The Chronicle
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80 results across all types
- news
Making Irpinia, home
If one searches for the highlights to visit in Campania, Italy, you’ll note a running similarity: they’re essentially all on the coast. Naples, Sorrento, and Pompeii are cities and sites which always pop up and are definitely worth a visit. I’d even posit that Naples, either in spite of or due to its innate chaos, is one of the few places in Italy that I still truly love. Continuing down one’s listicle of choice will arrive to Vesuvius and the islands of Ischia and Capri for natural wonders that one […] For full access, please log in or purchase a subscription.
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Finca Río Negro, Guadalajara, Spain
For those unfamiliar with the Vino de Pago system in Spain, it won’t have too much impact to mention that Río Negro was the latest Pago to be approved, which was back in 2025. The Pagos are basically a monopole in that they’re a Protected Denomination of Origin (PDO) under EU law, but they’re not a Denomination of Origin as they’re owned by a single owner and don’t have a governing council like the Denominations of Origin or DOs. This gets confusing as the owners of these Pagos will usually […] For full access, please log in or purchase a subscription .
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Cellers de Scala Dei – Pla dels Àngels 2025
It’s nothing new to say that rosé has come a long way in a short time. Well, maybe it’s more the case that we should say Provençal rosé has come a long way to be basically ‘the’ rosé. I remember attending Vinisud back in 2014 when it was still going strong and, after meeting Verónica Ortega for the first time and tasting her nascent DO Bierzo wines, I strolled over to the Provence section. I swear I was able to see it from across the pavillion. Like a lighthouse on […] For full access, please log in or purchase a subscription.
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Bodegas Buezo, Arlanza, Spain
The winery of Buezo is in the rather overlooked DO arlanza region which sits just to the north of Ribera del Duero, yet yields quite different wines and only holds about two dozen wineries. Here we have the ‘current’ release which is from 2009 as the project looks to build upon a long heritage of aging. That said, this release is still quite fresh and elevated despite such long aging and is a fine wine. Admittedly, it’s a bit confusing as to how the wines are named and the winery […] For full access, please log in or purchase a subscription .
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The wines of Rioja 2026
The Rioja wine region is a mighty, impressive ship. It seems to have the ability to weather most any storm. But, despite its might, will the current downward trends in wine drinking, especially reds, prove too much to handle? That remains to be seen, but via the current Tasting Report and a week spent in the region in June, a vast number of changes are happening to keep the ship afloat as well as build a bridge to better times. A work ever in progress About this time last year, […] For full access, please log in or purchase a subscription.
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DOC Rioja 2026
All of these wines were tasted during the week of 15-19 June, 2026 with the majority tasted at the premises of the Rioja Consejo and an additional amount tasted in situ at the wineries. All wines were tasted in non-blind conditions to maintain consistency. Please read the Regional Report for additional context. Note: VdP – Vino de Pueblo certification, VS – Viñedo Singular certification For full access, please purchase a Personal Subscription or Commercial Subscription.
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The Holy Trinity
While on a trip to Porto and the Douro recently, a colleague and I started talking about “field blends” and I admitted that I find the mystique given to them to be a bit, how shall we say… ‘bullshit’. It’s often part of the branding at many wineries that, if they have an old vineyard, they’ll upsell the aspect that they pick all the grapes together and ferment the one as one, singular, beautiful wine. The idea being that over time, the vineyard has been planted with a vast array […] For full access, please log in or purchase a subscription.
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Viña Vilano, Ribera del Duero, Spain
This serves as an update to the previous tasting of Viña Vilano, except this time it’s all from Ribera del Duero with the exception of the Godello wine from Bierzo–this same vintage was tasted last year, and, thankfully, was scored the same. What’s interesting to see overall in their wines it that, despite being founded in 1957, there are constant changes to the wines. The biggest to note in all in these latest wines is the strength of the 2022 vintage which is, excellent across the board. Both of their […] For full access, please log in or purchase a subscription .
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Baigorri – Negu 2025
Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise: there’s strength in young wine. Sure, when it comes to investing or being ‘fancy’, everyone iswas more than happy shell out good money for long-aged wines such as in Bordeaux, but even when these were the cat’s loudest meow, they were always a small portion of the wine being consumed. In fact, all of these wines with five years or more of aging make up something like 1% of the total wine market. The actual truth is that more than 90% of all wine […] For full access, please log in or purchase a subscription.
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Recent Russian shelling destroys Ukrainian wine warehouse
On the night of July 2, a Russian strike on Kyiv destroyed the central warehouse of the OKWINE wine store chain and the distributor Wine Hunters. The company reported that this was one of the hardest days for the team: rescue workers were still on the scene, so it was impossible to immediately assess the exact extent of the damage. OKWINE is one of Ukraine’s largest specialized wine retail chains, founded in 2012. According to the company, the chain comprises more than 140 wine stores in 32 cities, offering a selection of over 4,000 SKUs; its team includes more than 700 professional sommeliers and cavistes. The group of companies plays a role in shaping wine culture: OKWINE School trains both industry professionals and the company’s own staff. The chain’s importer and distributor is its affiliate, Wine Hunters. This is not the first strike against the group’s business: in December 2025,…
- news
A new look at Domaine de la Mordorée
When tasting for the last Châteauneuf-du-Pape Report, I had the pleasure of a visit at Domaine de la Mordorée. As is often the case in the region, while they produce Châteauneuf wines, they aren’t located in Châteauneuf proper, but instead, across the Rhône in the village of Tavel which is famed for its unique style of rosé wines. Mordorée produces CdP there, as well as Tavel, Lirac, Côtes du Rhône, and a couple of Vin de France just to keep things interesting. The winery was originally founded by father and […] For full access, please log in or purchase a subscription.
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Corpinnat nears two dozen with Mas Vilella
Corpinnat has just announced (*) their 23rd addition in the form of Mas Vilella, bringing the total number of wineries in the association to just shy of two dozen. While the biggest news for Corpinnat this year was the move of Juvé & Camps from DO Cava to the association, the addition of Mas Vilella is quite important as well. It forms part of a new front in the group wherein there are members that aren't coming from other, established DOs, but instead starting new projects that opt to produce under Corpinnat from very the start, emphasizing the strength in the core values of the association. Mas Vilella started still wine production in 2015 when Albert Jané, after finding a good deal of success in his DO Montsant and DOQ Priorat wineries of Acústic and Ritme, decided to go back and build upon his roots. While Mas Vilella is a…
- news
The wines of Languedoc 2026
Even without the Roussillon bit tacked on to the end, the French region of Languedoc is an enormous producer of wine. Within Europe, it comes in at second place, with Castilla-La Mancha at number one, although this is a bit of a tricky comparison given that Spain’s juggernaut is three times the size in terms of land. As you can drive from one end of Languedoc to the other in about an hour and a half, it’s not necessarily tremendous when looking at the physical landscape. But, in terms of […] For full access, please log in or purchase a subscription.
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AOC Terrasses du Larzac 2026
These wines were part of the larger Languedoc tasting that took place from 1-6 June in Pézanas, France. The wines were tasted by appellation, vintage, and color during the days. They were in a quasi-blind state wherein labels were covered, but easily referenced in a list. For more information on the wines and current trends, please see the Regional Report. For full access, please purchase a Personal Subscription or Commercial Subscription.
- news
AOC Faugères 2026
These wines were part of the larger Languedoc tasting that took place from 1-6 June in Pézanas, France. The wines were tasted by appellation, vintage, and color during the days. They were in a quasi-blind state wherein labels were covered, but easily referenced in a list. For more information on the wines and current trends, please see the Regional Report. For full access, please purchase a Personal Subscription or Commercial Subscription.
- news
AOC Picpoul de Pinet 2026
These wines were part of the larger Languedoc tasting that took place from 1-6 June in Pézanas, France. The wines were tasted by appellation, vintage, and color during the days. They were in a quasi-blind state wherein labels were covered, but easily referenced in a list. For more information on the wines and current trends, please see the Regional Report. For full access, please purchase a Personal Subscription or Commercial Subscription.
- news
AOC Pic St. Loup 2026
These wines were part of the larger Languedoc tasting that took place from 1-6 June in Pézanas, France. The wines were tasted by appellation, vintage, and color during the days. They were in a quasi-blind state wherein labels were covered, but easily referenced in a list. For more information on the wines and current trends, please see the Regional Report. For full access, please purchase a Personal Subscription or Commercial Subscription.
- news
Montpeyroux 2026
These wines were part of the larger Languedoc tasting that took place from 1-6 June in Pézanas, France. The wines were tasted by appellation, vintage, and color during the days. They were in a quasi-blind state wherein labels were covered, but easily referenced in a list. For more information on the wines and current trends, please see the Regional Report. For full access, please purchase a Personal Subscription or Commercial Subscription.
- news
AOC Malepère 2026
These wines were part of the larger Languedoc tasting that took place from 1-6 June in Pézanas, France. The wines were tasted by appellation, vintage, and color during the days. They were in a quasi-blind state wherein labels were covered, but easily referenced in a list. For more information on the wines and current trends, please see the Regional Report. For full access, please purchase a Personal Subscription or Commercial Subscription.
- news
AOC Languedoc 2026
These wines were part of the larger Languedoc tasting that took place from 1-6 June in Pézanas, France. The wines were tasted by appellation, vintage, and color during the days. They were in a quasi-blind state wherein labels were covered, but easily referenced in a list. For more information on the wines and current trends, please see the Regional Report. For full access, please purchase a Personal Subscription or Commercial Subscription.
- news
AOC Saint Chinian 2026
These wines were part of the larger Languedoc tasting that took place from 1-6 June in Pézanas, France. The wines were tasted by appellation, vintage, and color during the days. They were in a quasi-blind state wherein labels were covered, but easily referenced in a list. For more information on the wines and current trends, please see the Regional Report. For full access, please purchase a Personal Subscription or Commercial Subscription.
- news
AOC Cabardès 2026
These wines were part of the larger Languedoc tasting that took place from 1-6 June in Pézanas, France. The wines were tasted by appellation, vintage, and color during the days. They were in a quasi-blind state wherein labels were covered, but easily referenced in a list. For more information on the wines and current trends, please see the Regional Report. For full access, please purchase a Personal Subscription or Commercial Subscription.
- news
Famille Quiot, Southern France
Accompanying this article is a small portfolio tasting of the wines from Famille Quiot, a family that lays claim to a winemaking history since the mid-18th century. I say ‘small’ as the parent company seems to have more than a dozen individual wineries and brands residing under it. The key item uniting all of them however is that they’re firmly Southern Rhône in origin. For example, there are at least six different Provençal-style rosés, of which I tasted half of them and yes, there is indeed a difference between them […] For full access, please log in or purchase a subscription .
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Famille Quiot Portfolio 2026
This is a current selection of the Famille Quiot wines tasted on 22 June 2026. For full access, please purchase a Personal Subscription or Commercial Subscription.