Blame it on Rioja

Arrived to work at Chanterelle yesterday to find tucked into Roger Dagorn MS’s mailbox the latest (Dec. 15, 2008) issue of The Wine Spectator, with an enormous portrait of the town of Elciego on its cover, bled to the absolute margins of the page.

Wow.

No matter how you feel about the Spectator and its 100-point rating system (see last post), its influence among consumers and segments on the trade is considerable and it exposure undeniable. Which means that seeing two of Rioja’s most distinguishing landmarks, Frank Gehry’s City of Wine at Marqués de Riscal and the Sierra de Cantabria, on its cover is a little like my mom seeing two of her children on the Today show.

I’ve only glanced over the article, having had to work last night, but will be sure to do so tomorrow, my next day off. But from what I can gather, it covers not only the region’s wines but also catalogs its architectural triumphs, its tapas scene in Logroño, its rise in recent years as a travel destination. In other words, my professional obsessions for the past two years.

A full report to follow.

This entry was posted on Friday, November 14th, 2008 at 5:08 pm and is filed under Architecture, Bodegas, General, Rioja in the News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.