Hudin: yr. 10 no. 3
Be wine curious
Hudin: 10 no. 3
There may be a light at the end of the tunnel depending upon where you live, or things may be continuing as they are. Regardless, we continue in this period of strangeness and hopefully wine is part of that for you?
We start out by looking back to March and an international judging of the grape, Sauvignon Blanc. Much-maligned by people in the wine trade who find it too simplistic, this trip to visit, Sauvignon Blanc in the Loire was eyeopening to show that there are so many different styles of the grape and hey, it was in the Loire Valley which is gorgeous beyond gorgeous with castles seemingly every 10 paces and vines in between them.
And now, this:
The fall and rise of Pinotage
Rupert Millar writes a fantastic piece taking aim at all those who immediately sneer their nose in the direction of South Africa's "native" grape by pointing out there's a lot more to this variety than what cheap supermarket wines of yore used to offer.
The DOQ Priorat box
If you like the wines of DOQ Priorat, then you'll love this. It's a box of six bottles from the region for 72.60€ shipped anywhere in Spain. Additional (and reasonable) costs to other countries are available as well. While unfortunately only available to residents in Europe and the UK, it's a great value with 1€ of each box being donated to COVID-19 research in Barcelona. Get in on this while you can!
Vischoqueña?
This interesting grape cross is only found in Bolivia in their high-altitude vineyards. It's about time we took a look at what this grape is and the Bolivian wine scene in general for those with a curiosity as to what they're doing to cultivate wine production in this tropical/Andean country.
The Xarel·lo grape in all its glory
This report takes a look at the Xarel·lo grape in the Penedès region of Catalunya, Spain. If it's a white grape you've never heard of, it's definitely worth checking out as, after 20 years of experimenting with this variety that's usually just part of Cava blends, the winemakers have really got it nailed, as shown the accompanying Tasting Report.
A book review of Women Winemakers
A well-researched book that documents the advents and rise of women making wine in our contemporary times.
A review of "Back to Burgundy"
Perhaps you missed this French film set in the wine region of Burgundy, if so, go search it out now! A brilliant telling of three siblings who inherit their parent's winery as they're all left trying to figure out how to cope with a pair of golden handcuffs.
A judgment in Grenache, Perpignan edition
In May of last year, Miquel Hudin was one of the judges at the international competition for Grenache-based wines. In addition to covering this unique event that took place in the deep south of France, he also recommends some very solid, tasty Grenaches to wet your whistle.