The quieter side of Rioja & tasting California

Year 12, No. 01

Greetings,

Very belated Happy 2022 and a more timely Happy Year of the Tiger!

We've started off this new year on the site with an article I've been wanted to publish for a long time about the rise of subscription sites for wine experts. I talked to two of the biggest names covering Burgundy and Bordeaux, delved into what it takes to run a site like this, and ended with the definitive list of (hopefully) all the subscription sites in the world. Free to read and you don't want to miss it!

Then, it's all about reports on Rioja. Or specifically, two smaller facets of Rioja which are the new Viñedos Singulares and the region's #2 red grape, Garnacha.

We flip it around to the other side of the wine world in California to check in on: Tablas Creek, Vine Hill Ranch, and the exciting new project of Randall Grahm called, The Language of Yes.

Of course, we need to come back and close with Spain by taking a look at developments in the Reserva de Tierra scandal which originally broke last fall.

Lastly t…