What connects Bob Dylan, the Queen of England and a long-dead Roman Emperor? And no, I’m not talking about their dodgy hairstyles. I’m talking about a small Catalan winery tucked away in a tranquil corner of Penedés which just happens to produce one of the world's best vinegars. Born of Joan Roca’s dream to make his... Continue Reading →
"Yeia mas!" shouts a rather jolly Olly Smith, raising his glass enthusiastically at the little crowd huddled in a white plastic tent in the middle of the festival. For a moment I feel like I'm back in school and a charismatic prefect has broken into the headmistress's liquor cabinet. We're reverently gathered for an introduction... Continue Reading →
"Take a picture of me with the little girl", instructs my newfound Argentine friend to her husband. I lean in and clink my glass with hers, wondering exactly how old she thinks I am. Then I realise she's talking about a portrait on the wall right behind me. In fact, it's just one of a... Continue Reading →
“Do you know what Dom Pérignon said after inventing champagne? He called out to his fellow monks, 'Come quickly! I am tasting the stars.” John Green, The Fault in Our Stars Like many things related to Champagne, the National Day of Champagne itself is hotly debated. Some clamour for the 31st of December which clearly makes... Continue Reading →
As the vine leaves turn golden after a bountiful harvest, hundreds of winemakers across the world bury horns stuffed with manure in the ground to ensure the success of the harvest to come. When winter is over they return to unearth the horns and extract the rich organic material which will be sprayed on the... Continue Reading →
There's a moment – just one – when sand blends with water in a repeated and constant movement. That moment, almost secret, almost soaring, gives birth at night to glow worms that... Continue Reading →
Have you ever met a wine hacker? I have. Last week I found myself in a narrow, brightly-lit room in a far-flung corner of the city, rubbing glasses with Argentina's hippest wine bloggers at the grandiosely-named PinotBonarda Wine Hackaton. Now let me be clear; there were no geeky, unwashed techies in ironic oversized T-shirts here (ok,... Continue Reading →
They say that Ulysses, sated with marvels, Wept tears of love at the sight of his Ithaca, Green and humble. Art is that Ithaca Of green eternity, not marvels. Cuentan que Ulises, harto de prodigios, Lloró de amor al divisar su Itaca Verde y humilde. El arte es esa Itaca De verde eternidad, no de... Continue Reading →
‘Today, man does not govern the forces he has unleashed, but rather, it is these forces that govern man. Because we do not come into this planet simply to develop, just like that, indiscriminately. We come into the world to be happy. Because life is short and it slips away from us. And nothing is... Continue Reading →
How do you choose the wine you buy? Do you go for grape varieties you know you love, or do you try to pick something you've never tried before? Or are you simply a sucker for a great label? (Maybe that's just me...) Back in the UK, where I'm from, wine shops and supermarket shelves... Continue Reading →
