Tag: tempranillo

One of the perks of being a wine writer is an invitation to a portfolio tasting from a wine agent.  The agency can bring out winery principals in some cases, who you can have a chat to about their wines.  They also pour wines that are available at regular retail, specialty wine shops, and special orders.  Having access to these…

Did you know that Spain’s wine heritage is at least three thousand years old?  Yet, you may not know much about Spanish wine, except for perhaps Rioja red wines and Spanish Cava.  Tempranillo is the best-known grape from Spain, being used to produce red wines from the Rioja region, as well as other regions in Spain. Tempranillo comes from the…

Spain has had a long history of winemaking, from classic Riojas, newer Mencia from Bierzo, to Cavas and more. During the Vancouver International Wine Festival, I and several other attendees joined Master of Wine, Barbara Philip to explore a wide range of Spanish wines and to listen to the forward-looking producers behind them. The winery principals speaking to us were: Fernando Gimenez…

As I mentioned in my previous article on my top rated white, sparkling, and fortified wines for 2017, there were so many excellent wines that I tasted this year.  As I review the red wines that I’ve listed below, there are many wines from Italy, in part due to the many visits by Italian wineries to Vancouver this year.  From…

Who Is Cellars Baronia del Montsant? Private initiative of Xavier Canals, winemaker and owner of Bodegas Baronia del Montsant began in the mid-90s with the desire to achieve a dream: to find an ideal area to produce high quality wines. And it is here, where he discovered the Priorato area, more specifically in the beautiful village of Cornudella de Montsant. Its vineyards, its native varieties, natural…

Bodegas Vivanco Vivanco Winery is located in Briones, a privileged enclave in La Rioja Alta, on the foothills of the Sierra de Cantabria and on the banks of the River Ebro in Spain. It is an area with a mild microclimate and extraordinary chalky-clay soils. Around the winery we find the Finca El Cantillo, whose name comes from the large…

Our Founder José Alberto Calvo Casajús was born in Quintana del Pidio. This small town is located on the foothills of the north side of the Duero Valley that shapes the appellation of Ribera del Duero. He had the privilege of growing up in the bosom of a winemaking family, thus, he was exposed at a very young age to…

The History of Marques de Murrieta Marqués de Murrieta´s foundation is linked to the origins of the Rioja wines since Luciano Murrieta produced in 1852 the first Rioja wine and was also the first one to export his wines. Luciano, appointed Marquis by King Amadeo of Savoy thanks to his work in Rioja, travelled to Bordeaux to learn the winemaking…

About Bodegas Arráez Our family winery was founded in 1916 by local growers for the promotion of their own harvest, afterward becoming Don Antonio Arráez Garrigós’ property in 1950. It was in those years that sales of his wines, both in bulk and bottled, started. In 1980, under Don Antonio Arráez Ibanco, the company became incorporated and international and became…

Juan Gil Bodegas Familiares are a group of small wineries scattered throughout Spain that have been joining the family group since 2002. Juan Gil Bodegas Familiares has a wide portfolio of Spanish wines with different characteristics and backgrounds. All of them with a common denominator; produced with different indigenous varieties of grapes, a refined image and an unbeatable relation between its…