Topic
#tasting-bench
7 posts tagged with this topic. RSS feed.
- 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 .
by Miquel Hudin3 viewsfrench-winestasting-benchfamille-quiotrhone - news
Hispano Suizas, València, Spain
Here’s a refreshed look at Hispano Suizas that picks up on the new vintages since the previous tasting. Overall the wines are showing quite well, even varieties such as Pinot Noir and Sauvingon Blanc which generally suffer in Spain. But, at the altitudes they have for their vineyards, these are hanging in there and producing reliable wines. The wines of true note this time around were the sparklings produced under DO Cava and the ‘Vintage’ was a truly excellent wine. Although at 50€ plus retail, one would indeed expect quite […] For full access, please log in or purchase a subscription .
by Miquel Hudin1 viewspanish-winestasting-benchhispano-suizasvalencia - news
Viña Salceda Entresierras, Rioja
While I’ve previously reviewed the wines of Viña Salceda here, when it comes to their white offer, to date it’s only been the more general ‘Blanco’. This bottle of Entresierras shifts things up a great deal. For starters, the blend is quite wild as while there’s the typical base of Viura/Macabeu and the now, more-typical Tempranillo Blanco, it also tosses in the rarer Calagraño, Malvasia Rioja/Alarije and then the red, Graciano of all things. I can solidly state that I’ve never encountered a blend anywhere near similar to this for […] For full access, please log in or purchase a subscription .
by Miquel Hudin1 viewspanish-winestasting-benchdoc-riojamacabeutempranillo-blanco - news
Alba en Ribera, Ribera del Duero
These are part of a new project called, Alba en Ribera in DO Ribera del Duero. Both of the wines present a lighter take on the more typical heavier-bodied wines found in the region which makes them drift a touch more towards Rioja stylistically, although with plenty of dark fruit notes to state firmly that they are indeed Ribera wines. From the village of Olmedillo, the vineyards are all higher-altitude plantings starting at 825m and going up from there. From the start everything has been farmed organically, but don’t be […] For full access, please log in or purchase a subscription .
by Miquel Hudin3 viewsspanish-winestasting-benchdo-ribera-del-duerotempranillo - news
Familia Torres Pirene, Costers del Segre
This is an interesting wine of note from Torres as it’s from the larger Costers del Segre Tasting Report but was tasted after the fact. It’s noteworthy as, unless one is very deep into the wine trade, you’ll probably never have heard of the grape variety, Pirene. It’s part of the variety recuperation program that the family started over 40 years ago to find seemingly ‘lost’ varieties across Catalunya. The reason behind this was and continues to be in order to find different varieties for use in a changing climate. […] For full access, please log in or purchase a subscription .
by Miquel Hudin4 viewscatalan-winestasting-benchdo-costers-del-segrepirenetorres - news
Les Freses, Alicante, Spain
Let’s have a new look at this project in Alicante called, Les Freses that’s in a small area call, Jesús Pobre. I reviewed a selection of these wines last year, which were dominated by the wines from 2023 and 2024. This time around al of the white wines are from 2025 with the two reds from 2024. This, has made a great deal of difference as I feel the overall quality fo the wines is up a great deal over the previous tasting. I’m not sure if this is just […] For full access, please log in or purchase a subscription .
by Miquel Hudin3 viewsspanish-winestasting-benchdo-alicante - news
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 .
by Miquel Hudin5 viewsspanish-winestasting-benchdo-ribera-del-duerotempranillo