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New Beginnings

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*This is an amended version of a newsletter that wouldn´t ordinarily be posted as a blog piece*

Hello Wine Lovers!

It´s been 19 months since I´ve last written these words and my, how the world has changed.

I hope you´re all well, safe and happy. Today is the start of a new year and one that I suspect will be quite different to the last two. My sincere apologies to anyone who´s wondered where on earth I´ve been for the last year and a half; in truth, it hasn´t been a part of my life I´ll look back on with any fondness. With both myself and my wife working in hospitality and tourism, 2020 saw both our careers suddenly derail and, with a 2 year old (at the time) and all of our savings invested into a first property purchase, we spent most of the this time floundering and trying to limit the damage. For me that´s included finding a lot of non-wine related work and spending all my time and energy focusing on keeping our heads above water. It´s taken its toll in many ways, but I´m happy to say that we are back on track. It isn´t purely due to the optimism that always comes with the dawn of the 1st of January, when I say that 2022 will be a much brighter year.

This first newsletter is mostly just about clearing the cobwebs away. There will be changes coming to winecuentista.com in the short term, to get it back to what it was always meant to be; a place to share a love of wine and try to point wine lovers in the “right” direction. These newsletters will be going out on the 1st of every month, as they did for 3 years without fail, with a slightly adjusted format.

Leaving Rack and Return
I haven´t actually been a part of Rack and Return since December 2020 but due to legal proceedings, it´s something I can only address now. My apologies to anyone who has signed up for a course since then under the impression that I would be somehow involved, or previous students who wondered why I hadn´t contacted them with results of exams; my hands were legally tied in this regard. I sold my stake in the business due to grave concerns with my business partner´s goals with the school, as well as some strong, personal conflicts with the same individual. Whilst it was frustrating at the time, I´m quietly delighted to have moved on. There´s nothing more important in the wine industry than reputation, and I couldn´t have mine attached to a project that no longer aligned with my values. Fortunately for wine lovers in Barcelona, there are 2 more WSET approved APPs (schools) in the city, so the choice is certainly there. One thing I can certainly promise; I will be teaching again.

Maestrazgo Wine Club
My wine career began by giving tastings in Bodega Maestrazgo in the Born. These turned into bi-monthly events and occasionally, even weekly events due to demand. I miss these more than anything else. It was an affordable way to get together with lovely people, drink some high quality wine, learn a little and have some fun. They will be returning in 2022, realistically starting in March. As much as I´m ready to start again, it doesn´t make sense to rush it during months where COVID regulations are likely to make a mess of things. The format is unlikely to change nor is the price point. One of the reasons they were always such successful events is that they weren´t commercially driven. Bills have to be paid but it´s good to have something in life that you do for the pure joy of it, and running these events made me very happy. For those of you who purchased tickets in 2020 and still have them – you will have the first priority on these spots and you´ll receive advanced notice of the event before it´s published.

Writing
One thing that actually didn´t suffer during the last 18 months was my writing. I wasn´t able to write on Wine Cuentista due to time constraints, but I´ve been published in magazines over a dozen times since the pandemic began and it´s been something of a life-line, both financially and being able to stay in touch with the wine world during a period of isolation. I do, however, miss writing on a regular basis and about individual wines. This is something I hope to be doing a lot more on the blog function of winecuentista.com in 2022.

I also wanted to say a big, big thank you for everyone who´s contacted me to check-up over the course of the pandemic. Some of you have booked tastings that haven´t yet happened and some of you just wanted to say a kind word. It´s all been enormously appreciated and I won´t soon forget it.

So, here´s to 2022. With any luck I´ll get the chance to catch up with many of you this year and see what´s happened in the last couple of years, share some good wine and hopefully, get back to living life once again. As always, feel free to respond to the mail and say hello but until then, keep drinking well and I hope to see you soon!

Practical

A Taste of Spain: 6 Spanish Wines delivered to your door!

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Day 193 of Lock-Down and we´ve just finished our last bottle of wine. Send help. SEND HELP!

Ahem. Perhaps it isn´t time to panic just yet but after what felt like the longest March of my life, I´m certainly glad to have a bottle or two of wine by my side. I was delighted to see the selection of French wine make such an impact across Barcelona and I feel particularly happy to see people exploring new producers and helping out local business in this time of need. So much so, that I´ve come up with an entirely different boxed set, this time from a place very close to my heart; Bodega Maestrazgo.

For anyone who doesn´t know me well, Bodega Maestrazgo was where I first fell in love with wine. I won´t bore you with the details here but I wrote about it for Jancis Robinson a couple of years ago, and it remains one of Barcelona´s true gem wines. That´s also the disclaimer; I love these guys and consider them good friends. In the last couple of years, largely due to the drive and passion of Misty, Bodega Maestrazgo has also seen a revolution of wine offerings, including a far more dynamic, exciting wine list. Over the last week I´ve been through their selection of available wines and come up with a mixed Spanish case, covering 6 different grapes across various regions of Spain and I hope you´ve got some liver space left, because this is a selection that is definitely going to help you get through April!

The details of the wines are below but if you´d like to order this case, follow this link and it will be in your doorstep in 24 hours!

A Taste of Spain
I´ve put together a mixed case of some outstanding wines from across Spain, all chosen from the broad selection available at Bodega Maestrazgo. Many of these wines have been heavily discounted to fit into a €99 price bracket (delivery included) and include a few wines with very limited availability. As last time, there´s no commercial gain for me in this; if I can get some amazing wines out to peoples doorsteps and help my friends and local business in the process, I´ll be very happy indeed.

Recaredo “Terrers” Gran Reserva Brut Nature 2015

If there´s a better producer of sparkling wine than Recaredo in Spain, I´ve yet to find them. A long time favourite of mine, this had to be the cornerstone of the selection. Recaredo are a family ran producer based in San Sadurni d Anoia and are famous for their fastidious methods and complete commitment to sustainable (biodynamic now) viticulture. I always recommend going to visit them to anyone who wants an idea of just how brilliant sparkling wine can be locally, though for now, the experience will have to be enjoyed via a bottle of their wine! Broad and refreshing, with lovely orchard fruit, bruised apple and pastry notes thanks to the 36+ months of ageing on the lees; if this was a Champagne, you´d struggle to find it for less than €35 a bottle!

Domenech Vidal “Cultivare” Xarel.lo 2016

Xarel.lo is, for me, Catalunya´s most exciting white grape. I´ll have some apologies to make to my friends in Terra Alta and Emporda by saying this, but I believe it to be true. The strength, flavour and weight of the best sparkling wines, but increasingly a source of exciting, refreshing white wine as well and many a lover of white Burgundy has had their head turned by the focus and energy of these wines. This “Cultivare” bottling from Domenech Vidal is one of the best I´ve tried, up there with the likes of Enric Soler and Pardas, and I was delighted to judge it in the 2018 Tranches of the International Wine Competition and give it a gold medal. Crisp, precise and full of the crunchy green fruits and subtle, herbal tinges that make good Xarel.lo such a delight.

VVinyes d’Olivardots Rosa d’àmfora 2018

Vinyes d’Olivardots are one of the leading lights in Emporda; a region often overlooked due to the success of wineries further South. Using indigenous grapes, often from particularly old vineyards, they´re exploring the strength in depth that Catalunya has to offer, often using ancient methods to bring out the true character of their vineyards. Take this gorgeous wine for example; 80 year old Grey Carignan (a white grape with a pink tinge), farmed organically and then allowed to ferment slowly for 4 months, inside clay amphorae. An orange wine in every sense of the term, full of grapefruit, orange peel, rose petals and wild herbs; an evocative, delicious wine.

Vina Ardanza Reserva Seleccio Especial 2010

I´ve been championing this wine for some time, as one of the best value wines in Spain. Despite clocking in at substantially above what you might consider to be good value (€20-22), this is a world beater and has such depth of flavour and elegance, not to mention its ability age for decades. 80% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacha and 4 years of slow ageing in old American oak barrels; quintessential Rioja in the classic style, and a wine I drink every single year without fail. As luck would have it, the 2010 vintage was so highly regarded in Rioja, La Rioja Alta decided to declare it as a “Special Vintage”, the 3rd of the century thus far. Complex, elegant and full of red fruits, leather, tobacco and sweet, oak spices. Consistently excellent!

Antoine Graillot and Raul Perez “Encinas” 2016

My favourite producer of Crozes-Hermitage combining with my favourite producer in Bierzo? Dreams do come true! Raul Perez, the eccentric genius of the region, is renowned for his collaborations and delicate touch, whilst the Graillot family are best known for extracting the very best out of an unappreciated region in the Northern Rhone of France. Both have a tendency to get out of the way and let the vineyard shine through, with a tendency for whole-bunch fermentations, older oak and in the case of Graillot, concrete tanks. The result? A savoury, high-toned and spicy Mencia with finely grained tannins and bags of energy. Yes, please!

Bodegas Sommos “Nietro” 2016

It wouldn´t be a Spanish selection without at least one Garnacha! Along with Mencia, one of Spain´s calling-cards of the 21st century and an unbelievable natural resource, with old bush vines scattered across the country. For this final bottle we head to Calatayud in Aragon, arguably the birthplace of this famous grape and a wealth of high quality vineyards. Bodegas Sommos are likely the least famous name in this selection, a privatised co-operative, producing powerful, earthy Garnacha. Their “Nietro” bottling is their young Garnacha, with only 6 months in a mixture of barrel sizes designed to give a little oak influence, without getting in the way of the dark fruited, spicy tones of their old-vine Garnacha.

Practical

A Taste of France: A mixed case of French wine delivered to your Doorstep

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If there is the tiniest sliver of a silver lining for me in being stuck inside a small apartment with a toddler for a week now, it´s that I´ve finally caught up with everything enough to rejuvenate my writing! Oh, how I´ve missed you.

I hope everyone is well. These are crazy times we live in and I intend to give a bit of a personal update over the weekend and what I´ve been trying to do over the last few months. However for now, a focus on something more practical! If you´re reading this from Barcelona; my commiserations. Like me, you probably love your apartment but weren´t planning on spending quite so much time here. Day 7 of the lock-down and life is equal mixtures boring and terrifying; a very unhealthy and unnatural combination at the best of times.

I started to think about how I could do something productive and it occurred to me; no-one is going out to buy wine at the moment. Barcelona has become a thriving hub of wine merchants, importers and distributors in the last few years, so it´s a real shame not to have access to them aside from the few who are still running deliveries. Staying afloat over the coming months is going to be a real challenge for them all as the hospitality industry shuts down and wine sales dry up. One of my favourite distributors in town is Caskadia, a small importer bringing in some of the best wines in the city directly from France and Italy, with a smattering of Spanish and German wines to boot. They do very limited private sales but I buy a great deal of wine from them and they also happen to be lovely guys. 

  A Taste of France

I´ve put together a mixed case of wine (6 bottles) from their selection and set it up so that including delivery, this will arrive to your door for €99, which includes a 10% discount off normal prices. Whilst they have a really great selection of Italian wines, I wanted to showcase their real strength; wines from France. Tom and Arthur go on several buying trips every year to France, and discovering their selection revolutionised my drinking habits over the past 18 months; they´re bringing in the sorts of wines that would be more at home in the wine metropolises of New York or London. These are all wines I´ve enjoyed myself, they´re often wines I´ve included in tastings and on occasion, even wines we´ve included into our WSET Courses. As a disclaimer: I´m friends with both Tom and Arthur. However, there´s no commercial involvement from my side, just an opportunity for my readers to try some amazing wines and hopefully, add a little adventure into an otherwise quite immobile existence during lockdown!

If you´re interested in ordering this case, contact Caskadia directly and ask for the “Taste of France Case” by emailing Tom at tom@caskadia.es

The following wines hail from the Jura, Burgundy, Bordeaux, Beaujolais, The Loire Valley and the Southern Rhone.

Guillaume Overnoy Cremant de Jura NV

Sparkling wine is made all across France, using different methologies, grapes and with varying levels of fame and distinction. If you see the words “Cremant” on a bottle of French sparkling wine, they’re made using the traditional method (just like Cava and Champagne) and can often offer amazing value! Guillaume Overnoy is a young winemaker, still in his 20s, battling the harsh climate of the Jura under the tutelage of his father, organically farming 5.5 hectares of scattered land. If you´ve never had Chardonnay from the Jura before, this lovely, broad yet lively sparkling wine is a great introduction! There´s remarkable depth here for an affordable wine, which figures as it spends at least 3 years on its lees before disgorgement!

Robert Denogent “Les Sardines” 2017

If you´ve follow me on social media, you´ll know what an enormous fan I am of this wine; one of the Macon´s very, very best producers. We had the pleasure of visiting the Robert brothers a few months ago and what they´re doing is quite amazing; clean, fresh, vibrant Chardonnay from this relatively unappreciated part of Burgundy, with enormous depth and persistence. Les Sardines is their iconic, entry level wine; how about that label as well?! The key to its success is high quality grapes from 40 year old vines on limestone soils, hand harvested and allowed to slowly unfurl over 18 months in old oak barrels, then bottled unfiltered. A favourite in our house!

Chateau Rahoul Graves Blanc 2015

I have a soft spot for White Bordeaux; everytime I put my nose in the glass and get that gorgeous mixture of herbal Sauvignon Blanc, pithy Semillon and smoky oak, it transports me to my time in Bordeaux in 2019. It´s still a relatively undiscovered part of the world for most wine lovers and fortunately, Caskadia have an absolute gem in their collection to share. Part of the UGC (Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux) Chateau Rahoul has a long, historic past and only came under new management in 2007. Whilst their red wine is lovely, it´s their white I get particularly excited about. Semillion dominant (74%) with the rest made up of Sauvignon Blanc and Sauvignon Gris, this is a peachy, slightly tropical wine owing to the warmer climate, but sacrifices no freshness in the process. Textured and delicious, with the sort of mid-palate weight and softness that ripe Semillon is famous for and hints of smoky oak. A delicious wine!

   Jules Desjourney Beaujolais 2018

If you know Beaujolais, you´ll know a few of their most famous names; Lapierre, Foillard, Guy-Breton and Thevenet, the so-called “Gang of 4”. Yet there are so many brilliant producers in the region, including the brilliant Fabien Duperry of Domaine Jules Desjourney. Having worked as a merchant in Burgundy for some time, Fabien knows wine, having had privileged access to the likes of Leroy and DRC for long periods of time, yet he has such a natural touch with Gamay. Made in a Burgundian style (Little to no carbonic maceration, just traditional ferments with some whole-bunch), this entry level wine is classic Gamay; all fresh red fruits, herbs and violets. Firm and fresh, exactly the sort of wine I wish I had a lot of sat around the house!

  Domaine de la Butte “Le Haut de la Butte” 2018

Most wine-makers tend towards a certain style of wine; very few are excellent producers of both red and white wines, for example. Jacky Blot isn´t much of a normal wine-maker though, having essentially galvanised the appellation of Montlouis with his brilliant Chenin Blanc, whilst also being a top producer of red wine in Bourgeil! What makes his wines interesting on the red side is that he bottles them according to the location of the vines. This is one of his top bottlings “Le Haut de la Butte” meaning “The Top of the Hill”, with brilliant exposure to sunshine on the right bank of the Loire river; very important in cool regions like this! Jacky´s Cabernet Francs are so classic in style, full of fresh red fruits, green pepper, graphite and smoked meat, and from the warm 2018 vintage, this is set to be an absolute beauty.

          Clos du Mont Olivet Cotes du Rhone Vielles Vignes 2016

The top producers of the Southern Rhone are starting to stand apart from the competition more and more so as the years pass; with the warming years, only the very best can bring out the best in their Grenache without the wines becoming too powerful and alcoholic. Clos du Mont Olivet are one such producer, and the 2016 vintage in particular was one for the ages. 80% Grenache, 10% Carignan and 10% Syrah from 40 year old vines, with just enough whole-bunch fermentation to add a herbal lift to this gorgeous, traditional wine. If you love Chateauneuf du Pape, this is a wine you´re going to really love and an ideal way to say goodbye to the winter in Barcelona

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Barcelona by the Glass: La Catalista

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Established: 2019

Style of establishment: Wine Bar

Price by the glass – €3.50 to €6.90

Price by the bottle – €17 to €52

Address – Carrer dels Carders, 11, 08003 Barcelona

Website: La Catalista

Phone number – 932 68 31 78

Opening Hours:

2pm – 11pm (Tuesday to Thursday)
2pm to 12am (Friday)
10am to 12am (Saturday)
12pm to 4pm (Sundays)

Barcelona’s wine scene continues to grow, year by year, and the Born district in particular seems like something of a hot-bed for new projects and ideas. La Catalista is the newest addition to the already thriving scene in this part of town, and straight off the bat it feels like it’s here to stay. Owned and managed by the transparently passionate Erin Nixon, a wine-lover from California who has set down roots in this wonderful city, La Catalista focuses primarily on Catalan wines and food pairings; a popular theme yet one that’s surprisingly difficult to do well. Needless to say, La Catalista is pulling it off in some style.

I first encountered Erin through her article on JancisRobinson.com, detailing her switch from being a successful management consultant to studying and working in the world of wine, and when La Catalista opened I finally got to say hello in person. I have a general rule and barometer when it comes to my colleagues in the world of wine and it’s a simple one; that generosity of spirit and relentless curiosity prevails over all else. “I wanted to do something tangible with my hands”, Erin explains, “to have that connection with something real”. It’s not often you hear someone talking about hospitality as a real, tangible thing and I have to admit that I was quite taken with the idea. “I love just being around and having conversations with people at the bar, getting to know them”.

The Space

The space itself is absolutely lovely, split between a bar at the front and lower seating to the rear where, increasingly, La Catalista is running fun events (make sure you follow them on social media to not miss out on these!) The majority of the atmosphere is to be found in the bar and for me, it suits the style of La Catalista to the ground; grabbing a quick, delicious meal at the bar is really how the menu is designed.

The Wine and the Food

Typically I split these into different sections in ‘Barcelona by the Glass’ but at La Catalista, they both revolve around one another. The menu is predominantly designed as a pairing menu with 13 different dishes, 3 desserts and a pairing option for each, either by the glass or by the bottle, with another list served only by the bottle. The wine is exclusively from one of the 11 defined regions that’s to be found within Catalunya itself, from Corpinnat to Cava (It still feels weird saying that!) and from Emporda to Terra Alta. “I believe that wine is a great way to connect to a region” says Erin, “and many people visiting Barcelona still don’t really get the idea of Catalunya as a region”.

The food, then, is the other consideration when building the menu. “We’d start with the wine choice and then build the perfect food pairing around it” says Erin, “it took around 6 different food and wine pairing sessions to create the menu which, as you can imagine, was a lot of fun!” This pairing idea really appeals to me; someone who doesn’t really ever work in a capacity as a floor sommelier. I love the fact that for 10 euros, I can have a quick bite to eat and a high quality wine that complements my dish, and there’s a lot of very tasty options to be had. Pan-seared scallops and a light, fruity white from the Penedes is a choice I should take more often (I’m meant to be on a diet, after all) though the sticky pork sandwich and bold Garnacha from Priorat ends up in front of me, more often than not!

From their wine list, if I had to pick a few highlights to share:

Edetaria ‘Blanco Seleccio’ Vinyes Velles 2016 – 100% Garnacha Blanca from this benchmark producer of Terra Alta, a region fast becoming known for its old vines of this lovely grape. Waxy, delicately honeyed and full of stone fruit and sweet herbs; this is a Garnacha Blanca worth discovering!

Enric Soler ‘Improvisació’ 2017 – There are a lot of contenders for the best producer of Xarel.lo in Catalunya but, outside of sparkling wine, Enric Soler takes the crown from my perspective. A little bit of white Burgundy in Catalunya, full of taut energy, citrus and white peach, subtle toast and spice. Top quality Xarel.lo.

Vinyes Domenech ‘Teixar’ 2014 – One of Montsants most distinctive and powerful red wines, built around the lesser known ‘Garnacha Peluda’ and absolutely packed with flavour. This wine can be a bit much in warmer vintages but came into its own in 2014. Huge amounts of ripe, dark fruits, tobacco, earth and black pepper; a wine for the winter!

It’s also worth keeping an eye out for Erin’s ‘Wild Card’ menu, a continuously evolving and rotating special selection designed to appeal to the wine geeks who frequent La Catalista on a regular basis. As one such wine geek, I’m delighted to see this sort of initiative; it gives me something to always look forward to and I’m often pleasantly surprised by what I find! The iconic, mead-like Sasserra is a lovely way to explore Malvasia de Sitges, or how about a glass of Clos Lentiscus Sumoll Reserva, a remarkable wine where the 2nd fermentation is completed using honey from the estates own bee-hives? When I don’t have a bottle of Enric Soler in front of me, you can be sure I’m digging my way through this selection!

Conclusion

I spend a reasonably large amount of time in the Born and I’m delighted that Eldiset finally has competition as its best wine bar. Whilst brand new on the scene, Erin’s enthusiasm and drive for La Catalista shines through and I expect this charming little bar to go from strength to strength. Most of the times I’ve been in there, it’s been a really intriguing mixture of locals and people visiting the city, and the high return rate of people who clearly know the bar well is a very encouraging sign. I shall be back as often as I can and I hope you get the chance to visit as well. Salud!

Personal

Thoughts On: Personal Influences in Wine Writing

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Fintan Kerr drinking wine in Barcelona

A lot of discussion is made in wine circles about objective tasting, or rather, how it’s incredibly difficult to be entirely objective. We’re human, after all, and with that comes biological and psychological inconsistencies within ourselves, without even considering the changing physical environment, bottle variation, glass size and shape, atmospheric pressure and so on. Every taster worth their salt gives it their best to try and remain consistent, unbiased and present their conclusions dispassionately, usually focusing around the tried-and-tested quality analysis of BLIC. It’s not perfect but, given an experienced taster in good conditions, a pretty solid level of consistency can be reached.

Yet, is consistency and dispassionate analysis really what wine is all about? It makes a lot of sense for competitions, where wineries have paid quite handsome sums to be judged on the quality of their wine and that alone (theoretically), but how about in a world full of context, shades of grey and differing priorities? To what extent should a wine writer, or any writer for that matter, allow their personal position to colour their expressed opinion? Is the quality of wine the most important element, or is it sustainability of viticulture? How about profitability, or accessible pricing? How about corporate practices, or the personal politics of a wine-maker?

We’re all different and everyone makes their own decisions, consciously or subconsciously, and it shines through in our writing. Alice Feiring is steadfastly only interested in wines made in a minimal intervention style, whilst Robert Joseph reports on the industry dispassionately, with a focus predominantly on its financial health. Whilst I highly doubt that either are interested in drinking or recommending wines they would consider low quality (worth noting: Robert isn’t writing consumer material anymore), other priorities are to the fore.

I never actively considered where I stood on things like this, until quite recently. I’d been used to tacking a relatively straight line down what I perceived as a middle-path. I buy 99% of the wine I post about. I taste it, learn about it, drink it and write about it in some format. There’s a popular idea that wine professionals are meant to be making wine as accessible as possible at all times, an idea that I don’t subscribe to; I’d prefer to share the nuances of wine and encourage people to go on that journey with me. Another constant idea is that the consumer is king, and wineries should be following their desires and producing wines that are easier to sell, but again, I’d prefer to show people the beauty that’s already there. A few weeks ago there was a discussion about morality and wine, and that natural wines hold some perceived higher moral ground. Aside from perhaps TCA, the concept of morality is probably the last thing I want to consider in my wine.

So, quality is my beacon, my North Star, my candle in the dark. Except, a few weeks ago, I bought and drank an exceptional wine; a Schiopettino from a well known producer in North-East Italy. A family ran business making wines of real distinction, farming small plots of land without herbicides or pesticides, and selling for fair prices. The wine itself was a beauty; savoury, peppery and persistent; the sort of wine that keeps you coming back for a second glass. I rated it highly and was excited to talk about it.

Then I discovered some very openly racist things posted by the wine-maker on social media and elsewhere. Things I couldn’t move past. Things that were more important than the excellent quality of the wine. (The wine-maker I’m referring to is Fulvio Bressan and you can learn all about the incidents I’m referring to here: https://katieparla.com/fulvio-bressan-the-man-behind-the-wine/ ) In the end, I never posted about the wine and for the first time, I realised that I wasn’t as objective as I perhaps thought I was. Interestingly, it didn’t bother me. I thought about the wine writers I admire the most, and how their own personalities and outlook is reflected in their work and in some ways, it’s just as important as the factual content to me. Our interpretation of the world around us is fleeting, we merely add to it as we pass it along, and it’s good to know where you stand, even as you shift within in.