Articles

A surprise batch of Catalan Vins de Finca

by  |  22-12-2022

Charting the path of Vi de Finca wines in Catalunya or those of Vino de Pago in greater Spain, is a mighty tricky affair. While these are both single vineyard certifications akin to something of... more »

The wines of DO Empordà in 2020

by  |  16-06-2020

In years past and in times not like these, whenever visiting Alt Empordà in the far northeast of Catalunya, I’d try to find a way to have a drink on the terrace of the Almadraba... more »

Wines for la Cuesta de Enero/Uphill January

by  |  02-01-2020

To all who have survived family and the holidays, well done. Now we arrive to the cold, murky days of January, probably broke, or at at least a bit broken. You probably don't even want... more »

Best Catalan wine of 2019

by  |  16-12-2019

We come to that time of year for the “100 Best Wines in the Whole Universe” or other similarly-named yet no less grandiose summaries in wine publications. Obviously, they’d be more aptly named, “The Best... more »

Anna Espelt on “Anna Espelt”

by  |  09-12-2019

The Espelt winery sits just outside the village of Vilajuïga, Empordà (Catalunya) and it honestly hasn’t changed a great deal on the outside over the last seven or even 10 years. A large, purpose-built concrete... more »

The wines of DO Empordà in 2019

by  |  18-11-2019

I find it harder and harder to write about DO Empordà because the more I taste the wines, the clearer and more brilliant the definition of the region becomes. Yet despite this, it remains so... more »

A look back at the 2012 vintage in Catalunya & Roussillon

by  |  01-09-2019

The other day someone wrote to inquire about the 2012 Clos Mogador and what my impressions were of it. While I enjoyed drinking it when initially released, I realized that instead of just talking about... more »

Celebrating single grape diversity: Grenaches du Monde 2018 & Grenache³

by  |  15-04-2018

Today closes the 6th edition of Grenaches du Monde, an event that, much like Grenache itself has been a roving vagabond, seeing itself set up shop wherever Grenache has made its presence known. While starting... more »

The Grand Carignan Tasting

by  |  08-01-2018

There existed a time when I was daft to the wiles and wonders of the grape, Carignan. Despite pockets of old vines in California it was essentially a lost variety. Little thought and even less... 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 »