Articles

A strike at the heart of DO Cava

by  |  06-09-2019

Yesterday, September 5th, three groups of viticulturists in the Penedès region (Unió de Pagesos, JARC, and Viticultors del Penedès), held a planned harvest strike against the ongoing grape pricing scandal in DO Cava. More than... more »

Big Cava flexes its muscles, to pay 30% less for grapes

by  |  19-08-2019

After the departure of the Corpinnat wineries at the start of this year, one would have thought DO Cava didn’t need any more bad press, but yet, it was announced last week that the large... more »

Corpinnat and the death of fine Cava?

by  |  01-02-2019

At the end of January, the lucky wineries in Penedès, Catalunya were those out pruning their vines. Then there were others, dealing with heavy affairs that don’t happen every year, but perhaps once a generation.... more »

Wonderful Gran Reserva Cavas for unreasonable times

by  |  15-12-2018

It’s roundabout mid-December when the bubbly articles inevitably percolate throughout all manners of media. The codified thinking is that for these festive times, you’ll want what has been deemed the most celebratory of drinks: sparkling... more »

The ever-mighty Xarel·lo. Recaredo: Turó d’en Mota 2006 & Serral del Vell 2008

by  |  29-10-2018

Perhaps it’s because t hasn’t popped up on #sommlife or the less-used but seemingly less annoying #awesomm. Or, perhaps it’s just that the punt volat (·) tosses people for a wobbly, but Xarel·lo is still... more »

The Cava cometh: Vilarnau Gran Reserva 2012

by  |  03-10-2018

The drift from summer into the cooler, breathier vectors comprising fall is made ever so obvious by the sudden rise of sparkling wine promotion. Gearing people up for the winter holidays means getting the word... more »

Cava’s sweet spot

by  |  29-12-2017

In a scant three days there will undoubtedly be countless people who will wake up wishing they’d had at least a glass or perhaps even a bottle less of the sparkling wine they indulged in... more »

And the Paratges of Cava arrive

by  |  17-08-2017

It is not unjust to say that Spain’s sparkling wine, Cava, is the antithesis of “terroir”. While 90% of this Iberian bubbly comes from within the limits of the Penedès counties in Catalunya, there are... more »

Why not to drink sparkling wines in a Champagne glass

by  |  31-07-2017

For most of July, I’ve been drinking a lot of sparkling wine. While it would seem a natural fit with the hot weather (and it’s not just my imagination) I’ve been tasting a vast array... more »
Photo from DO Montilla-Moriles

The 2017 harvest begins

by  |  19-07-2017

And with the most southern reaches of Spain we come to the first grapes to be harvested in all of Europe for the 2017 vintage. In this case, we cast an eye to DO Montilla-Moriles... more »