2013

Hugel Gewurztraminer, one of the fine range of Hugel wines from Alsace

Of all my wine travels, one which remains closest to my heart is my visit to Alsace. In Riquewihr, a fairytale village straight out of Hans Christian Anderson’s tales, we tasted some excellent wines, courtesy friend and host extraordinaire, Etienne Hugel. The Hugel Gewurztraminer was one of them. The food of Alsace is exceptional too: hearty, delicious and full of soul. Not surprisingly, the wines go perfectly with the food.Not surprising too, that Alsace boasts of the largest number of Michelin-starred restaurants in France outside of Paris.

Mas la Plana 1997

Another memorable visit was to the Torres winery in Penedès, Spain. The sprawling winery is remarkably conceptualized and put together to offer tourists an unforgettable Spanish wine experience. This was followed by an excellent lunch at Mas Rabell, the Torres’ private restaurant. The four course lunch was perfectly paired with wines from the Torres range. The icing on the cake: meeting the ultra-charming Miguel Torres and his sister, Miramar, over lunch.