Empordà – the next hot Spanish wine region?

Last weekend the far north eastern corner of Spain suffered terrible fires, which have already burnt 13,000 ha, some of them vineyards – particularly those close to the main road route from Barcelona north over the Pyrenees into France, and around Port Bou on the coast. As Ferran Centelles, ex sommelier at El Bulli turned winemaker, reported on Monday night, 'this weekend has been really difficult for Empordà. Today Barcelona was full of ash that had travelled 180 km.'

We hope very much that the region will recover soon, not least because it is now making such exciting wines. I...