Q: How did you each get your start in the wine business? Nuria Altés: I studied agriculture at the local school in Terra Alta, and then I started working at the cooperative in the town where I was born and grew up. My family had always been involved in wine. Everybody makes wine here because there is really nothing else […]
Is there anything new happening at Herencia Altes? Rafa: There’s something hot off the press, that’s not allowed to be released until the 29th of September. We are finalizing our application for an organization called International Wineries for Climate Action (IWCA), which is spearheaded by Torres and Jackson Family Wines. We’re going to be the fourth Spanish winery to join. […]
The 2019 vintage of Aalto Ribera del Duero will be released in July 2021, with PS following in late summer or early autumn. As a vintage, 2019 was unique in Spain, with wild temperature swings throughout the growing season marked by record temperatures at the end of June. We can personally attest to this because we were visiting Madrid and […]
We were quite humbled to read Jeb Dunnuck’s recent praise of not only some of our more recent releases but his in-depth understanding of Eric’s thirty years of hard work. “Having tasted with Eric for over a decade now, it’s been a wild ride seeing the continued growth and changes in his portfolio. Coming from the music industry, Solomon created […]
Previously I discussed the red varieties permitted in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, which comprise roughly 93% of the vines planted in the appellation. The remaining 7% are white and gris varieties used mainly for the production of Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc. I once again use the term variety loosely rather than scientifically as the color variations of these grapes share the same DNA. A small […]
In my previous post on Châteauneuf-du-Pape, I spent a fair amount of time talking about Grenache. It is the predominant grape variety in Châteanuef-du-Pape, accounting for about 3/4 of the appellation’s total plantings. This number is slightly inflated since it also includes Grenache Blanc (2.5%) and Gris (a minuscule amount). As is the case with other grape varieties with color […]
This is the fourth in a series of interviews of our growers by wine writer, scientist, and critic Dr. Jamie Goode. You can also find his video tasting reviews of the wines mentioned in this interview by subscribing to his Instagram feed @drjamiegoode or our own @ericsolomonselections where they will be reposted. If you are curious to know more about […]
THE TERROIRS of CHÂTEAUNEUF-du-PAPE When contemplating Châteauneuf-du-Pape, let’s deal with a couple of misconceptions. The first is the overwhelming belief that the region is monolithic, conjuring up visions of plateaus of galets. While this is an iconic image of the terroir of Châteauneuf, the map below shows a great diversity of soil types in the appellation. From fine sands in the […]
Godello, the next Godello For a while critics and importers have declared Godello the next Albariño. This is somewhat unfair to both varieties since Albariño thrives in a cool climate while in warmer zones it may lose some of its verve, it can still make a refreshingly pleasant wine. Godello is more of a Goldilocks variety. Too cold and it […]
There is a lot of Albillo planted in Spain and a lot of different Albillos, so this is part one of a series we’re calling The Many Faces of Allbillo – Albillo Real. As you might guess from the name, Albillo comes originally from the Spanish word for white. In Galicia where there is a diversity of white varieties grown, […]