Articles

There was never only one nouveau

by  |  16-12-2022

Hot on the heals of the Catalan vi novell wines, I received another nouveau sample. Yes, this one is from France and yes, it’s very much nouveau being a young, 2022 wine. But it’s not... 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 »

A new look at Garnatxa Peluda… in Alella

by  |  14-11-2022

Whatever you do, don’t call it, “downy” Grenache. Much like how the peppers from Cuba are often misspelled as “habañeros” in the US or the Georgian aging vessel for wines is incorrectly transcribed as, “qveri”... more »

A Mediterranean exchange, Priorat on Hvar

by  |  04-11-2022

“Well, we like our wines strong here.” It was a statement that I was to hear in various forms during a recent trip to the island of Hvar on the coast of Croatia. In this... more »
Photo by DOP Cebreros

DOP Cebreros hits a noteworthy milestone

by  |  28-10-2022

Most regions in Spain celebrate the end of the harvest with a deep exhalation and a press release celebrating the quality level (always Very Good or Excellent). There is also usually a smaller note about... more »

Capçanes & the wines of ‘La Nit de les Garnatxes’

by  |  19-09-2022

In the annual Fira del Vi for the Priorat region, there are really two tasting events that you can’t miss. The only problem is that they happen on the same evening as one another in... more »

In The Glass: Domaine de Bila-Haut – L’Esquerda 2018

by  |  22-07-2022

My fascination with Roussillon, France isn’t just because it’s the land that was historically Catalunya Nord (Northern Catalunya), but more that it’s neither here nor there. It’s most definitely not Languedoc (to which it is... more »

In The Glass: Sainte Croix – Celèstra 2015

by  |  12-05-2022

One evening I was rummaging about the cellar and stumbled upon this wine from Sainte Croix in the Corbières AOC of Languedoc, France. It admittedly had been there for awhile as I’d come into possession... more »

Scala Dei and la Cartoixa 1974

by  |  25-03-2022

Much praise is rightly given to the group of people who came to Priorat, Catalunya in the 1980s and saw not a remote wine region in serious decline, but a wondrous terroir with great possibility.... more »

A deeper look at DOQ Priorat 2019

by  |  17-03-2022

Whenever I can, I put together special tastings upon request in Priorat. They’re often for those visiting who want to sate a general wine curiosity or for dig deeper into a specific theme. In the... more »