Articles

Sangenís i Vaqué: a Priorat family

by  |  17-11-2017

Having roots in Spain’s Priorat wine region means having a family that has seen some incredibly bleak times. While in the late 1800s the region experienced a boom, due to phylloxera blighting France, once the... more »

Onward to Carignan(e)

by  |  20-10-2017

I’ve been tasting a rather enormous amount of Carignan lately for a forthcoming article. This has confirmed several things for me which are: 1) it’s delicious and this a grape very much capable of making... more »

Álvaro Palacios en primeur 2016

by  |  29-05-2017

Due to research for another another article with Meininger’s, I paid a visit to Álvaro Palacios last month for a chat and, being the consummate showman that he is (the classy booklet above was for... more »

Another great year in the square for Nit de les Carinyenes

by  |  02-05-2017

Nit de les Carinyenes (“The night of the Carignans”) just saw its 9th edition last week. For those who sadly may yet be unaware of this event, it’s put on yearly by the Porrera Cellars... more »

Rare wines grapes of Rioja: Maturana Tinta & Mazuelo

by  |  15-04-2017

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 2004

by  |  07-04-2017

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 »

Building a wine & the art of the blend

by  |  21-02-2017

There are those that say winemaking is an art, but in truth, making the wine is a relatively simplistic process as it just comes down to letting grape juice ferment. Sure, there are many more... more »

Tasting four decades

by  |  21-01-2017

It’s a fun stunt to try and taste the decades of your life via bottles of wine. As one gets older, it becomes ever more difficult as the older wines get more scarce, somewhat giving... more »

When making (experiments in) wine

by  |  20-10-2016

Much like when an actor decides to record a music album, it takes a pretty arrogant wine writer to decide to make wine and even more so for a sommelier. Given that I’m both of... more »

Catalan Carignan & The “Best” Catalan Wine

by  |  10-10-2016

Last Friday the winners were announced for the 4th edition of the Vinari Awards. This is the main wine award for all of Catalonia and this year I participated as one of the judges. So,... more »