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November 14, 2011 
Gerry Dawes with Maura Villanueva, the owner of El Lagar, Logroño, La Rioja.
Photo by Casimiro Somalo.
After several attempts I’ve finally gotten my interview with good friend, eating, drinking and bullfighting buddy Gerry Dawes, who I’ve said many times is one of the two guys with the most comprehensive knowledge of Rioja.
Here are my questions and his answers, which I have copied verbatim. Hold on to your hats. This is vintage Gerry, once again pulling no punches.
When did you first taste a Rioja? Do you remember what brand and vintage it was? What were your impressions?
Back in the late 1960s, like everyone else who visited (or in my case lived in) Spain, I drank Federico Paternina Banda Azul. Rioja wines were Spain’s best red wines and I developed a taste for them over a period of several years. I thought many Rioja were great. Marqués de Riscal was a bit of a luxury and so was Cune Imperial and Cune Viña Real, but once in awhile I got to drink them. I still remember finding Cune Imperial Gran Reserva 1959 on the shelf of a Costa del Sol shop for 225 pesetas a bottle when I lived in Mijas overlooking the Costa del Sol. I grabbed all three bottles.
READ THE REST OF THE INTERVIEW HERE: INSIDE RIOJA
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