Cava 1 vinous

The New Face of Cava

featured, Spain

Joaquín Hidalgo, Apr 2026

Spain’s most famous sparkling wine is going through a period of transition. Since 2021, new legislation and adjusted regulations have revitalized a category that had lost its shine in recent years. The new releases featured in this report offer a tantalizing glimpse of a brighter future for Cava.

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Castillo Ygay 1959–2016: A Legacy in Present Tense

featured, Spain, Verticals & Retrospectives

Joaquín Hidalgo, Apr 2026

Marqués de Murrieta is central to Rioja’s identity, and few wines embody the region’s capacity for aging like the Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial. First released in 1893, Ygay has long served as a benchmark. In this vertical tasting, I examine its evolution through vintages spanning 1959 to 2016.

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2022, 2023 and 2024: The Rioja Renaissance

featured, Spain

Joaquín Hidalgo, Apr 2026

Spain’s best-known wine region is undergoing a transformation as economic contraction breeds stylistic rejuvenation. While the broader industry is suffering, a new generation of winemakers is redefining the style of the region’s wines and expanding Rioja’s appeal in the process. This report features in-depth commentary on those producers, along with several hundred reviews of wines that represent a bridge between Rioja’s past, present and future.

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Northern Mendoza: The Old and New Terroirs of Luján de Cuyo

featured, Argentina

Joaquín Hidalgo, Mar 2026

Luján de Cuyo boasts an important concentration of vineyards just a short drive from central Mendoza, the capital city of the eponymous Argentine province. The region has absorbed countless new movements throughout its 150-year history and is now implementing a new zoning process that exalts the subtle variations of the sites and styles on offer.

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Extreme Wines from the Sunlit Tropics of Argentina

featured, Argentina

Joaquín Hidalgo, Jan 2026

The valleys of northern Argentina present a unique landscape for winemaking. These tropical deserts populated by enormous cardón cacti deliver wines of striking individuality. This report covers nearly 400 wines, primarily from the far north, with a handful from Patagonia and the central Sierras included for context and comparison.

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Sun, Limestone and Heritage: Exploring Catalunya and Levante

featured, Spain

Joaquín Hidalgo, Nov 2025

Ample sunlight, calcareous soils and a melting pot of different approaches set the tone for wine country in Mediterranean Spain. This report features 650 wines from the mountains that stretch from the border with France down to Alicante and Murcia.

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Gredos, Granite and Garnacha

featured, Spain

Joaquín Hidalgo, Oct 2025

For some time now, the wines of Gredos have attracted global attention. How did this small, complex region become such a magnet for wine lovers the world over?

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Coastal Chile: An Unfamiliar Terroir Worth Exploring

featured, Chile

Joaquín Hidalgo, Oct 2025

Up and down Chile’s expansive coastline, vineyards are subjected to a harsh, cold climate that lends both white and red wines a distinctive profile. This report features 200 wines from Itata to Atacama, representing the diverse array of styles on offer.

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El Bierzo & Galicia: The Sil River Illuminates a Different Side of Spanish Wine

featured, Spain

Joaquín Hidalgo, Sep 2025

The Sil River connects wine regions from Bierzo to Valdeorras and Ribeira Sacra, before continuing as a tributary of the Miño toward Ribeiro and Rías Baixas. In this report, I explore the many expressions of Mencía, Godello, Treixadura and Albariño that can be found along its shores.

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Andean Character: Uco Valley Reds

featured, Argentina

Joaquín Hidalgo, Aug 2025

Wines from the high-elevation areas of the Uco Valley express a primary profile, accented by the enticingly distinctive character of Andean herbs. This report features over 500 red wines from the Uco Valley, journeying from Gualtallary to San Pablo and beyond, with a focus on two subregions that deliver markedly different wines despite their proximity to each other.