Articles
A deeper look at Bodegas Montecillo
by Miquel Hudin | 14-12-2022
In what now seems like a century ago, I made a lengthy research visit to Rioja in November of last year. My goals were various, but the main one was to taste Garnacha wines in... more »
The tale of two Reservas: Rioja vs. Ribera del Duero
by Miquel Hudin | 23-11-2022
Such an article could have easily been titled, “I drank these two supermarket Tempranillos so you didn’t have to” but in all fairness maybe one or the other of these two wines is actually very... more »
Two very, very different Valdemars
by Miquel Hudin | 17-10-2022
Indeed, they’re not truly on opposite ends of the world. Oion in the Rioja region of Spain, and Walla Walla in the state of Washington in the United States are but a “mere” 8,500km from... more »
A new Rioja Viñedo Singular… that’s sparkling?
by Miquel Hudin | 14-09-2022
Bodegas Valdemar in the village of Oyón in Rioja, Spain have released, “Finca Alto Cantabria Gran Añada” which is the first sparkling wine in the region to be produced with the new single-vineyard, or Viñedo... more »
The wines from Tempranillo Blanco in Rioja 2022
by Miquel Hudin | 06-04-2022
While color mutations of grapes do happen from time to time, they’re not an everyday occurrence. Their existence is one thing but the real question is whether a mutation can actually produce a quality wine... more »
The wines from Garnacha in Rioja 2022
by Miquel Hudin | 25-01-2022
It is a justified assumption that 99% of the Riojan wines one encounters will be majority if not fully-based on the grape, Tempranillo. At 88% of all red plantings, it is unequivocally the dominant variety... more »
The wines of Rioja’s Viñedos Singulares 2022
by Miquel Hudin | 14-01-2022
If someone has not spent time in the Rioja region, it’s nearly impossible to impress upon them as to how incredibly large and diverse it is. Something like 100km long and 50km wine in terms... more »
Villota, a bend in the river
by Miquel Hudin | 22-07-2021
Laserna, Álava, at the border of Basque Country and La Rioja doesn’t offer terribly much in terms of sights. A main road narrowly winds its way through the few houses of the village, the old... more »
In The Glass: Olivier Rivière- Rayos Uva 2019
by Miquel Hudin | 26-05-2021
I don’t know when, but someday we’ll look back from a vantage point far, far in the future and say, “So… why on earth did people think Rioja wines had to be almost all Tempranillo?”... more »
The latest from Sierra de Toloño in Rioja Alavesa
by Miquel Hudin | 15-04-2021
An imposing as well as important piece of Rioja’s geography are the Cantabrian Mountains in the north that act as a guard against the worst of the Atlantic Ocean’s intentions. It isn’t just one range... more »