Ah, Rioja! All those years spent at the International Wine Center studying the differences between the soil of the Rioja Alavesa above the Elbo river, and the Rioja Baja and Rioja Alta finally paid off. This was a scholarly trip with a group of very well-educated educators, with a focus on the wines and wineries [...]

  Vibrant Rioja (#riojabuzz) put on a fabulous grand tasting seminar today, with the most fabulous moderator and panelists! NYC’s top wine journalists and educators were treated to an exceptionally well orchestrated tasting, that very importantly, included key questions every fine wine writer and sommelier must address: 1. What is going on in terms of [...]

  Care for a Cava? When you reach for a Spanish Sparkler on your supermarket shelf, chances are it’s from Freixenet, given their 200 million bottle production. Did you realize that the family-owned Freixenet sells 160 sparkling and still wine brands worldwide? Recently, I had the opportunity to travel to Spain to meet CEO Pedro [...]

  Quick! Thick of Rioja (the famous Spanish wine) and what flavors come to mind? One of my favorite sommelier instructors thought that during a blind tasting, a Rioja can often be recognized by a dusty, leather saddle sort of scent, or by its American oak trademarks of dill and coconut. Actually, Rioja is a [...]