Articles

Pepe Raventós – Mas del Serral 2012

by  |  03-07-2023

Viewing it as just another year in the grand litany of years we’ve accumulated as a species, I’ve nothing against 2012. In fact, I look back on it rather fondly as I’d just moved to... more »
Photo from Bodegas Montecillo.

A deeper look at Bodegas Montecillo

by  |  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 »

Pepe Raventós – Mas del Serral 2010

by  |  10-11-2021

After tasting Textures de Pedra last year, I realized a visit to the winery of Raventós i Blanc was long overdue so I finally went once movement restrictions were lifted back in March. Upon arriving,... more »

Villota, a bend in the river

by  |  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  |  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 »

In The Glass: Raventós i Blanc – Textures de Pedra 2016

by  |  27-11-2020

I’ve never been a tremendously big fan of blanc de noir Champagnes. Plop! goes the sound of each and every monocle in the room falling into every glass of Bollinger being sipped. But I feel... more »

25 years of Torre Muga

by  |  14-10-2019

Mid-October in Barcelona is still Mediterranean in terms of weather as summer clings to the days but is yet graced by a glint of cool air coming in at the fringes of the season. This... more »

In The Glass: Bodegas Roda – Sela 2015

by  |  29-07-2018

I’ve been following the evolution of this Sela from Bodegas Roda for some time now and you can read up what I wrote about the 2013 and 2014 vintages. For anyone unfamiliar with the winery,... more »

In The Glass: Bodegas Roda – Sela 2014

by  |  30-06-2017

I was quite excited to receive this recent sample as I’d tasted the Sela 2013 sometime back and found it to be not only a great wine, but also a great value. I’m not really... more »

López de Heredia – Viña Tondonia Reserva 2004

by  |  07-04-2017

I’ve spent this whole week in La Rioja, a name in Spanish wine that even the most casual of wine drinkers have usually heard of if nothing else. It’s been a trip that’s been a... more »