Girl by the Lake

wine tours: bierzo

Overview of Bierzo

Continuing on our Spanish theme from my previous post, I would like to introduce you to Bierzo, a small wine-producing region in the northwest part of Spain. This is an “up-and-coming” region in every sense of the word – ten years ago, Bierzo wines were virtually unheard of in the international marketplace. Today, however, Bierzo wines have swelled in popularity due to a dramatic increase in the quality of the wines. You may not have heard of Bierzo, but odds are your local wine store has several bottles from this enchanting and developing region.

wine tours: Priorat

Overview of Priorat

Spain has a long, rich history of winemaking and stands today as the third largest producing nation in the world. You probably have tried some Spanish wine at a restaurant or bought a bottle at a retailer and for good reason – Spanish wines continue to offer some of the best bang for your buck of any region in the world. The Spanish regions of Rioja and Ribera del Duero (among others) have long been established as quality wine-producing regions. However, some of the most interesting, complex and powerful Spanish red wines are being made in the up-and-coming wine region of Priorat, which has been largely under-the-radar until the late 1990s.

Priorat (as spelled in Catalan, although other Spaniards call it “Priorato”) is located in the southwest part of the Catalonia region (about 2 hours outside of Barcelona). Priorat was named for a local monastery that began producing wine in the 12th century, and flourished for many centuries until phylloxera, a small grapevine-destroying insect, arrived in the late 1800’s and destroyed the majority of Priorat vineyards, effectively ruining its wine industry.

wine tours: Sicily & Mt. Etna

Overview of Sicily and Mount Etna

When you think of Italian wine, many thoughts may pop into your head – a juicy and fruit-forward Chianti, a lush, rich Brunello di Montalcino, a powerful and structured Barolo. However, you probably don’t immediately think about Siciliy, the Italian island located in the central Mediterranean, which surprisingly is one of the biggest wine producing regions in Italy.

wine tours: Argentina

Welcome to Argentina!

If you’ve ever been to Argentina, you know that the natives are very serious about their wine. When I visited Buenos Aires in 2008, a local waiter remarked to me, “Redmeat and red wine – the two most important components of the Argentinian diet,” as he served me a gargantuan steak that could have served a family of four with a glass of malbec. Every restaurant I visited throughout the country expressed a similarly infectious enthusiasm and pride for its local wines, and by the end of my trip, I had to agree – Argentina was producing some very high-quality wines.