Carignan

Beyond Musar: The Evolution of Lebanese Wine

Henry Jeffreys
Features
6 min read
If you ever need a new nose for your 1983 Mercedes 230E, Chtaura in the Bekaa Valley is the place to go. It’s full of workshops keeping Lebanon’s extraordinary range of 1970s and ‘80s European and American cars on the road. Yet, while this area looks like the last place you'd expect to Read More

Try Cariñena Wines Right Now

Kathleen Willcox
Features
7 min read
Perched in the Northeastern corner of Spain, Cariñena’s vineyards cannot be summarized neatly. This Spanish wine region's terroir comes not only from the soil and climate in which the grapes are grown, but also the rich, incredibly diverse culture and history of the region. The grape -- also Cariñena, known Read More

Cariñena Campaign

Michelle Locke
Features
5 min read
Unusual winter rains turned the Cariñena vineyards in northeastern Spain into a technicolor swirl this spring, the variegated soils glowing red, yellow, orange under windswept skies. It was a moment of glory for a region which can get overlooked in the busy category of Spanish wine. After all, many consumers Read More

El Dorado is worth searching for

W. Blake Gray
Features
5 min read
The divide in California wine seems simple: the coasts are cool, the interior is not. But then there's El Dorado. El Dorado doesn't neatly fit into any category. It's much cooler than most of California's interior because it's so far above sea level. In fact, the Fair Play subappellation, which Read More

A whole bunch of hot air

Simon J Woolf
FeaturesWine Spotlight
3 min read
Winemakers love to talk about “terroir expression” - a slippery phrase, but for me it readily translates into variety, regionality and interest. Small artisan producers often adopt and justify traditional, low intervention techniques to achieve that expression. For example: Wild yeasts produce more complex ferments Unfiltered wines are more vibrant Read More

2009 Vitkin Carignan

David Honig
Wine Reviews
1 min read
Vitkin Winery focuses on grapes other than cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay, and merlot, working with carignan and petite sirah, veterans from Israel's years in the wine wilderness, as well as viognier, pinot noir, cabernet franc, french colombard, gewurtzraminer, and more. It may take time for Vitkin to find the perfect combination Read More

2012 Paul Mas Estate Carignan

David Honig
Wine Reviews
1 min read
An interesting wine, with unusual layers of flavors for the price and varietal. The nose shows raspberry, violets, and cigar ash. The palate shows wild cherry, raspberry, cigar ash, and violet. The mid-palate adds balsa and toward the finish, a quick pinch of salt. Tannic and rustic, this should be Read More