Catalan Wines

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 »

In The Glass: Gritelles – Manou 2019

by  |  01-02-2022

“Reduction”, as defined by the Oxford Companion to Wine, is a: “chemical reaction that is in effect the complement of oxidation and one in which an element or compound gains electrons.” That’s obviously quite scientific... more »

An update on the “Reserva de la Tierra” scandal

by  |  28-01-2022

The fraud case of Reserva de la Tierra is in the news again and recent developments warrant taking another look at it. In brief, at the end of October of last year, three Catalan denominations... more »

Southern bubbles to see you through your holidays

by  |  22-12-2021

So… here were are nearly the end of another strange, yet perhaps slightly more manageable year in this “grand” time we find ourselves in. While we may be locking things down again, that doesn’t mean... more »

The Vi Novell class of 2021

by  |  20-12-2021

Unlike last summer when I was writing about the Catalan vi novell wines, now in late fall is the more traditional time for these very, very new wines to be released and drank. Below you... more »

The wines from Trepat in Conca de Barberà 2022

by  |  17-12-2021

It’s obviously been a tough couple of years, leading to the cancelation of countless events and although some are trying to restart, that’s quite precarious and I don’t see this changing any time soon. I... more »

Best Catalan wines of 2021

by  |  06-12-2021

At the end of each year, I like to look back at all the wines I’ve tasted and pick out those in Catalunya that were either outstanding or represented something notable within various regions. This... more »

Understanding DO Penedès’s ‘Vi de Mas’ certification

by  |  03-12-2021

Last week, an article I wrote for Decanter covered a rather massive number of changes that DO Penedès has planned up through 2030. Some of the highlights are: All vineyards fully-certified as organic by 2025... more »

Pre-tasting DOQ Priorat 2020

by  |  30-11-2021

A feeling washed over me when I was tasting the wines for the DO Tarragona report earlier this year. Despite being exceedingly young wines at the time from a region that’s one of Catalunya’s less... more »

The wines of Corpinnat in 2022

by  |  15-11-2021

It was incredibly exciting to have an updated taste a few days ago of the sparkling wines by the Corpinnat producers in Penedès, Catalunya which has resulted in the newest Tasting Report out today. As... more »