I'm just back from Rioja where I learnt all about the famous Spanish region. There's nothing like visiting a place to immerse oneself in its culture, finding out just why the wines taste like they do. It was so exciting to meet winemakers and explore the various sub-regions of Rioja—you can read about my trip on Matthew's World of Wine and Drink. Meanwhile, there are some exciting new wines which will be in the November shipment which I'll be sending out the end of the month. There are wines from Australia, England, Chile, Corsica, and Italy: the goal of the...

"Introductory" can seem a disparaging term. Instead of the truly great wines of a region or a producer, an "introductory wine" is the simple, drink-now, youthful, non-serious wine that a producer makes to bring in some ready money. Except that is rarely the case. They're less expensive than a producer's single-vineyard wines and aren't aged for as long, but they are important representations and—yes—introductions to a producer's portfolio. If quality is low, then no one is buying the more expensive wines. They also make us familiar with the style of wine a producer generally makes and is associated with. In...

Sorting the best Barbera from the average Barbera...