Category: Wine world

Critics, journalists, and specialized communicators have been key in bringing us closer to wine and helping us understand its diversity. Figures such as Robert Parker, James Suckling, and Jancis Robinson have influenced generations with their ratings and analyses. Alongside them, names such as José Peñín, Alice Feiring, and Santiago Rivas demonstrate that there are many ways to talk about and understand wine, from critical orthodoxy to more accessible and informal communication.

A personal review of a year full of memorable wines and shared moments. Twelve bottles that, for different reasons, moved us and left their mark, from great international icons to unexpected discoveries. A selection that speaks of wine, but also of friendship and experiences lived.

The joint tasting of Único Reserva Especial and Castillo de Ygay 2011 does not seek to find a winner, but rather to understand the greatness of two exceptional wines. Side by side, both show youth, character, and enormous potential for evolution. An intense experience that confirms that, at this level, there are no winners or losers, only unique moments surrounding great wines.

Even though childhood is behind us, the excitement of writing to the Three Wise Men remains. The letter begins with the essential wishes for health and peace, and if there is any magic left, personal desires related to the world of wine, tasting competitions, and a dream trip to Tuscany are added. Because continuing to dream is also part of starting the year off right.

Ambora is a family-run winery located in San Ignacio, Tegueste, where Felipe Hernández works with native grape varieties and old vines grown on low trellises. His white and red wines clearly express the volcanic landscape of the Canary Islands. The day ends with a meal at Tasca Faracho and a blind wine tasting selected by winemaker Juan Francisco Fariña, reflecting the growing wine-making potential of the Canary Islands.

Wine is much more than a drink: it is a natural laboratory where sugar is converted into alcohol, acids are balanced, and aromas evolve. In each glass, yeasts, bacteria, polyphenols, and volatile compounds act to build its color, texture, and bouquet. Chemistry explains how wine is born, matures, and transforms, but the real miracle occurs when those reactions translate into pleasure.

Enópata is not your typical wine shop, but rather a place where a different way of experiencing and appreciating wine was born. Thanks to Juan Ferrer, a true master and enthusiast of terroir, I discovered that each glass is a journey to the landscape from which it originates. There, I learned to taste, travel, study, and, above all, share experiences with other wine lovers. Enópata was the gateway to a world that changed me forever.

Distributors and sommeliers play an essential role in promoting wine. From leading names such as Vila Viniteca, Lavinia, and Bodeboca to more specialized projects such as Á la volé and Minimal Wines, each one contributes to bringing great labels to consumers. At the same time, internationally renowned sommeliers such as Gerard Basset and leading names in Spain such as José Antonio Navarrete, Pitu Roca, and David Rabasa take the wine experience to a higher level.

The world of wine also has its stars: legendary wineries, cult winemakers, and names that have made history. In this first part, we review the three great international legends—Romanée-Conti, Petrus, and Château D’Yquem—and the Spanish leaders headed by Vega Sicilia and Álvaro Palacios, without forgetting figures such as Pierre Overnoy, Nicolas Joly, and Jacques Selosse, true icons of world oenology.