Wines made from Albarino grapes of Castille-et-Léon

According to lifestyle and happiness guru Gretchen Rubin, you ‘bring your own weather to a picnic’. Ms Rubin, I’d suggest, has never shivered under a tree watching raindrops turn her fish-paste sandwich to mush because the weather forecast was wrong. There are, it’s safe to say, picnics and Picnics. It’s a term that takes in everything from a rubber baguette in a French ‘Aire’ off the Autoroute du Soleil to a four-course spread while listening to opera at Glyndebourne. What’s definitely true is ...

Vega Sicilia’s announcement of its project in Galicia brings an end to months of industry speculation over where exactly the company would make its first Spanish white wines. Spanish daily newspapers El País and Cinco Días revealed news of the construction of a new winery and the acquisition of 24 hectares of vineyards by Vega Sicilia, owned by the Álvarez family. Vega Sicilia confirmed that production would initially consist of two white wines: Deiva, a white Crianza (aged 2 years); and Arnela, ...

Galicia is the wettest region in all of Spain with average rainfall starting from 800mm in the driest areas all the way up to 2,200mm for those along the Atlantic coast. Given this concern, fungal issues in the vineyards are quite common and viticulture has been adapted accordingly, for example with vines being trained to pergolas or by higher trellising which allows for good air circulation. In addition, the use of antifungal chemical treatments is widespread to contend with issues such as Esca ...