Articles

Five white wines from Châteauneuf-du-Pape to know right now

by  |  21-09-2022

Who would opt for a Pinot Noir from Coteaux Champenois instead of a zippy, bubbling Champagne? Are there any people who even know that Syrah from Rueda instead of Verdejo is an option? Or maybe... more »

DO Terra Alta brings “brisats” to the forefront

by  |  08-02-2022

DO Terra Alta, in Catalunya, Spain has been quite busy recently. In their regulatory council’s last board meeting of 2021 they approved a long list of changes. The most prominent was their making a very... more »

A southern kind of bubbly, Vinyes del Convent – Senyoria 2017

by  |  27-09-2021

The region of Terra Alta is something of an exception in the eastern side of the Iberian Peninsula. It’s usually the case that the further south you go, the less white wine you find. But... more »

10 wines from Terra Alta to know right now

by  |  12-07-2021

As was shown in the recent DO Terra Alta report, this is a region not lacking in diversity nor quality. They make a great many styles of wines with an equal balance of excellent red... more »

A Southern European selection of François Lurton

by  |  03-05-2021

François Lurton is but one member of the vast Lurton family, long-established in Bordeaux. If you’d like to read up on their history, I’d recommend having a look at this article as I would but... more »

A tasting of Sommos Garnacha

by  |  03-02-2021

The last day I was up in Barbastro to research the Somontano Report, I visited Sommos to sit down with the winemaker, José Javier Echandi, over lunch and discuss what they’re doing in their massive,... more »

In The Glass: Sangenís i Vaqué – Lo Coster Blanc 2018

by  |  14-08-2020

Everyone in marketing these days is emphasizing the importance of “the story” over all else. Those of us who drink wine like to think that what really counts is in the bottle though. Thankfully, this... more »

Terra Alta and the finesse of Garnatxa Blanca

by  |  08-07-2019

For the current issue of World of Fine Wine I was given free rein to write about all that is wonderful when it comes to the Garnatxa Blanca (White Grenache) grape in DO Terra Alta.... more »

A judgment in Grenache, Perpignan edition

by  |  22-05-2019 ~ 1 Comment

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 »

Speaking of Herència Altés

by  |  18-02-2019

In Spain, judgment of a person is regularly passed based upon their given name. If you can figure out the origin of either of the family names, you base your conclusions upon that. If the... more »