All posts tagged: Travel

RIOJA: When the past is leading the way forward

Published by

The classic ageing categories Rioja is one of the classic wine-growing regions of the world. Home to producers such as La Rioja Alta, Muga, Beronia and Campo Viejo, to name a few, Rioja’s reputation as a region that produces wines of quality is firmly established. In 2021, the production of Rioja DOCa was 350 million bottles, of which the considerable amount of 41.6% was exported. Aged wines represent 57% of Rioja’s output. The majority of the wine is red (85%). White represents 9% and is a growing category.  Consumers worldwide have become familiar with the different styles and quality levels – Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva – based on the wine’s length of maturation. Rioja has made these wines easily identifiable on the shop shelf with clear front labels and colour-coded seals. Each level of ageing has its own organoleptic characteristics.  A Crianza is a two year old wine that has spent some time in wood, 12 months minimum for reds and six months for rosés and whites. The attributes of a red Crianza are …

Travelling with wine

Published by

Upon arrival at Stockholm airport, I received an sms from Air France informing me that they were “tracking my suitcase”. I had just come back from a trip to Chile and my suitcase appeared to have missed the Paris-to-Stockholm leg of the journey. I wasn’t unduly concerned, clothes are replaceable – and in this instance Air France would probably be doing me a favour if they were to be lost forever – but in my suitcase I did have six bottles of rather good Chilean wine that I was looking forward to consume. The following day my luggage made it back to Sweden and a courier service obligingly delivered it to my door. Somewhat unsettlingly, though, it came wrapped in a huge thick transparent sack. I removed the plastic – it was reassuringly dry inside – and next unzipped the case. All my clothes were their original colour, no red streaks anywhere, but there was a distinct perfume pervading the air. I initially thought a cosmetic bottle might have leaked until the smell started to make sense. Lees, apples…It was Chardonnay. Whenever I travel …