its pliego de condiciones (by-laws) one year ago this month. These revisions don’t happen often so there were... more »

The second Corpinnat Festival Gastronòmic

by  |  18-07-2022

If you read the news lately, it can seem like the world is falling apart. This is why it’s important to take a minute to look at some positives as there are some good things... more »