Sicus, when wine is made in the vineyard12-07-2019
Driving forty five minutes covers a lot of ground in the wine world. It affords a 41km view of the entire Côte d’Or in Burgundy. Similarly, it will see you go from the top to... more>
Natural etc. Can Sumoi01-03-2019
Europe is in the “Recuperation Era” of winemaking and by that I mean that there is still a lot of recuperation of old varieties, vineyards, and winemaking methods taking place to produce the modern, evolving... more>
Sweetness: Alta Alella – Blanc de Neu 2016 & Mataró 201523-01-2019
Dessert wines are decidedly not sexy in this day and age. A right pity that is given they definitely have their place in a meal to cleanse and close the palate at the end and... more>
Wonderful Gran Reserva Cavas for unreasonable times15-12-2018
It’s roundabout mid-December when the bubbly articles inevitably percolate throughout all manners of media. The codified thinking is that for these festive times, you’ll want what has been deemed the most celebratory of drinks: sparkling... more>
The ever-mighty Xarel·lo. Recaredo: Turó d’en Mota 2006 & Serral del Vall 200829-10-2018
Perhaps it’s because t hasn’t popped up on #sommlife or the less-used but seemingly less annoying #awesomm. Or, perhaps it’s just that the punt volat (·) tosses people for a wobbly, but Xarel·lo is still... more>
The Xarel·lo grape. Or is it Xarello, Xarel.lo, or Xarel-lo?25-06-2018
For those who may not know it, Xarel·lo is a wonderful white grape that, as far as we know, is native to the Penedès region of Catalunya. Able to give an upright, structured backbone as... more>
Wine Predictions for 201820-01-2018
Sending out predictions for a year, three weeks into the year may seem a bit ridiculous but I needed to wait for statistics to come out in order to rate last year’s predictions. So, this... more>
Cava’s sweet spot29-12-2017
In a scant three days there will undoubtedly be countless people who will wake up wishing they’d had at least a glass or perhaps even a bottle less of the sparkling wine they indulged in... more>
Alta Alella – Mirgin Opus Evolutium 201319-05-2017
At the age of 19 I was in awe when staring at a pair of bright yellow soccer cleats in a shop until I realized that I would need skills on the field far beyond... more>
Adieu France – The regrafting of Catalan vineyards09-03-2017
“I can’t speak for all of Spain, but Cabernet Sauvignon sucks in Catalunya. You pick it when it’s ripe and you’re going to be making dessert wine. You pick it before it raisins and it’s... more>