Articles
Six Reserva wines to know from DOC Rioja
by Miquel Hudin | 17-01-2024
For me, the Reserva category is one of the more curious components to the wines of DOC Rioja. I was in fact so curious about that I dedicated a good deal of my 2023 Rioja... more »
Sierra de Toloño – Rosado 2020
by Miquel Hudin | 12-01-2024
The news in booze as of late, isn’t terribly good from most point of views. I say “most” as it depends upon which side of the aisle you’re on in terms of drinking, but if... more »
Bodegas Alvia Gran Reservas, Rioja, Spain
by Miquel Hudin | 21-12-2023
Bodegas Alvia I got to know quite well when researching the previous Rioja Garnacha report as well as the Tempranillo Blanco report as they work with both of them. Here we find wines that are... more »
Marqués de Griñón, Dominio de Valdepusa, Spain
by Miquel Hudin |
This represents a tasting of what seems to be most of the portfolio for Marqués de Griñón who are located right in the center of Spain, halfway between Madrid and Toledo. While this forms this... more »
Sístole – Maturana Tinta 2021
by Miquel Hudin | 10-11-2023
When I first started encountering varietal Grenache wines in Rioja, I have to say, I wasn’t bowled over by a great many of them. It was often the case that they were from cooler point... more »
The wines of DOC Rioja 2023 Part II & Viñedos Singulares
by Miquel Hudin | 06-11-2023
Our modern life has become one that’s all about sequels and thus, here we arrive to what is Part II of the larger Rioja report from September. This comes paired with a new Tasting Report... more »
DOC Rioja recommends moratorium on new vine planting
by Miquel Hudin | 17-10-2023
In what is a large, yet unsurprising piece of news, the DOC Rioja council met on 16 October, 2023 and are recommending to the Spanish Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación that there be no... more »
La Carbonera, Malpastor 2020, DOC Rioja, Spain
by Miquel Hudin | 11-10-2023
The winery of la Carbonera is the Torres family’s project in DOC Rioja which is locally referred to as Bodega Soto de Torres in Labastida, Álava and is a quite a massive structure in the... more »
The Early History of Bordeaux and Rioja
by Charlie Leary | 09-10-2023
There's a commonly-held belief that starting in the mid- to late-nineteenth century, Bordeaux had a “revolutionary” impact on Rioja wine production. In particular, in the 1860s, the winemaker of Bordeaux’s pioneering Chateau Lanessan, owned by... more »
DOC Rioja: A look at Maturana Tinta
by Miquel Hudin | 02-10-2023
It always seemed considerably easier when it came to the Rioja wine of yore. They were basically just Tempranillo, no? The options were either oak aged or then made in a very fresh, carbonic maceration... more »