Head for the hills, spring is here
Year 16, No. 06
Highlights: Costers del Segre Destination Report | Herzegovina’s Žilavka
All the roses exchanged for Catalunya’s wonderful day of Sant Jordi last week are most likely withered and gone at this point, but that doesn’t mean that spring doesn’t continue at full tilt. In fact, it’s been so warm that other parts of Europe (those still having snow flurries) would probably mistake this April for their hottest parts of summer.
I won’t lie, it makes for wonderful days with what is essentially the perfect temperature for everything minus a dip in the sea, although plenty seem intent on forcing this issue.
At the same time, we’ve arrived to that point in the year where I’m concerned as to what the summer holds. This fear was compounded by reading that nearly 40% of the vines in Champagne were damaged by frost at the beginning of April. This is the second-worst on record, only topped by the frost damage in 2003 which seemed to ironically foreshadow the arrival of one of the worst summers in Europe—may history not repeat itself again.
But the weather is anything if not schizophrenic these days. At beginning of the month I went to spend a few days in the region of DO Costers del Segre, which is the inner-most province in Catalunya and the only one without a coastline.
I was there to visit more wineries, sites, and to write up a new report (*) from a visitor’s point of view. The first day I arrived, I needed my heaviest coat. Five days later, I was sweating in a t-shirt and this despite being way, way up in the Spanish Pyrénées; a blessed place on this planet of ours if there ever was one.
I’ve passed a great many summers in Europe of course. When tasting a flight of Herzegovina’s Žilavka white wines last month (full report is out now) I was reminded about my last trip to the region when it was achingly hot. Despite this, the food was excellent and I had a fine time in this southern part of Bosnia & Herzegovina. Hopefully the wines can reach a broader audience as their style has matured wonderfully over the years.
And why not round out talking about the weather for when I went to lunch while compiling the Southern Rhône report. It was a rather cloudy week, but when the sun finally came out, I was rather dismayed to find in the quaint village restaurant I was dining, that the same wine markups-on-steroids that are rampant in the US and UK have also apparently found their way to Southern France. So, do we really need to ask why people aren’t buying wine in restaurants (*) anymore?
If looking to avoid going out, maybe drink at home and enjoy watching something about wine, so here’s a review for Season 2 (*) of “Drops of God”. As a spoiler alert, many things are the same as Season 1, except this time, the dynamic duo are in Georgia.
Drink well, be well.
-Miquel
(*) Free to read
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The Featured Reports
Costers del Segre Destination Report
Mountains, rivers, snow and plains, olive oil and of course, wine. What more could one want? Spoiler alert: not much.
Herzegovina’s Žilavka
Bosnia & Herzegovina obviously has a bit of a branding issue to overcome when it comes to promoting their wines, but they have a great deal to enjoy, such as these wines from the native white variety of Žilavka.
Drink It or Sink It
A look at the sub-5€ end of the wine world with a great many more ‘Drinks’ than ‘Sinks’. Follow along on the main channels via Instagram or YouTube.
Torre Oria Caperucita Tinta - IG | YT
Château de la Bonde Luberon Rosé 2025 - IG | YT
And now this
Châteauneuf can be excellent, even in a young form as shown by this Tradition Rouge by Domaine de Beaurenard.
These wines were a fine discovery in terms of Ribera del Duero wines from Bodega Severino Sanz.
When having the opportunity to taste a vertical of fine wines from Istra’s Teran grape in Croatia, one takes it.
Jointly with the Costers del Segre report, there was the chance to taste the Purgatori from Torres, which has shaped up to be a fine wine.
Maybe a little something from the islands, such as this red from Vins Nadal on Mallorca?