LEARNING ABOUT WINE Rías Baixas: Atlantic Wine in Galicia

Rías Baixas: Atlantic Wine in Galicia Rías Baixas begins with water. The Atlantic reaches into Galicia’s western coast through long estuaries called rías, where river water, sea air, fog, and rain meet before they move inland across small vineyards. This is one of Spain’s wettest wine regions, and the problem of ripening grapes here has … Read more

LEARNING ABOUT WINE: Galicia: Atlantic Weather, Fragmented Vineyards, and the Long Recovery of a Wine Region

Galicia: Atlantic Weather, Fragmented Vineyards, and the Long Recovery of a Wine Region Galicia occupies the northwestern corner of Spain, facing the Atlantic and bordered by Portugal to the south, Asturias to the east, and the inland lands of Castile and León beyond its mountain barriers. That position has always set it slightly apart from … Read more

LEARNING ABOUT WINE Spain’s DOs: Why Spain Has So Many Wine Regions?

Spain’s DOs: Why Spain Has So Many Wine Regions? In Spanish wine, place often comes before country. Rioja, Rías Baixas, Ribera del Duero, and Jerez appear first. Those names belong to a legal system. In Spain, the most familiar unit in that system is the DO, short for Denominación de Origen. A DO ties a … Read more

LEARNING ABOUT WINE What is Orange Wine?

What Is Orange Wine? Orange wine is often misunderstood before it is even poured. The name does not refer to oranges, orange flavour, or citrus infusion. It refers only to the colour that can appear when white grapes are fermented with their skins. Even that colour can vary widely, from pale gold to deep amber. … Read more

LEARNING ABOUT WINE Crémant de Bourgogne

Crémant de Bourgogne Crémant de Bourgogne is easier to understand when it is treated as one of Burgundy’s wine categories rather than as a secondary alternative to more famous sparkling regions. It is made by the traditional method, and it shares Chardonnay and Pinot Noir with Champagne, but those facts do not tell the reader … Read more

LEARNING ABOUT WINE Why Should You Care How Old the Vines Are?

This week we welcome a new contributor, Mitchell Rabinowitz. Watch for LEARNING ABOUT WINE every Monday. Why Should You Care How Old Vines Are? You should care about vine age when it tells you something concrete about how a vineyard behaves, how it handles difficult weather, and what kind of wine it can produce without … Read more