The Chronicle
Latest dispatches
34 results across all types
- news
Lleida & Costers del Segre, the destination
If visitors to Spain move on from Barcelona and start heading away from the Catalan Coast, towards Madrid by train, there's a point where they begin to rapidly pick up speed. I often wonder that, just as this is happening if they look at the horizon and wonder, “Wow, what on earth is that?!” At 60m in height, on top of a hill, the tower of la Seu Vella in the city of Lleida can be seen from many points around the province, but it’s clear that most people don’t hop off the train to investigate. The numbers prove this. There were a record-breaking 20 million people who came to Barcelona in 2025. For Lleida, the official numbers are 1.4 million and I suspect that’s for the entire province and most of it is going to be local, not international visitors. It's always been a curiosity for me as while…
- news
DO Costers del Segre 2026
All of these wines were tasted in situ during the 1-5 April 2026. Please see additional context in this Destination Report. Note that while all wines are within the denomination of origin with the exception of Lagravera which only certifies the Ónra wines. For full access, please purchase a Personal Subscription or Commercial Subscription.
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Domaine de Beaurenard – Tradition Rouge 2021
The Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Blood, Sugar, Sex, Magik came out it the later part of 1991 when I was just barely a teenager. I listened to it endlessly, the reason being that it was and continues to be a superb album. It’s amazing to look at the songs that didn’t make the original cut like “Soul to Squeeze” as they just didn’t fit in with the album as a whole, even if still good music. Rick Rubin did a fine job of massaging all the random genres that the […] For full access, please log in or purchase a subscription.
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A review of “Drops of God” Season 2
The series “Drops of God” is back for another installment, this time with what feels like even higher production value and most importantly, correct wine information overall. Season 1 focused on the blind tasting competition set up by wine critic Alexandre Léger for his daughter, Camille Léger and illegitimate son, Issei Tomine. Now that we know they’re siblings, a new quest arrives in the form of a mysterious bottle that Alexandre wasn’t able to identify during his lifetime. Well, the dynamic half-sibling duo makes short work of that, zipping off […] For full access, please log in or purchase a subscription.
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Bodega Severino Sanz, Ribera del Duero
While I’ve previously tasted the wines of Severino Sanz, it was ages ago and this new tasting formed a rediscovery of their wines for me and a greater appreciation for their work. For those who know this other side to Tempranillo in Spain, you’ll be very aware that it’s a very different take on the variety with wines that are much more dark fruited and denser in concentration. Additionally, they can often be very pricey in my opinion. This isn’t the case here with this selection of wines which I […] For full access, please log in or purchase a subscription .
- news
It’s the price, stupid
The week in Provence had begun shakily. Pounding rain and fierce Mistral on the drive up had lent a dreary start. But, it was a surprise hit of fierce allergies mixed with a very unfortunate breakfast at a hotel in Vaison-la-Romaine that stuck with me for all the wrong reasons which were making for a less-than-pleasing week in what is normally my favorite part of France. As the week rolled on, I just wanted a nice, menu de midi at a pleasant, normal restaurant. No emulsions, no deconstructions, no petit […] For full access, please log in or purchase a subscription.
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Looking at Herzegovina’s Žilavka
It was about 20 years ago when I was first introduced to the main white variety of Žilavka in Bosnia Herzegovina via writing my book on Dalmacija-Herzegovina, but I’ve come back with a very proper tasting of 25 wines that gives a look at where the variety is currently. One might ask as to why these two regions can be linked together as Dalmacija is the Croatian coast and Herzegovina, very much in the interior. But, the fact is, it’s Herzegovina where the main concentration of people who are ‘historically’ […] For full access, please log in or purchase a subscription.
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Herzegovina Žilavka 2026
All of these wines were tasted in Zagreb, Croatia on 06 March, 2026 as part of the Vinart tasting program. Please see the Special Report for more information and context. For full access, please purchase a Personal Subscription or Commercial Subscription.
- news
Familia Torres – Purgatori 2023
In what was another life (i.e. pre-pandemic) I received less than 48 hours notice to fill in as the “wine expert” for a group of well-heeled enotourists arriving from the UK for a New Year’s Eve jaunt around Barcelona. I’ve never been much for NYE and so it seemed like a way to get paid well for a couple of days as everything had been planned previously. Little did I know, it was actually the case that the tourism company organizing it was very much in the initial dry heaves […] For full access, please log in or purchase a subscription.
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A Benvenuti vertical at Vinodol
Entering Vinodol in the heart of Zagreb’s Lower Town is a bit like entering a speakeasy. You initially find yourself in what seems to be an open-air café to then walk through a restaurant space and then enter yet another restaurant proper where you sit down to eat. It’s like a restaurant instead a restaurant inside a café. It was all a bit curious, but the one thing that was adamantly clear was, once seated and starting to eat, the starter was to die for. This fried chard and Pag […] For full access, please log in or purchase a subscription.