I like Graciano. It’s a red grape variety, grown principally in Rioja, where it is used as a blending component. It’s a high quality grape capable of making ageworthy wines,…
A lovely red wine from Galicia, Spain
I love this wine, which hails from the north west of Spain, in a small Galician region called Ribeiro. It’s made from some unfamiliar varieties, but Jancis, Julia and Jose’s…
Recaredo: world-class Cava?
Great discovery today, made at Les Caves de Pyrene’s sparkling tasting. Recaredo. World-class Cava, something that many wine nuts didn’t think was possible. The secret to Recaredo’s wines? Biodynamic viticulture and…
Three lovely Palo Cortado sherries
Sherry gives me a lot of pleasure. Here are three Palo Cortados that I’ve had open for a while. I did a contemplative comparative tasting of them. All quite different,…
A night out in Vilafranca with nice wine and beer
This weekend Vilafranca comes alive with the Vijazz festival. It’s basically a street party combining jazz and wine. Over 30 Penedes wine producers are taking part, and there are two…
My first look at Priorat
Had my first visit to Priorat yesterday. Remarkable how similar the soils are to the Douro, with schist, which here they call licorella. The similarity is also helped by the…
Some nice food here in Catalunya
So, I have been eating quite well over the last couple of days. Dinner on Tuesday evening was at Cal Ton in Vilafranca (www.restuarantcalton.com). Not flashy, but just very good….
Some research work at Torres, Spain
I’ve been visiting Torres today, one of Spain’s strongest wine brands, making not only very good commercial wines, but also some fairly serious high end wines, too. I spent some…
Old vine Garnacha from Domaines Lupier, Navarra
Two impressive, potentially ageworthy Garnacha (Grenache) wines from Navarra. They’re quite difficult to assess right now because they are just so tannic and primary, but I think they will be…