Ever since 1984, UK wine magazine Decanter have bestowed an accolade on a figure from the the world of wine, crowning them man of the year. The first recipient was…
Two from Spain: Basconcillos and Sandoval
After posting on two Portuguese wines yesterday, I thought I’d stay in the Iberian peninsula and write up two Spanish bottles. The Basconcillos is a low-SO2 red that’s brilliant value…
Do Ferreiro Albariño Cepas Vellas from 200 year old vines
This was a remarkable Albariño, made from a one-hectare plot of vines that’s over 200 years old. It’s made by Gerardo Méndez of Do Ferreiro, who farms 10 hectares, split into…
Viña Tondonia Reserva 2002, in a supermarket near you
López de Heredia, who make Tondonia, is one of the classic old Rioja houses. They are super-traditional, and make fabulously old fashioned and brilliantly ageable wines. They are not for…
How sherry is transferred from cask to cask
A short film showing the way that sherries are transferred from cask to cask in the solera/criadera system. This is biologically aged sherry (fino), so a special device is used…
Writing up my sherry adventure, and a special plug for Bar Arturo
I have just written up the first two parts of a five part series on my sherry adventure in October, when I got to visit Jerez and helped blend the…
In Spain, at the Ecosostenible Wine conference
I am in Vilafranca del Penedes in Spain, at the fourth Ecosostenible Wine conference, where I have been a participant. It’s a technical conference examining organic wine production, sustainability and…
Four great wines at The Remedy: Jura, Sicily and Tenerife
Was at The Remedy wine bar last night, with a couple of dudes. We had some lovely wines, including two stunning bottles from Tenerife. The red in particular was quite…
Mas Candi: making the most of Catalan grape varieties
Mas Candi is a fairly new project (established 2006) that’s a collaboration between four viticulture and enology students who wanted to make wines from their families’ vineyards. The focus is…