December: The harvest is well and truly over! The grapes have been picked and the main focus will now be in the winery itself, as wines finish fermentation at different periods, destined for different styles of storage and ageing before being included in any final blends. In the vineyard, this is an excellent opportunity to prepare for the next year, with some growers choosing to clean up any unwanted weeds that have been growing throughout the harvest, wash the hard wood of the vines with a copper-based fungicide and cultivate the soil to allow the winter rains to soak in deeply. In cooler climates, a lot of growers now start ‘buttage’, that is the ploughing of soil close to the base of the vines to protect them against the cold winter weather. General maintenance work may start, but nearly all efforts will be focused towards the newly fermented wine and perhaps even an opportunity to take a break every now and again; certainly deserved after the strenuous efforts of the harvest!

Hello Wine Lovers! This is our final newsletter of 2018 and what a great year for wine-tasting its been, with tastings stretching to every corner of the globe, some deep-diving into grapes, ideas and regions, as well as an unprecedented number of blind tastings as well. Now it’s time to wind down as we approach Christmas, and get settled for a well deserved break! I’ll be spending my December and part of January in Argentina (there’s a clue for what we might be tasting in January!) but before I go, there’s a couple of opportunities to get together and taste some delicious wine. We’ll start on the 6th January with our bi-annual ‘Fintan’s Fridge’ tasting, essentially an excuse to open some slightly more expensive bottles than we normally might, and we’ll be finishing with a day-time blind tasting session on Saturday. I’ll be studying and writing my way through December regardless of the climate, so do stay tuned on the blog for some summer-time adventures in the southern hemisphere, and if I don’t see you beforehand, have a lovely Christmas and a very Happy New Year. 🙂

Events: Maestrazgo Wine Club

6th December – Fintan’s Fridge– 40 euros p/p
8th December – International Blind Tasting – 30 euros p/p

Articles: I probably spend too much of my time reading online articles about wine. However, as a result I can find and select a choice few to share – here are my three favourites from last month!

1. ‘Beware the Wine Consumers Champion‘ by Jamie Goode. This is a brilliant, tongue-in-cheek response to a long conversation that took place on social media, earlier this month. The premise was largely about large brands, their marketing power and the way that the heavily consolidated retail system we now have in most countries, combined with larger companies ability to leverage via volume, has led to reduced choices for consumers, often of inferior wine. Social media being the fickle beast it is, it morphed into something quite different. This is a great read, with or without the context of that discussion.

2. ‘SOMM 11‘ by Ron Washam. Wine isn’t the sort of business that’s full of belly-laugh moments, and often has a tendency to take itself a little too seriously. Enter Ron Washam, aka The Hosemaster. One of the most popular areas of popular culture in wine was created by the first SOMM documentary, which followed 4 hopeful candidates as they prepared for the Master Sommelier examinations. SOMM has lost its way a little since then, with the 3rd installment rolling out across the world as I type, with a brand new format. Ron takes a look a little further into the future, with his usual skewering accuracy, at the potential future of the franchise.

Wine of the Month: I’m constantly on the look-out for wines of real quality and value; here is my favourite wine of the month.

Domaine L’Arco Ripasso della Valpolicella 2015: I haven’t had the chance to write a review for this wine yet, but anyone who came to our North-Eastern Italy tasting a few months ago may remember this as our ‘wine of the night’! I adore a well made Ripasso; all the complexity and the sweet vs bitter nature of an Amarone, without the sheer weight and power, yet so few producers treat it with the care and respect it deserves. This is a beauty, all dried red fruits, leather, tobacco, charred wood and musk on the nose; lifted and really engaging! Mouth-coating flavours, refreshing acidity and a finish that just goes on and on, this is a very complete wine indeed. Delicious.

Rants and Musings
Some off-beat topics about anything related to wine.

I always find myself reflective towards the end of the year, casting my eye over the last 11 months and trying to remember the better moments, the interesting parts of the year and, in that great American tradition, the things I’m thankful for. 2018 has been quite a year, personally. I finished the WSET Diploma and passed all parts with Merit or Distinction, I got married, I was promoted to a full Judge at the IWC in London, I survived my first year of fatherhood, I’ve planned my path into starting the Master of Wine course in 2020 and I made some decent ground into the world of wine writing. All well and good, but, when you’re so focused on this sort of stuff, it’s easy to miss everything going on around you, and the thing I’m actually happiest about is the general change of scene in Barcelona when it comes to wine. It’s never been better!

There are now more people organising fun tastings, events and classes than I can remember there ever being. When I started giving wine tastings, it was through a Meet-Up group and there were so few options out there, I think I had the only English speaking version in Ciutat Vella! Now, there are tasting rooms, food and wine pairing events, enotourism projects and, encouragingly, even more international wine tastings all across the city. This is great news for wine lovers in Barcelona as a whole, and I see wine culture being progressively enriched. So, on that note, thank you all for still attending my events, particularly when there are so many options out there. One of the things that makes our events so special is the great group of people who attend regularly; it truly wouldn’t be the same without you. I hope I can keep guiding you through the world of wine for many years to come and keep playing my own small part in making Barcelona’s wine scene a more interesting place. I can’t wait to see how it progresses over the next few years!

Social Media
These newsletters only come out once a month and there is a limit on space for content. If you use Social Media and want to keep up with regular wine updates and occasional rambles, feel free to connect with me on any of the following platforms.

Facebook: Wine Cuentista
Twitter: @Wine_Cuentista
Instagram: wine_cuentista

That’s it for this months newsletter. I hope you enjoyed it and please, if you have any suggestions or things you would like to see get in touch! Either respond to me here or email to fintankerr@winecuentista.com I can’t wait to see you all soon for more wine, food and good company.

Fintan Kerr