That chilling the red wine thing25-07-2019
If this latest heatwave has shown us anything, it’s that there are a few more bends to go before we see the “shade” at the end of the tunnel which signals that another summer has... more>
Velles Vinyes: DOQ Priorat releases the most stringent “old vines” definition in Spain & maybe the world30-05-2019
When I first started getting into wine, if it said “Old Vines” on the label I would usually buy it. Being Californian, Zinfandel had a regular spot in my shopping cart but this grew to... more>
A judgment in Grenache, Perpignan edition22-05-2019
Taking the TGV from Perpignan in the direction of Spain gives you that brief glimpse of what being a protagonist in a billion-dollar superhero franchise must feel like. There’s this rush as you gain more... more>
A gateway to Lebanese wine: Hochar Père et Fils 201522-04-2019
There are random appearances of Château Musar’s “Grand Vin” at a wine and liquor shop in the Duty Free of Stansted Airport which seem to be dictated by the laws of chaos. The temptation has... more>
Let’s talk about ’16 and Álvaro Palacios25-03-2019
A decade ago, despite living just an hour away in San Francisco, my visits to Napa Valley were readily-dwindling in regularity as tourism was then and is now, out of control. But in a nearly-final... more>
Blind tasting and finding typicity in DOQ Priorat07-03-2019
What do you call a group of blind wine tasters? A “fool”, a group of blind wine tasters is called a fool. I am an itinerant member of one such fool in Barcelona and the... more>
In the Glass: AA Badenhorst – Secateurs Red Blend 201221-02-2019
I try to live a life as free from regret as possible and overall, I think I do a pretty decent job of keeping my “regret debt” within decent margins. There are however two regrets... more>
The wines of Terroir Sense Fronteres12-12-2018
I’ve not been seen outside my tasting room much this year as it was one of those periods when I again took on all the wines of both DOQ Priorat and DO Montsant. The end... more>
The 2018 Harvest. So far so… normal-ish?24-09-2018
Just once I’ve love to hear some wine promotion body speak of their current harvest and say something along the lines of, “This year? It’s shit. Seriously, don’t drink it. Actually, you won’t be able... more>
Some choice Garnatxes from DOQ Priorat & DO Montsant for #GrenacheDay21-09-2018
In 2010, those who make Grenache decided that the third Friday of September would hence forth be “International Grenache Day”. While initially hatched at an event in France’s Rhône, this has indeed became a thing... more>