Catalan Wines

The wines of DO Montsant 2022

by  |  20-06-2022

I’m very happy to be releasing the latest tasting report for DO Montsant today. Over half of the nearly 90 wines tasted resided within the vintage boundaries of 2018, 2019, and 2020. But, with 1/4... more »

How the bum was won

by  |  09-06-2022

It started as a simple proposition. Mike Boyne of Bin Two in Padstow, England contacted me a few weeks back and asked if I’d be interested in tasting the third edition, of his now-legendary pét-nat... more »

The wines of AOC Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2022

by  |  31-05-2022

I’d missed that view of the “Pope’s new castle” seen above. It’s striking in how it lords over the village of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, making for spectacular photos whether day or night. My longing for it was... more »

Bordeaux 2021, En Primeur

by  |  18-05-2022

After three years away, the world’s wine professionals landed upon Bordeaux this spring for the (previously) annual En Primeur campaign covering the 2021 vintage. The general takeaway? Great estates made great wines. All others, take... more »

The wines of DO Penedès 2022

by  |  09-05-2022

The DO Penedès has been on the move lately. The biggest news of course is their ten-year plan where they’ve set up a system under the Vi de Mas for vineyard classifications. Even more impressive... more »

The wines of Faugères 2022

by  |  20-04-2022

If you’re not living in France, Faugères may not be a region that immediately comes to mind. I say this as a massive 87% of their production doesn’t ever leave the country with people very... more »

The only pét-nat I ever loved

by  |  14-04-2022

I don’t have the most glorious of histories with pétillant naturel aka “pét-nat”. In general, most of what I’ve had would be best described as, “rude”. Short in the mouth and yes, fruity, but yet... more »

The wines from Tempranillo Blanco in Rioja 2022

by  |  06-04-2022

While color mutations of grapes do happen from time to time, they’re not an everyday occurrence. Their existence is one thing but the real question is whether a mutation can actually produce a quality wine... more »

Ukraine meets Penedès

by  |  28-03-2022

When Anna Zahorodnya was a teenager in Kostopil, Ukraine she had no idea how different her adult life would be. And who could, given that now in her 30s, she lives in a completely different... more »

Scala Dei and la Cartoixa 1974

by  |  25-03-2022

Much praise is rightly given to the group of people who came to Priorat, Catalunya in the 1980s and saw not a remote wine region in serious decline, but a wondrous terroir with great possibility.... more »