The History of Esencia

White, Naturally Sweet Variety: 100% Muscat Alexandria Vinification: Aged 24 months in oak barrel Alcohol: 4% Temperature: 6ºC Very complex. Intense color, marmalade. On the nose, captivating with its aromas of marmalade and caramelized tropical fruits. Great depth and concentration and a long and pure finish. Esencia is a unique wine that incorporates the raisined [...]

Vináliti

Last night I attended a special wine tasting at the Vináliti Club de Vinos in Málaga. Vináliti Escuela de Cata, Vinos e Itinerarios Enológicos is a tasting school that was created in late 2004 in response to the demand for quality wines and offers both training and tourism. You can learn about winemaking and take [...]

Foster & Dobbs

Last Sunday I was visited by cheese connoisseurs Luan Schooler and Tim Wilson of Foster & Dobbs Authentic Foods in Portland, Oregon. They were particularly interested in our wines because of how well they pair with different cheeses. First we had a special tasting of Botani, Selección Especial and Victoria 2010 from the tanks at the bodega. Botani [...]

Botani 2010

I want to thank everyone who has been (impatiently) waiting for the release of Botani 2010. Today is the day! And the verdict is – very good! Botani 2010 is very delicate wine with such a great body for a wine that is so aromatic and elegant. I love the finish, it’s long, round and [...]

Eugenio Chicano

Last week I attended the opening of the Visitación al Bodegón Clásico exhibit celebrating the 75th anniversary of Vélez-Málaga artist Eugenio Chicano.  Born in Málaga on Christmas Eve in 1935, Eugenio Chicano is a painter and engraver with a very direct and simple style, characterised by the use of large patches of flat colour and [...]

La Axarquía es Moscatel

This is the cover of Excelente: Revista de Turismo, Gastronómico y Enológico – N0 30, which features an excellent article called La Axarquía es Moscatel on pages 21-33. “There’s no need to look hard to realise that the region of Axarquia is now considered to be the embryo of the best muscat in Spain, although other localities [...]

Felices Fiestas!

I’m looking forward to a quiet Christmas at home with my family and then – I hope! – a quick trip to London before coming back to Málaga for the New Year. Wishing you and yours a very happy holiday season, wherever you are. See you in 2011!

Christmas in Málaga

Christmas in Malaga is a very festive time, with lots of lights and pretty decorations all around town. I’m told that this year the Christmas lights are up from last year’s 3.5 million to 3.7 million, and @CortijoValverde on Twitter said it makes Oxford Street look pathetic. This doesn’t make up for missing out on [...]

Michelle Chaplow

During the first week of September the Parador Gibralfaro in Malaga hosted a special 4-course gastronomic menu featuring my wines, which was where I met award-winning travel photographer Michelle Chaplow. Based in nearby Estepona, Michelle had fallen in love with Botani on a previous trip to Malaga and made a special trip back to attend [...]

Cambridge University Wine Society

This Wednesday I’ll be in Cambridge with Master of Wine Pancho Campo presenting a selection of my sweet wines for the University of Cambridge Wine Society. Sweet Wines from Bodegas Ordoñez November 3, 2010 Peterhouse College, Upper Hall