Adrian Murcia Blame it on RiojaWhen I’m not busy envying them their chosen career paths, I’m invariably and almost daily drawn to their wine blog/web compendium of all things Iberian and vinous,
This year, we’ve heard a wide range of harvest stories from across the peninsula: earlier than normal harvests, some later than normal, while others are reporting red grapes being picked before the white grapes – a highly unusual event. Consequently, we’re absolutely clueless as to how the 2011 vintage will end up. Not that we […] Continue Reading →
I wish I was a winemaker, it seems such a wonderfully exciting, creative and honest thing to be. The skill and dedication required to make great wine beggars belief – the life consists of seriously hard work, but to the observer it seems attractive – idyllic even. Whenever I hear about mavericks who create little […] Continue Reading →
Television viewers in the UK will have recently been treated to an advertisement for Dolmio Ragu sauce in which a family of towel-textured, round-faced puppets make lasagne while a voice-over tells us Dolmio tomato sauce is made from ‘100% natural. Which is nice if you want to be reassured that what gets mashed into your […] Continue Reading →
In our next installment of La Vuelta a España (check out the first, second, third and fourth installments), we head north to the wine barren land of the Iberian Peninsula. With Spain being slightly smaller in size than Texas, and with a population roughly equivalent to that of the west coast of the United States […] Continue Reading →
Wine has an image problem, as a result of those promoting, creating and selling it. Everyday, wineries continue to promote wine as something special, or that you the consumer need an education to truly appreciate it. And as a result, its perceived as a privileged beverage, something that demands the consumer protections we afford car […] Continue Reading →
Editor’s Note: This article was posted prior to David Booth’s passing. However, we are retaining the tone of the original article as his views are still relevant and very respected. Over the years, Ryan and I have shared several stories with you regarding our lives as expats in Spain. We’ve lamented days when our heat, […] Continue Reading →
A few days ago, we mentioned that we were attending the II International Conference on Organic Viticulture, Sustainability and Climate Change (EcoSostenibleWine 2010) being held just south of Barcelona in Vilafranca de Penedes. The aim of the conference was to disseminate information on the latest technology in sustainability, organic procedures, and means to reduce the […] Continue Reading →
We are currently in route to the II International Conference on Organic Viticulture, Sustainability and Climate Change (EcoSostenibleWine 2010) being held just south of Barcelona in Vilafranca de Penedes. Organised by the Catalan Institute of Wine and Viticulture (Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Action) and the Special Food Technology Research Centre (Autonomous University of […] Continue Reading →
Our first meeting with the legendary Douro Boys occurred 4 years ago at Essencia do Vinho in Porto, where Gabriella and I shared a dinner in the cramped tea house of the Museu de Serralves. For me, it was a dream come true, and something that I remember fondly as one of the great moments in my short wine career. Since then, we […] Continue Reading →
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