Articles

The new “institutional wines” of DO Montsant

by  |  08-07-2016 ~ 2 Comments

DO Montsant has just announced their new "institutional wines". In brief, these are a red and white wine that will be used for the next 1-2 years to demonstrate what is seen to be the... more »

Cooperatives, terroir, and finding place in 21st Catalonia

by  |  05-07-2016

Previously, I wrote about the rise of the small cellars in DO Montsant which, unsurprisingly was well-received by those in this DO who have been working hard to present a unified front of quality wines... more »

Taking a balanced look at the Priorats

by  |  16-05-2016

Whether viewing it as a yolk and its white or a donut and its hole, it's hard not to see DOQ Priorat and DO Montsant closely linked given that the latter wraps nearly completely around... more »

In The Glass: Vinyes d’en Gabriel – Mans de Samsó 2013

by  |  12-05-2016 ~ 4 Comments

It takes visiting large production regions such as Rioja or Napa where they tout a wine as "small production" at 5,000 bottles to really appreciate the all-too typical story in both DOQ Priorat & DO... more »

DO Montsant, calling it “cheap Priorat” is just so 2006

by  |  04-05-2016

I've been giving a series of guided tastings in English at the Wine Aspects school in Vilafranca del Penedès. They started with DO Empordà and will finish with DOQ Priorat. But right in the middle,... more »
Russell at his apartment in el Masroig

D. Russell Smith, a Texan in the vineyards of Montsant

by  |  29-03-2016

When researching the book for DO Montsant, I did everything I could to uncover every wine that was being made with any degree of seriousness within the appellation. This took me to all the far-flung... more »

These wines of solidarity

by  |  07-03-2016

Despite this being a rather mild winter, even for Mediterranean standards, it seems that once spring arrives, there is a change of heart for people and they are more open and giving. Perhaps it’s for... more »

A new Celler Comunica

by  |  20-01-2016

While it is of course annoying when the profile of a winery changes shortly after you publish a regional wine guide, if it's a winery owned by people I like, then I'm happy to see... more »

Catalan wines in 2016

by  |  04-01-2016

With the start of January comes that typical moment in the wine world of retrospection, reflection, and prediction. I think that most of this due to winemakers not having much to do in the cellars... more »

The 2015 harvest in Priorat & Montsant

by  |  10-12-2015

These days everyone wants to put a positive spin on each year's vintage, wanting, rightly or wrongly, to stand out in a crowded digital landscape. But after last year's 'marmalade harvest', people may actually be... more »