Catalan Wines

The wines of Terroir Sense Fronteres

by  |  12-12-2018

I’ve not been seen outside my tasting room much this year as it was one of those periods when I again took on all the wines of both DOQ Priorat and DO Montsant. The end... more »

“Carinyena”, the original Carignan now free to be itself

by  |  29-11-2018

Carignan doesn’t see a whole lotta love. It’s most certainly no Pinot Noir nor Chardonnay nor Cabernet Sauvignon in terms of name recognition nor pan-global wine enjoyment. It’s not even at the level of Grenache... more »

Priorat’s Terra Dominicata hotel & restaurant arrives

by  |  04-09-2018

The county of Priorat, in terms of a wine region, is not lacking for places to stay after a day of enjoying the fine wine of DOQ Priorat and DO Montsant. What have been lacking... more »

Roussillon – The rise of dry

by  |  05-07-2018

In recent times, many words have been written about the quality revolution taking place in France’s Languedoc. The plenitude of grapevines both young and old, a favorable climate, and much lower costs to entry for... 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 »

Mitzpe Ramon: Israeli wine blossoms in the Negev

by  |  18-05-2018

Walking the trails of the Makhtesh Ramon in Southern Israeli exposes one to 200 million years of history. When an ancient ocean that covered the area receded, this makhtesh, or what is more simply, yet... more »

Premiere Napa Valley 2018

by  |  01-03-2018

February 24th marked the 21st annual Premiere Napa Valley auction. Following somewhat in the mold of Burgundy’s famous Hospice de Beaune, it’s a wine trade event that auctions off selected bottles or barrel lots donated... more »

Up the Douro & Quinta Nova

by  |  16-01-2018

My mother’s family is of Portuguese descent and to honor this many years ago we opened a bottle of Vintage Port that my grandfather had brought back from Porto. The build up was intense and... more »

The Grand Carignan Tasting

by  |  08-01-2018

There existed a time when I was daft to the wiles and wonders of the grape, Carignan. Despite pockets of old vines in California it was essentially a lost variety. Little thought and even less... more »

Sangenís i Vaqué: a Priorat family

by  |  17-11-2017

Having roots in Spain’s Priorat wine region means having a family that has seen some incredibly bleak times. While in the late 1800s the region experienced a boom, due to phylloxera blighting France, once the... more »