Wine Reviews

This is an interesting Catalan wine business, created in 1998 by six Swiss friends with links to the wine world.  It is based in the pretty village of Calonge, just five kilometres from the coast, at the foot of the Gavarres natural park, its Mediterranean character permeating a unique, bucolic area which has been associated with wine for...
[click to continue...]

This lovely wine business, created under the aegis of Rene Barbier, Fernando Zamora (Clos Mogador) and Christopher Cannan (Clos Figuera), has put the Garnacha of Montsant in the who's-who of essential grapes varieties for inclusion in the wine cellars of all those who love Mediterranean red wines. The first official vintage, the 2004, catapulted...
[click to continue...]

Dominio de Atauta was founded in 1999 in Soria, on the eastern boundary of the Ribera del Duero, at a time when hardly anyone believed in its vineyards. Herein resided the success of the bodega which was able to spot the magic of an area sitting at about a thousand metres altitude and possessing extremely old and virtually untapped vineyards. ...
[click to continue...]

The big surprise, with a capital "S", of 2013, is brought to us by two totems of the wine world, Benjamin de Rothschild and Vega Sicilia.  12 years ago they started working together on creating  new winery from scratch in one of the world's most classic wine regions: Rioja.  It is located in San Vicente de la Sonsierra to be precise, where the...
[click to continue...]

One of Spain's most important drops, this illustration from Gonzalez Byass is unambiguous.  With its 170 year history, Gonzalez-Byass has been behind the creation of some real wine (and advertising) icons, recognizable around the world, such as the colourful Tio Pepe Fino brand, among many others. Currently, the Gonzalez-Byass business group owns...
[click to continue...]

Whether it was because of his bold character or his great vision, or whether it was simply due to the vicissitudes of life, when you find yourself speaking to wine lovers about the benefits which secondary fermentation has brought the still wines of Champagne since the 17th century, you inevitably have to talk about Father Perignon, the most...
[click to continue...]

Drum roll please for this boutique Champagne house, the author of an uninhibited Champagne which has attained cult status mostly in the last decade, little by little. Located on the slopes of the village of Avize, its small production is a far cry from the glamorous, glitzy Champagnes which abound in the region.  Anselme Selosse is considered a...
[click to continue...]

This is one of the oldest houses in Champagne which started on its current journey in 1910. Located in Mareuil-sur-Ay, it has always positioned itself as a traditional Champagne house for connoisseurs rather than a big, international Champagne house.  As a consequence, it is not even recognized by the general public who do however know its other...
[click to continue...]

Franciacorta is located in the heart of Lombardy and stretches between Brescia and Lake Iseo.  It describes three concepts: a wine, a production method (traditional or classic) and the region where Italy’s finest quality sparkling wines are produced. The Ricci Curbastro family has over one hundred years of history behind it, its first sparkling...
[click to continue...]