Articles

The best of Catalan white wines

by  |  07-02-2017

Last fall, I received a commission from Decanter to do a report on the white wines of Catalonia for the March issue of a publication in the UK. You of course may be asking yourself,... more »

The white wines of Penedès

by  | 

A logical starting point in any article about Catalan white wines is DO Penedès. They are by far the largest wine producing region in Catalonia and 80% of what they produce is in the form... more »

Recaredo’s Turó d’en Mota 2005 & 1999

by  |  17-11-2016

If you know Cava and you don’t know the Turó d’en Mota from Recaredo, then you may be displeased to learn that you really don’t know Cava. This lengthy-aged sparkling wine from a single vineyard... more »

The Grapes of Spain

by  |  28-09-2016

If there is one native Spanish grape that a typical wine drinker will know, it is Tempranillo, and for most consumers, the story ends there. In the second half of the 20th century, it was... more »

The new “institutional wines” of DO Montsant

by  |  08-07-2016

DO Montsant has just announced their new “institutional wines”. In brief, these are a red and white wine that will be used for the next 1-2 years to demonstrate what is seen to be the... more »
Their tasting room in the farmhouse

The novel approach of Clos Lentiscus

by  |  16-04-2016

Since fully moving to Priorat, I’ve ironically been spending a good deal of time in Penedès. First was for the “Rebels of Penedès” article and then for the Clàssic Penedès follow up. Despite Clos Lentiscus... more »
Their dormant vineyards in Garraf

A further taste of Alemany i Corrio

by  |  24-02-2016

In my much longer article about the “rebellious” winemakers of DO Penedès, I made but a brief mention of Irene Alemany and her winery, Alemany i Corrio. They are to a large degree, the anti-Penedès... more »

Rebellious Penedès: “Unrated”

by  |  28-01-2016

This article originally ran on Harpers but, given space restrictions was nearly half of the original in length. Here I present it in its entirety. The concept of rebellion in wine typically conjures up images... more »

Cava versus Champagne

by  |  30-12-2015

With New Year’s Eve just around the corner and having slogged through multiple bottles of sparkling wine during the Christmas meals, I felt it a good time to talk about Champagne and Cava. One should... more »

Cava, for that bubbly time of year

by  |  08-12-2015

For those who love sparkling wines, this is a great time of year. However, the festive season can be a minefield of lesser bubblies just waiting to hurt your body, soul, and potentially, friendships. In... more »