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Bill Bolloten

@billboll.bsky.social
289 followers 355 following 119 posts

Writer at the Spanish Wine Collective spanishwinecollective.substack.com Fan of Crystal Palace FC 🔴🔵🦅

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Reposted by Bill Bolloten
Spanish Wine Collective @spanishwinecoll.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
New on Substack: Alan Nance @amicdelvi.bsky.social uncorks a memorable bottle from Valencia and wonders whether long-abandoned varieties may hold the key to the future of Mediterranean wine. spanishwinecollective.substack.com/p/a-mediterr...
spanishwinecollective.substack.com
A Mediterranean marvel
Despite having lived in Spain for almost thirty years now, I am still discovering new grape varieties, such is the richness of this land—a richness that is coming ever more to the fore thanks to the s...
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Reposted by Bill Bolloten
Shawn Hennessey ☀️🍷 @sevillatapas.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Great one for #FlorFriday… Bill @billboll.bsky.social uncorks a forgotten Jerez tradition. #winesky
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Spanish Wine Collective @spanishwinecoll.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
In the cool interior of a Jerez bodega, the rows of oak casks are stacked in tiers. Each level feeds the next in a chain of ageing and blending. But elsewhere in the bodega sits a cask that wasn’t destined for bottling. This was the 'bota del gasto', and it belonged to the workers.
spanishwinecollective.substack.com
The 'bota del gasto': the cask that belonged to the workers
Bill Bolloten uncorks a forgotten Jerez tradition: the daily wine ration that fuelled bodega workers
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Bill Bolloten @billboll.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
For anyone who is interested, all my wine writing with the Spanish Wine Collective has now moved to Substack. All of our content is there now, free to read. Come join us. spanishwinecollective.substack.com
spanishwinecollective.substack.com
Spanish Wine Collective | Substack
With contributors from across Spain, as well as in the UK, the Spanish Wine Collective highlights wines worth seeking out, while taking a closer look at the growers and producers behind some of our fa...
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Reposted by Bill Bolloten
Keith Kahn-Harris @keithkahnharris.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Many people fall into falsehood and fabrication. The real poison is doing so without shame. The sight of right-wing supporters of shameless liars - and some shameless liars themselves - piling on someone who clearly was capable of shame isn't one I will forget easily.
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Reposted by Bill Bolloten
Spanish Wine Collective @spanishwinecoll.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
New on the blog today. Alan Nance @amicdelvi.bsky.social finds a familiar friend waiting at the end of an otherwise disappointing wine list. www.spanishwinecollective.com/blog/gramona...
spanishwinecollective.com
In praise of the common good — Spanish Wine Collective
Alan Nance finds a familiar friend waiting at the end of an otherwise disappointing wine list
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Reposted by Bill Bolloten
Spanish Wine Collective @spanishwinecoll.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Bob Dylan sang of dignity. In Rías Baixas, restoring it means separating persistent myth from the people who truly built the region. Adrian McManus Stanley says it's time the record was set straight. www.spanishwinecollective.com/blog/bob-dyl...
spanishwinecollective.com
Bob Dylan, Galicia and the search for dignity in Rías Baixas — Spanish Wine Collective
Bob Dylan sang of dignity. In Rías Baixas, restoring it means separating persistent myth from the people who truly built the region.
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Reposted by Bill Bolloten
Spanish Wine Collective @spanishwinecoll.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
New on the blog today: @amicdelvi.bsky.social tastes the Escurscac 2024 from Soca-Rel and finds that the colour of respite from the summer heat is also red. www.spanishwinecollective.com/blog/soca-re...
spanishwinecollective.com
Soca-Rel Escursac 2024 — Spanish Wine Collective
Alan Nance finds that the colour of respite from the summer heat is also red
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Reposted by Bill Bolloten
Spanish Wine Collective @spanishwinecoll.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
New on the blog today. Adrian McManus discovers a white wine forged on some of Spain’s most dramatic vineyard slopes. www.spanishwinecollective.com/blog/uz-de-h...
spanishwinecollective.com
Alvaredos-Hobbs: Heroic viticulture, bewildering gradients — Spanish Wine Collective
Adrian McManus discovers a white wine forged on some of Spain’s most dramatic vineyard slopes
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Reposted by Bill Bolloten
Spanish Wine Collective @spanishwinecoll.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
@billboll.bsky.social tastes a textured and complex Godello from Bierzo, where minerality, lees ageing and subtle oxidative notes take centre stage. www.spanishwinecollective.com/blog/godello...
spanishwinecollective.com
Godello Viejo 2023, Bodegas y Viñedos Mengoba — Spanish Wine Collective
Bill Bolloten tastes a textured and complex Godello from Bierzo, where minerality, lees ageing and subtle oxidative notes take centre stage.
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Andy Neather @hernehillandy.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
My blog is out: Food and the soul of #Ukraine: As the war enters its fifth year, Ukrainians and their friends celebrate the nation's culture through its cuisine and #wine – including at a string of new London restaurants aviewfrommytable.substack.com/p/food-and-t...
aviewfrommytable.substack.com
Food and the soul of Ukraine
As the war enters its fifth year, Ukrainians and their friends celebrate the nation's culture through its cuisine and wine – including at a string of new London restaurants
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Reposted by Bill Bolloten
Spanish Wine Collective @spanishwinecoll.bsky.social · 21/02/2026
@billboll.bsky.social reviews an indispensable book that begins with an overview of Catalunya, moves into the heartlands of Madrid and La Mancha, before returning to the Mediterranean shores of the Levante and continuing south to Andalucía. www.spanishwinecollective.com/blog/the-win...
spanishwinecollective.com
The Wines of Central and Southern Spain: From Catalunya to Cádiz by Sarah Jane Evans — Spanish Wine Collective
Bill Bolloten reviews Sarah Jane Evans’ comprehensive guide for Spanish wine lovers and travellers
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Matt Carr @mattcarr.substack.com · 18/02/2026
I wrote this piece about crime and punishment in sixteenth century Seville for my Aspects of Crime author platform. If you like the piece, you can also buy the novel. Only £3.99! aspectsofcrime.com/law-and-diso...
aspectsofcrime.com
Law and Disorder in Sixteenth Century Seville - Aspects of Crime
For much of the sixteenth century, Seville was Spain’s emblematic imperial city. It was the main port of entry for silver, gold and other treasures from Spain’s overseas empire, and the port of embark...
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Reposted by Bill Bolloten
Spanish Wine Collective @spanishwinecoll.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
Bill Bolloten attends Barcelona Wine Week, Spain’s foremost annual wine trade event, and discovers wines from Bodega Tintoralba, Miguel Castro Maillo and Quinta De Mil. www.spanishwinecollective.com/blog/barcelo...
spanishwinecollective.com
Barcelona Wine Week 2026: One day, three standout wines — Spanish Wine Collective
Bill Bolloten shares his discoveries at Spain’s largest wine trade showcase
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Reposted by Bill Bolloten
Matt Carr @mattcarr.substack.com · 19/01/2026
My piece in @Historia Magazine on sixteenth century Spain's criminal capital and my novel The Emperor of Seville (discounted to £0.99p for one week!). Lots of nice pics too historiamag.com/16thc-sevill...
historiamag.com
16th-century Seville: Spain’s criminal capital – Historia Magazine
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Bill Bolloten @billboll.bsky.social · 16/01/2026
My latest dispatch for the @spanishwinecoll.bsky.social. Looking back at memorable wines of 2025, I recall an exceptional unfortified fino from Bodegas Luis Pérez. www.spanishwinecollective.com/blog/memorab...
spanishwinecollective.com
Memorable wines of 2025: Part two — Spanish Wine Collective
Spanish Wine Collective writers reflect on a memorable bottle they uncorked in 2025. Bill Bolloten recalls an exceptional unfortified fino from Bodegas Luis Pérez.
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Bill Bolloten @billboll.bsky.social · 10/12/2025
Last month I travelled to Bierzo in northwest Spain with fellow scribes from the @spanishwinecoll.bsky.social. We got to experience first-hand the terroir-driven projects of Verónica Ortega and Nacho León. Full report now up. www.spanishwinecollective.com/blog/bierzo-...
spanishwinecollective.com
Bierzo Uncorked — Spanish Wine Collective
The Spanish Wine Collective gets to experience first-hand the terroir-driven projects of Verónica Ortega and Nacho León
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Bill Bolloten @billboll.bsky.social · 02/12/2025
My latest dispatch for the @spanishwinecoll.bsky.social takes me to Montilla-Moriles, a corner of Andalusia whose distinctive wines absolutely deserve more attention. www.spanishwinecollective.com/blog/fino-el...
spanishwinecollective.com
Fino Eléctrico “Bombilla”, Bodegas Toro Albalá — Spanish Wine Collective
Bill Bolloten flicks the switch and shines a light on an iconic fino from Montilla-Moriles
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Bill Bolloten @billboll.bsky.social · 27/10/2025
It's not all about sherry in Andalusia; there are red wines too. Bill Bolloten drinks a Tintilla de Rota from Bodegas Luis Pérez and gets a taste of the wild side of Cádiz. New today at the @spanishwinecoll.bsky.social. www.spanishwinecollective.com/blog/tintill...
spanishwinecollective.com
Wine of the week — Spanish Wine Collective
Bill Bolloten tastes a Tintilla that expresses the wilder side of Cádiz
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Shawn Hennessey ☀️🍷 @sevillatapas.bsky.social · 10/10/2025
Good times in great company… and l also finally got to meet @billboll.bsky.social! 🥂
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Reposted by Bill Bolloten
Spanish Wine Collective @spanishwinecoll.bsky.social · 11/10/2025
New at the Spanish Wine Collective today. @billboll.bsky.social enjoys a ‘cena y maridaje’ (dinner with wine pairings) to remember in Seville at Augurio, featuring the sherry wines of Bodegas Juan Piñero. www.spanishwinecollective.com/blog/juan-pi...
spanishwinecollective.com
A sherry showcase: Juan Piñero’s wines meet modern Andalusian cuisine at Augurio in Seville — Spanish Wine Collective
Bill Bolloten enjoys a ‘cena y maridaje’ to remember in Seville
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Bill Bolloten @billboll.bsky.social · 05/09/2025
New from me today at the Spanish Wine Collective @spanishwinecoll.bsky.social. A glass of Manzanilla Pasada from @BodegasArgueso has me reflecting on just how rewarding it is to be part of Club Contubernio. www.spanishwinecollective.com/blog/manzani...
spanishwinecollective.com
Wine of the week — Spanish Wine Collective
A glass of Manzanilla Pasada has Bill Bolloten reflecting on just how rewarding it is to be part of Club Contubernio
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Spanish Wine Collective @spanishwinecoll.bsky.social · 01/08/2025
Miguel Crunia, one of Britain’s top sommeliers, writes about Bodegas Siluvio in Asturias and their recovery of a traditional style of red wine that blends local grape varieties. www.spanishwinecollective.com/blog/siluvio...
spanishwinecollective.com
Siluvio Bodegas y Viñedos: Reviving La Mezcla Canguesa — Spanish Wine Collective
Miguel Crunia, one of Britain’s top sommeliers, writes about Bodegas Siluvio in Asturias and their recovery of a traditional style of red wine that blends local grape varieties.
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Reposted by Bill Bolloten
Alan Nance @amicdelvi.bsky.social · 18/07/2025
Great review by my colleague @billboll.bsky.social of what sounds like an important new addition to the library of Spanish wine writing
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Spanish Wine Collective @spanishwinecoll.bsky.social · 11/07/2025
José Luis Rodríguez Martínez comprueba en Fenavin 2025 la transformación de los vinos de Castilla-La Mancha. www.spanishwinecollective.com/blog/los-nue...
spanishwinecollective.com
Los nuevos vinos manchegos: rebelión silenciosa en Fenavín 2025 — Spanish Wine Collective
José Luis Rodríguez Martínez comprueba en Fenavin 2025 la transformación de los vinos de Castilla-La Mancha
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Anya Spethmann @anyaspethmann.bsky.social · 04/07/2025
Too odd for normies, too available for the cool kids — but it remains iconic. (If you’re not a fino fan, try it with some good tonic and it will change your mind.)
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Bill Bolloten @billboll.bsky.social · 04/07/2025
A dispatch from Jamonlandia. I pay tribute to one of Spain’s most iconic and emblematic wines, Tío Pepe fino. www.spanishwinecollective.com/blog/tio-pep...
spanishwinecollective.com
Wine of the week — Spanish Wine Collective
Tío Pepe: dry but never boring. Bill Bolloten pays tribute to the classic Jerez fino
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Spanish Wine Collective @spanishwinecoll.bsky.social · 27/06/2025
Our Catalonia correspondent Alan Nance @amicdelvi.bsky.social explains why St John's Eve (23 June) is so important in his home region, and uncorks some fine Catalan wines by Nuria Renom, El Jardí dels Sentits, Celler Joan d’Anguera and Can Descregut. www.spanishwinecollective.com/blog/fire-an...
spanishwinecollective.com
Fire and wine for the Feast of St John — Spanish Wine Collective
Alan Nance recounts the significance of midsummer fires in Catalonia, and uncorks some fine local wines to celebrate the occasion.
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Spanish Wine Collective @spanishwinecoll.bsky.social · 20/06/2025
Wine of the week. Alan Nance @amicdelvi.bsky.social is rewarded for venturing beyond his Penedès home territory in search of something sparkling. The prize was the Laietà Gran Reserva Brut Nature Cava Alta Alella. www.spanishwinecollective.com/blog/alta-al...
spanishwinecollective.com
Wine of the week — Spanish Wine Collective
Alan Nance is rewarded for venturing beyond his Penedès home territory in search of something sparkling.
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Spanish Wine Collective @spanishwinecoll.bsky.social · 13/06/2025
Should the Atlantic red wines of DO Ribeiro be better known? Our Galicia correspondent @adrianmcmanus.bsky.social thinks so, and draws our attention to this fresh, red-fruited tinto from Casal do Canteiro. www.spanishwinecollective.com/blog/candela...
spanishwinecollective.com
Wine of the week — Spanish Wine Collective
Adrian McManus draws our attention to an Atlantic red wine from Ribeiro in north-east Spain.
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Bill Bolloten @billboll.bsky.social · 08/06/2025
Wine of the week. I tasted the first still white wine made by the Jerez bodega Fernando de Castilla. www.spanishwinecollective.com/blog/yema-2024
spanishwinecollective.com
Wine of the week — Spanish Wine Collective
Bill Bolloten travels to Sanlúcar for one of Spain’s best wine festivals and tastes a fine vino de pasto from Jerez.
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Spanish Wine Collective @spanishwinecoll.bsky.social · 30/05/2025
Spanish Wine Collective founder Chris Lynch says farewell, and reflects on wine drinking in the UK and how Spain remains an exciting place for wine lovers. www.spanishwinecollective.com/blog/a-farew...
spanishwinecollective.com
A farewell to the Spanish Wine Collective — Spanish Wine Collective
Spanish Wine Collective founder Chris Lynch says farewell, and reflects on wine drinking in the UK and how Spain remains an exciting place for wine lovers.
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Bill Bolloten @billboll.bsky.social · 26/05/2025
My latest dispatch for the @spanishwinecoll.bsky.social
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Spanish Wine Collective @spanishwinecoll.bsky.social · 02/05/2025
As spring unfurls across the Garraf region of Catalonia, Alan Nance @amicdelvi.bsky.social reflects on how food and wine can truly become a living, soulful experience in the company of others. www.spanishwinecollective.com/blog/on-wine...
spanishwinecollective.com
On wine, food and friends — Spanish Wine Collective
As spring unfurls across the Garraf, Alan Nance offers up a recipe for communion with others
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Bill Bolloten @billboll.bsky.social · 18/04/2025
Our Madrid correspondent José Luis Rodríguez Martínez visits Bosque de Matasnos, a flagship project for sustainable wine production in Ribera del Duero.
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Alan Nance @amicdelvi.bsky.social · 11/04/2025
My fellow traveller @billboll.bsky.social giving us good reason to walk to Santiago de Compostela…
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Bill Bolloten @billboll.bsky.social · 11/04/2025
A pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela for the first edition of Galicia Wine Taste. www.spanishwinecollective.com/blog/galicia...
spanishwinecollective.com
Galicia Wine Taste: a wine pilgrim’s progress — Spanish Wine Collective
Bill Bolloten makes a wine pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela for the first edition of Galicia Wine Taste
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Spanish Wine Collective @spanishwinecoll.bsky.social · 07/04/2025
Chris Lynch @clynch83.bsky.social gives us the lowdown on the bars and free tapa culture of León. www.spanishwinecollective.com/blog/embutid...
spanishwinecollective.com
Embutido overload in León — Spanish Wine Collective
Chris Lynch gives us the lowdown on the bars and free tapa culture of León
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Spanish Wine Collective @spanishwinecoll.bsky.social · 30/03/2025
Our first article in Spanish. Madrid correspondent José Luis Rodríguez Martínez continues his quest to find great places to drink wine in Madrid. His visits Fun Fun, a stylish and welcoming bar that offers natural wines from Spain and beyond. www.spanishwinecollective.com/blog/fun-fun
spanishwinecollective.com
Fun Fun: disfrutar el vino orgánico en Madrid "sin salir de casa” — Spanish Wine Collective
José Luis Rodríguez Martínez visita Fun Fun, un elegante y acogedor bar en Madrid que ofrece vinos naturales de España y más allá.
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Spanish Wine Collective @spanishwinecoll.bsky.social · 30/03/2025
Nuestro primero artículo en español. José Luis Rodríguez Martínez continúa su búsqueda de excelentes lugares para beber vino en Madrid y visita Fun Fun, un elegante y acogedor bar en Madrid que ofrece vinos naturales de España y más allá. www.spanishwinecollective.com/blog/fun-fun
spanishwinecollective.com
Fun Fun: disfrutar el vino orgánico en Madrid "sin salir de casa” — Spanish Wine Collective
José Luis Rodríguez Martínez visita Fun Fun, un elegante y acogedor bar en Madrid que ofrece vinos naturales de España y más allá.
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Alan Nance @amicdelvi.bsky.social · 28/02/2025
My latest piece for the Spanish Wine Collective is now online (link below), this time pairing book with wine
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Chris Lynch @clynch83.bsky.social · 22/02/2025
My little contribution this month to @spanishwinecoll.bsky.social. My wine of the week whisked me to Valencia whilst sat at my dining table planning 2025 trips! A little sunshine as we crawl into spring. www.spanishwinecollective.com/blog/casalab...
spanishwinecollective.com
Wine of the week — Spanish Wine Collective
Chris Lynch drinks a tinto from the Valencia region and dreams of warmer days by the Mediterranean
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Spanish Wine Collective @spanishwinecoll.bsky.social · 21/02/2025
Wine of the week. Chris Lynch goes to one of our favourite producers Rafael Cambra, and opens his Casalabor, a tinto made with the local variety Arcos. An elegant wine with flavours of red fruits and herbs, that evokes warmer days by the Mediterranean. www.spanishwinecollective.com/blog/casalab...
spanishwinecollective.com
Wine of the week — Spanish Wine Collective
Chris Lynch drinks a tinto from the Valencia region and dreams of warmer days by the Mediterranean
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Bill Bolloten @billboll.bsky.social · 14/02/2025
My report for the @spanishwinecoll.bsky.social on three days of wine tasting at Barcelona Wine Week, Vinos "Off the Record" and Liquid Vins. With some favourite wines highlighted. www.spanishwinecollective.com/blog/wineday...
spanishwinecollective.com
Wine days in Barcelona — Spanish Wine Collective
Bill Bolloten chooses some favourite wines from three days of tasting in Barcelona
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Spanish Wine Collective @spanishwinecoll.bsky.social · 07/02/2025
@adrianmcmanus.bsky.social visits D.O. Ribeiro, one of the oldest wine regions in Europe for our wine of the week. Tostado is a unique sweet wine from Adegas Celme, which has been rescued from oblivion and now formally recognised by the appellation. www.spanishwinecollective.com/blog/celme-t...
spanishwinecollective.com
Wine of the week — Spanish Wine Collective
Adrian McManus explores the fascinating history of a once popular sweet wine from Galicia
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Spanish Wine Collective @spanishwinecoll.bsky.social · 31/01/2025
José Luis Rodríguez Martínez takes us on a tour of five Madrid taverns that offer an opportunity to relive the atmosphere of the past. These authentic places combine a rich and exciting history with a contemporary take on great Spanish wine. www.spanishwinecollective.com/blog/five-hi...
spanishwinecollective.com
Five historic taverns in Madrid where you can experience Spain’s wine culture  — Spanish Wine Collective
José Luis Rodríguez Martínez takes us on a tour of Madrid taverns with a flavour of the past
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Matt Carr @mattcarr.substack.com · 28/01/2025
My substack newsletter on Trump versus Bishop Budde.https://mattcarr.substack.com/p/your-own-personal-maga-jesus
Trump versus the Bishop
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Alan Nance @amicdelvi.bsky.social · 29/01/2025
Domaine Sérol Chez Coste 2023 kicking off my 2025 Loire road trip with @billboll.bsky.social Unsulfured Gamay St-Romain, fermented & aged in amphora. Deeply coloured with a lingering savoury freshness, this waltzed with peppery pork sausage and then made friends among tonight’s cheeses. Santé !
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Bill Bolloten @billboll.bsky.social · 29/01/2025
Chez Coste 2023 (12.5%). Kicking off 2025’s journey through the wines of the Loire with @amicdelvi.bsky.social. A beautiful expression of the Gamay St-Romain variety by Domaine Sérol. Lovely purity and transparency. Supple tannins, texture and hint of spice. A graceful and delightful wine.
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