“In Spain, when you’re fifteen, sixteen years old, you have to decide what you want to study: Science or Humanities,” joked Rioja’s Miguel Merino. “I chose Humanities… so I can’t let the wine go wrong, otherwise I won’t know what to do to make money!” The diminutive Merino, who spent twenty years in various aspects…
Category: on the road
Freedom, Liberty And The Pursuit Of One Of Barossa’s Best Reds (Langmeil Recent Releases)
I have a confession to make. I hate the word “freedom.” Rather, I hate the misuse of the word freedom; because, at the risk of sounding like an unpatriotic American, I’ve noticed that most of the time people use “freedom” when they really mean “liberty” (the latter of which, unlike the former, constitutes non-contradictory inherent…
1WineDude TV Episode 52: Alexandra Manousakis On The Challenges (and Ironies!) Of Crete’s Modern Wine Biz
In this episode of 1WineDude TV, I talk (on location!) with with Alexandra Manousakis, whose family makes wine from Rhone varieties on the Greek island of Crete. Aside from prettying up things here on 1WDTV, Alexandra gives us an insider’s take on Crete winemaking history, along with her insights on the challenges facing Cretan wine…
Rare By Nature, Rare By Nurture (The Inside View Of Rutherglen Rare Topaque And Muscat)
Geographic isolation engenders resourcefulness. As well as entire rooms that smell like caramel and sultanas. Let’s start with the resourcefulness. When Scottish friends George Sutherland Smith and John Banks decided in the 1860s that they couldn’t wait for materials to be shipped in to them to build All Saints, a winemaking property on the bank…