Articles

Let’s talk about ’16 and Álvaro Palacios

by  |  25-03-2019

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 »

Old co-op, new tricks. La Vinícola Priorat’s Vi de Vila.

by  |  19-06-2018

On June 9th, La Vinícola del Priorat launched a new series of wines that are all certified under Priorat’s “Vi de Vila”. This certification establishes that 100% of the grapes from the wine came from... more »
Bellmunt del Priorat

Understanding DOQ Priorat’s village wines: Vi de Vila

by  |  15-06-2018

While it’s important to understand the Vino de Pago & Vi de Finca classifications of Spain & Catalunya as they’re region wide, one that’s actually much more interesting and evolving is that of “Vi de... more »

Lady strangler news, Escanyavella 2015

by  |  18-10-2017

There exists an old grape in DOQ Priorat that sits in something of a legal limbo called, Escanyavella. Essentially it means “old lady choker” or “strangler” depending on how poetic you might want to be... more »

The story of Triaca

by  |  24-07-2017

I can’t properly remember the first time nor even the first place that I bumped into Santi. I feel that it was in Falset during a Vi de Vila tasting was where we first met... more »

The rebirth of the Escanyavella grape in Priorat

by  |  20-05-2016

There existed many old grape varieties in Catalonia; many of them in much greater numbers before phylloxera. In the days that followed this catastrophic attack to European winemaking there was something of a viticultural reckoning... more »
A rainbow of wonderful wines

And the Porrera wine gang was all there

by  |  01-04-2016

As was usually when coming in from one of the trails around the village of Porrera, my dog had spotted a cat and ran off through the houses. We’ve been through this game many times... more »

Escanyavella, the old lady strangler

by  |  06-11-2012

In making travels throughout the world of wine, it’s normal to come across Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and all the rest of the 20 or so main varieties that are commonly planted around... more »