Luis Cañas, the patron of the Rioja winery of the same name, passed away a few weeks ago at the age of 91. The charismatic winemaker, with whom we shared a long friendship, was an important driving force for his region. He was one of those men and women from the land who, with their effort and ingenuity, paved the way to carry the DOCa Rioja designation of origin to worldwide fame.

Initially, Luis Cañas earned his living as a construction worker, but put most of his wages and all of his free time into the family's small winery. His brothers, like many others, turned their backs on the region and moved to the city. Luis Cañas and his wife Angeles decided to stay and put all their hopes in their own wine. They decided in the early 70s to bottle their own wines and sell them under their own name. An absolute novelty in Rioja Alavesa, where winemaking families usually supplied large producers. What drove Luis Cañas all his life was the search for the perfect wine. «And in this, I think Juan Luis even surpasses me», the winemaker once told us about his son. We will never forget how he spoke with pride of the achievements of his successor or how he appreciated his great-grandson Jon with a sparkling look when he returned from working in the vineyards. May his memory be revived with each of his wines. Over and over again.

Practice makes perfect who wants to become a master. With wine, of course, this is somewhat difficult... But Robert Eden was lucky enough to have grown up in a vinophile family. And so, as a child, the legendary Johnson wine atlas fell into his hands. While Robert's friends were reading Mickey Mouse, he was learning about wine at the highest level. At the age of 12, he was allowed to sniff the wines that his father served to his illustrious guests under his father's guidance.

Barely of age, he was drawn – no wonder! – he was drawn to the wide world of wine. So he found himself in Australia as a so-called «cellar rat». From a jumper and assistant, however, he quickly worked his way up and finally learned the trade with the big names. After years of apprenticeship and travel in Tuscany, Burgundy, Bordeaux, America and Spain, he fell in love with the South of France. He knew immediately that he wanted to live there. But wine freak that he is, he left nothing to chance when choosing his domicile: he tasted hundreds of wines from different localities. Those from Minervois La Livinière were clearly the best. Robert Eden was lucky: a château was for sale, and at a ridiculous price. The Briton did not have to think long and acquired the estate in April 1994, but unfortunately there was a proverbial corpse in the cellar, of which he only got wind in October: The grapes tasted awful. Wine was out of the question. Okay, the weather conditions were miserable. It was just stupid when the story repeated itself the following year – under the best possible conditions. Now it was clear that Robert Eden would have to go in a completely new direction.

The oldest winery in Chile reinvents itself. «Viña Carmen» was the very first winery in Chile. 170 years of history – that makes some wineries freeze. Quite different at «Viña Carmen»! The young, enthusiastic team around winemaker Emily Faulconer takes a playful approach to tradition and likes to reinvent itself – just like Frida Kahlo. «We took inspiration from Frida's passion, sophistication and attitude to create a new style of wine», says Emily Faulconer. Carmen Winery is now honoring this spiritual connection to Frida Kahlo with a limited edition of their Cabernet Sauvignon Gran Reserva.

The Mexican painter continues to exert a tremendous fascination decades after her death. She is regarded as a style icon and symbolic figure of the strong woman. In retrospect, Frida Kahlo's life seems like a tragic sequence of misfortunes: Birth defects, a serious bus accident, miscarriages and repeated heartbreak. Knowing that happiness is only borrowed, the artist threw herself into life: she painted, sang, danced, tried out new forms of life and love. «Have the courage to live, because anyone can die», was the style icon's credo. In this sense: Discover new things and enjoy the beautiful sides of life!