Articles

Best Catalan wines 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 »

Sicus, when wine is made in the vineyard

by  |  12-07-2019

Driving forty five minutes covers a lot of ground in the wine world. It affords a 41km view of the entire Côte d’Or in Burgundy. Similarly, it will see you go from the top to... more »

A new take on Parellada: Celler Credo – Volaina 2018

by  |  20-06-2019

For anyone learning the finer details of wine, you typically memorize that there are three core grapes to Cava: Xarel·lo, Macabeu, and Parellada. The first two abound in individual merits, especially my Carignan-cheat-grape, Xarel·lo. But... more »

Family wineries and the issue of Climate Change

by  |  04-03-2019

Last week I was invited to a friendly, relaxed lunch in Barcelona, albeit one that was focused on the serious topic of Climate Change and how it relates to winemaking. The unfortunate joke behind the... more »

Natural etc. Can Sumoi

by  |  01-03-2019

Europe is in the “Recuperation Era” of winemaking and by that I mean that there is still a lot of recuperation of old varieties, vineyards, and winemaking methods taking place to produce the modern, evolving... 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 »

Wine with a greater purpose: El Microscopi 2016

by  |  20-12-2017

Wine needs a story! So harps those in marketing these days and I have to agree that there is some truth to this as a wine without a story is essentially the beer, Coors Light.... more »

In The Glass: Jean Leon – La Scala 2009

by  |  07-08-2017

The Jean Leon winery is one of the more interesting projects up in Penedès and it’s something of a crown jewel in the ‘experimental’ wineries that Torres owns. I’ve tasting a number of wines from... more »

The best of Catalan white wines

by  |  07-02-2017

Last fall, I received a commission from Decanter to do a report on the white wines of Catalonia for the March issue of a publication in the UK. You of course may be asking yourself,... more »

The white wines of Penedès

by  | 

A logical starting point in any article about Catalan white wines is DO Penedès. They are by far the largest wine producing region in Catalonia and 80% of what they produce is in the form... more »