Articles – Page 62 – Colin Harkness on Wine

IWSC Awards 6 Gold Outstanding Medals to Spain

THE 2014 IWSC’S BEST SPANISH WINES!

SIX WINES AWARDED HIGHEST MEDAL: GOLD OUTSTANDING!

Over the last ten years there has been an unfortunate proliferation of wine competitions, in my opinion. In the UK there’s scarcely a bottle on the shelves which doesn’t proclaim some sort of ‘gong’ won in some, not always prestigious, wine competition or other.

In an attempt to promote wine sales, of which I’m all in favour of course, such endeavours have in fact caused, at best, confusion or, at worst, apathy! How does the consumer know which medal actually matters, in terms of the quality of the wine they are about to purchase? Which competition is the more meaningful? Is a Bronze in one competition the equivalent of a Gold Star in another; or is there simply no comparison? And worst of all: is it possible to ‘buy’ a medal – does a huge advert in the competition’s literature, or a significant donation, ensure a Gold?

Well, in an effort to clear the mist surrounding the podium (and indeed the steps rising towards this pantheon), in my opinion (and that of many other commentators, I should add) there are three, international competitions that count, that really are prestigious. One of them is the International Wine and Spirits Competition (IWSC), for whom I judge and for whom I act as Agent for Spain. So, nailing my colours to the barrel, I admit a vatted interest – but not, as far as I can make it so, any bias.

One of the prerequisites for judging wines has to be total objectivity. I like to think I maintain the same level of impartiality when talking about wine competitions as I do when judging wines for the IWSC. So, in the interests of transparency I’ve declared my interest and will also mention, albeit briefly, the other two ‘biggies’ – the International Wine Challenge; and the Decanter World Wine Awards – Boo! Sorry, couldn’t resist it!

I know, from my own experiences, that when a Gold is given there is a great feeling in the judging salon of the IWSC. Golds are hard to achieve, we are notoriously tight and marking is stringent, so when a wine achieves the necessary number of points, there is a real sense of pleasure. After all, we may be serious judges, but don’t forget that we all love wine!

Occasionally there is a feeling in the room that to simply give a Gold isn’t quite enough! Gold is presented when a wine finds a place within the 90 – 100 points bracket, which is praise indeed. However, once in a while, a wine that sits at the top of that bracket, in some way deserves more. These are the wines that, in Orwellian terms, are more equal than other Golds – these are the Gold Outstanding wines!

This year the Spanish Panel of the IWSC awarded six of these medals of honour! It was fascinating for me to hear that three of these truly excellent wines were in fact Sherries; two were Riojas; and one was a sparkling wine – not Cava, though, a wine about which I have written in this column. A sparkling wine from DO Rías Baixas!

So, Cork Talk, this week, and next, is about these demonstrably six excellent wines, as I was kindly sent a sample of each by the proud winning bodegas.

Bodegas Coto Redondo makes sensational sparkling wine. I wrote about the good fortune of the sparkling wine makers of Galicia when the Consejo Regulador of DO Rías Baixas coincidentally announced that they had decided to permit Vinos Espumosos to carry the DO logo, at the same time as the spotlight was falling on alternative Spanish sparklers because of the internal strife at DO Cava.

Right place, right time – and didn’t Señorio de Rubios take advantage! Their IWSC Gold Outstanding Señorio do Rubiós Condada do Tea Blanco Brut Nature is one of the best sparkling wines I’ve ever tasted, and that includes Champagnes as well as top of the range Cavas!

Made with the wonderful super-aromatic varieties: Treìxadura, Loureiro, Albariño and Torrontés, this wine has an unforgettable fragrance, as one would expect, of peach, white flowers and apricot along with the usual yeasty panaderia notes of brioche, pastries and warm bread that is often associated with sparkling wine.

Whilst elegant and graceful on the palate, there’s also a tantalising, almost sexy seductiveness that would entice Galician sailors just as well as any Mermaid! It has a super backbone of flavour too, with a long finish. They have a great range of still wines as well – a bodega to look out for: www.bodegas-cotoredondo.com.

Everybody all over the World who knows about wine, knows about Rioja. Fact. It is Spain’s most recognised brand and has consistently been fashioning some of the greatest Spanish wines ever produced. It still does so, as this medium sized area of production has been awarded not one, but two IWSC Gold Outstanding medals!

Times are changing in Rioja, there has been a metamorphosis, which in my opinion has been for the greater good, and some! There is more quality control than has been in the past and a new modern style Rioja jostles with traditional wines, resulting in a crucial competitiveness which keeps them all on their toes.

Historically it has been: Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva wines that have made Rioja famous and to a lesser extent, Cosecha wines, which have seen either no oak ageing, or very little. Modernist winemakers in Rioja are now making wines that rally under a sort of banner (though there’s no rigid definition) known as Vinos D’Autor.

These are wines that don’t wholly subscribe to tradition, though they do keep within the rules and regulations boundaries. Wines that may have had, for example thirteen months in oak and a year in bottle, which would qualify them for Crianza status, but which do not carry the ‘Crianza’ logo, for fear of being stereotyped. They are a product of the winemakers passion, philosophy and imagination. Look out for them.

However don’t forgo traditional Rioja wines – the two IWSC Gold Outstanding Rioja wines are Gran Reservas!

More on these two wonderful wines, plus the Gold Outstanding Sherries next week!

Contact Colin: colin@colinharknessonwine.com and through www.colinharknessonwine.com and via Twitter @colinonwine

Wedding Wines!

WEDDING WINES

I suppose that it depends on the size of the budget as to which Spanish wines one would choose for one’s wedding. There’s a huge selection of wines made in Spain, ranging from perfectly enjoyable, economically viable entry level, to top quality wines which will compete favourably with the best in the world. Therefore there are any number that would fit perfectly into a wedding scenario.

Charged with everything else to do prior to our recent wedding, my wife (now!) Claire, was happy to leave me with the choice of wine. I got off lightly – the lists containing myriads of ‘stuff’ to do for a wedding was baffling to a simple wine writer, so I was delighted to be commissioned to organise something about which I know a little, at least!

It was an easy choice. I turned to my good friends at two ‘local’ bodegas: Bodegas Dominio de la Vega, for the Cava; and to Bodegas Castaño for the still wines. The choice was based on each bodega’s price/quality ratio anyway, but I was bowled over by their generous discounts which was a great benefit in terms of the overall cost of the event. It was also beneficial to our guests, many of whom commented most favourably about the cavas and wines served. A result!

We had well over a hundred guests at the Ermita San Josep (kindly donated for the day by the Anglican Chaplaincy) who, like ourselves, were quite desperate for something to drink after the service. What better choice than Dominio de la Vega’s Brut Cava? I love this fizz!

Made with 100% Macabeo and having spent well over the minimum period en rima (resting in the cellars in bottles containing the yeast sediment following the second fermentation) this wine balances perfectly sparkling wine’s essential freshness with depth of flavour. A balance that is assisted by Dominio de la Vegas strict policy of including the month of disgorgement on the back label. A lesson in transparency for all sparkling wine producers as it ensures that consumers know at what developmental stage the wine has arrived before buying.

On the nose there is the unmistakeable aroma of cider, coming from the green apple characteristic of the Macabeo variety, in harmony with typical sparkling wine patisserie notes. For extra measure there’s also a slight floral note. Guests and ourselves had our thirst quenched while enjoying some depth of flavour to accompany the nibbles generously provided by Javea International Baptist Church.

At the reception later (hosted by our great friends Ros and Mick in their wonderful finca) guests were welcomed with Rosado Brut cava from the same stable. Made from 100% Garnacha this is a fizz with attitude as well as finesse – a perfect combination! It has a dark colour from a relatively long maceration with its black skins, which also gives the wine a greater fruit depth.

Rather than typical raspberry rosado notes, this is more loganberry, red currant and early season cherry. There’s a depth to the wine too – something to talk about whilst waiting for dinner!

I was fortunate to have been in the right place at the right time, when Bodegas Castaño made their first Macabeo/Chardonnay white wine. Whilst Macabeo had been a permitted variety in DO Yecla for many years, it was solely through the good offices of the Castaño family that the Consejo Regulador added the ubiquitous Chardonnay to the list of approved varieties. It’s made a big difference to DO Yecla’s white wine profile.

The Chardonnay enjoys partial fermentation in oak. The wonderful paraguayo/white peach aromas are thus augmented. There is also some green apple freshness (guess where from!) making the wine a super fruit-driven mouthful which went perfectly with the array of tapas we had for starters.

Our red wine was that which made not only Bodegas Castaño famous, but also the whole of the DO Yecla. The highly influential Robert Parker, USA wine guru par excellence, gave the first Hécula over 90 points and suddenly Yecla was on the wine map of the world and this lovely100% Monastrell wine sold out!

Over the intervening years all subsequent vintages have maintained this 90+ standard and I was as delighted with guests’ praising comments as I was with the aroma, flavour and depth of the wine! It perfectly suited our main course, cooked with great aplomb by our super Spanish friend, Pepa. Look for damsons, black olives, a touch of dark chocolate on the finish and understated vanilla from its six months on oak.

We finished with a flourish! A superb, rich dark chocolate cake had been made for us by our lovely friend Linda. Bodegas Castaño again, provided the accompanying dessert wine, Castaño Monastrell Dulce. If you haven’t tasted this wine yet (I’ve been banging on about it for years, so you should have!) you simply must do so!

It’s so rich and yet has balanced and integrated acidity making it racy and elegant at the same time. It’s made from late harvested Monastrell grapes coming from old vines. It spends a short time in oak to add depth of flavour and complexity but the oak is entirely integrated.

Perfect with chocolate cake, but also Summer Pudding as well as with blue and mature cheeses. Wow, what a wine!

And wow, what a wedding! Our thanks to all who attended and contributed so much – we’re a lucky couple; and, as you can see, I’m an extremely lucky man!

Contact Colin: colin@colinharknessonwine.com and through his unique and informative website www.colinharknessonwine.com (where you’ll see details of all Colin’s wine related events, visits, articles etc) as well as via Twitter @colinonwine.

SPANISH WINES FOR BBQs

FIFTY SHADES OF BLACK

WINES TO BEAT MY BBQ COOKING!

My wine writing/blogging colleagues in the UK are always desperate to make sure that their columns recommending wines for barbecues go to press/internet in June or maybe early July when perhaps the first rays of sunshine in Britain, at last bring some warmth.

Here in Spain though, I don’t have to be in such a rush to make some recommendations re wines to enjoy with barbecued food. We are so lucky to be able have barbecues, practically all the year long. However, for those attending a BBQ of mine I really should issue some sort of warning. It’s not that there’s a fear of any nasty ‘asking for trouble’ under-cooking, quite the reverse. Food barbecued by me suffers an identity crisis, masked as it invariably is, by fifty shades of black!

It’s funny, the things you recall. Fifty-four years ago my Primary School teacher reprimanded me for complaining that it was the pencil that made my writing so illegible, not me! “A poor workman always blames his tools!” was the retort as the ruler hit my fingers. So I mustn’t blame the BBQ and all the attendant paraphernalia, it must just be my ineptitude, as it certainly was with my handwriting!

However, whilst this is indubitably a major failing of mine – the same cannot be said of my choice of wines, though I admit that these wines are usually best consumed at other people’s BBQs!

So define BBQ food – it’s difficult, isn’t it? (Unless it’s mine!) There can be vegetables, fish, all manner of meats and of course, marinades, sauces et al. It can be typically British – what is that nowadays?! Or maybe American influenced, I’m not just talking Burgers, what about foods from the deep South of North America, or indeed Hispanic specialities. Or Australian, Asian, Oriental and eclectic fusion food too.

The possibilities are too great to be able to recommend just one catch-all wine style. So we need to think of options according to the food style and the ingredients. However, no matter what the actual dish is, there is still one common denominator – that wonderful smoky barbecue aroma, and indeed flavour, to the finished product. This is a help for the person designated to choose the wine. Certain wines pair perfectly with this smokiness, others do very well, but some just don’t work.

It’s probably true to say that white wines make fewer good partnerships with BBQ food than do reds and rosados. However there are exceptions, which is also helpful if the barbecue has a fish and/or seafood element.

With white wines we should be looking for a touch of oak, which itself often entails a sort of smokiness – so ideal with a barbecue. White wines that do particularly well in this respect often have Chardonnay in the blend.

Bodegas Belda, DO Valencia, makes a Chardonnay FB (fermented in barrel) which adds depth to the wine, giving it some extra power to stand up to the BBQ food, as well as improving the overall flavour with that lightly toasted barrica flavour and some vanilla notes too.

Bodegas Castaño’s, DO Yecla, Macabeo/Chardonnay has fermented some of the Chardonnay in oak giving depth and a roundness to the Macabeo, which brings freshness too. This wine has the body to stand up to the food as well as the acidity to keep the palate clean.

I’ve been quoted over Twitter with over a thousand views regarding my comment that Xarel.lo, from Cataluña is the new Chardonnay. As such it too would be a good match for some BBQ food. Indeed Bodegas Canal & Munné’s Gran Blanc Princeps Xarel.lo Fermentado en Barrica would be excellent, though a little more costly than the above Chardonnays.

There are some rosados to consider too. Try for example Rosé Princeps, also from Canals & Munné. Usually light in the mouth and probably not quite having the body to withstand BBQ food unless slightly oak aged, this rosado is made with Merlot , resulting in a rosado wine with attitude!

Another is Bodegas Del Rosario’s Las Reñas Rosado which has the body but also a pleasing freshness to it. It’s been made with Monastrell as are several of the reds I’m about to mention. Monastrell, the ideal variety for barbecues?

Bodegas Carrascalejo’s Monastrell is a joven (young) wine, without ageing – a lovely fruit led wine for easy drinking, and let’s admit it, there’s often plenty of that going on when there’s a barbecue! I’ve also had plenty of Bodegas Castaño’s joven Monastrell which I’ve found to be perfect with BBQs this year too.

Las Reñas Monastrell 2012 is also a young red wine. A wine to simply enjoy with or without food, and a sure hit with BBQs.

The Homenaje Tinto joven I served slightly chilled (as I did with the above Castaño Monastrell). It’s just the sort of red that can handle this and is therefore perfect for these stiflingly hot temperatures that we are enduring/enjoying(?!) at the moment.

Monterebro Barrica, DO JUmilla has enjoyed four months in American and French new oak barrels (barricas) and has extra body to go along with the juicy fruit making it ideal with barbecues red meats.

ad, from Bodegas Heretat de Sicilia is made from Syrah, Petit Verdot and Monastrell and is a big and fruity wine for quite early drinking, which can also be served slightly chilled.

Contact Colin: colin@colinharknessonwine.com and through www.colinharknessonwine.com and via Twitter @colinonwine

La Pamelita – a rare Spanish Sparkling Red!

LA PAMELITA AND A LADY ON A MISSION!

CATALUÑA’S LLOBAN WINERY COMBINES

TRADITION AND INNOVATION

I haven’t met Pamela Geddes (yet) but I feel I know her. It seems to me that there are certain winemakers who have a signature wine, much like a chef will have his/her signature dish. One becomes familiar with the style of the ‘signature’ and therefore, by some sort of mystical symbiosis, with that of the author.

I first ‘met’ Pamela Geddes, a Scottish bio-physicist, no less, through her first Spanish signature wine – a red sparkling Monastrell, made under the auspices of Bodegas Castaño, DO Yecla. Regular readers will know of this innovative winery which boldly goes where others fear to tread.

I have had the great pleasure of visiting Bodegas Castaño many times (often with groups too) and on one occasion I was treated to a superb tasting of young wines made with their experimental varieties, imported from all over Spain and the wine world in general, to see how they will fair in Yecla soils, under Yecla’s harsh climate. DO Yecla now permits the use of Chardonnay in their white wines – you can guess that this is because of Castaño’s efforts.

Not surprising therefore that Pamela and Bodegas Castaño teamed up to make this innovative sparkling Monastrell red wine. I tasted and enjoyed the wine.

However, another opportunity opened up for Pamela – the chance to start her own winery in the cooler climate of Cataluña, home of Cava. Bodegas Lobban was born and Pamela’s signature took a slight turn, though remaining true to the ideal. Instead of Monastrell, another of the DO Penedés permitted varieties, Syrah/Shiraz, was used for her new red fizz.

Followers of wine trends may now, quite correctly, be following the Shiraz link to the Antipodes – in fact to Australia. It was the Aussies who first made sparkling wine with their darling variety, Shiraz, and, after ten years in the whisky trade, Pamela had moved to Australia where she became enamoured with this distinctive wine style. Red sparkling wine had arrived in Australia – but could it prove equally successful in the rather conservative Spain (in wine terms, at least)?

Well, judging by the medals and plaudits garnered by Pamela’s, La Pamelita Sparkling Shiraz, the answer is a resounding ‘Yes’!

Pamela kindly sent me samples of this wine and two others from her small portfolio of wines from Cataluña. I’m impressed – and I’m sure you will be too. If you can find them! (www.lapamelita.com for distributors/stockists).

La Pamelita manages to combine a certain Shiraz black pepper and dark brambly fruit robustness with the elegance that befits wines made in this, the home of Spanish sparkling wines. It’s a winning style as it enables the wine to be drunk with food as well as for fun!

It’s enjoyed 36 months en rima (in bottle with lees after its second fermentation) which adds depth to the flavour of the wine, an understated creaminess, and a complexity that is hard to find in many sparklers. Try it with BBQ meats as well as casseroles.

Another fizz, but this time a rosado made with Garnacha, is La Rosita Brut. I loved this wine! There’s a little (5%) Shiraz in the blend (which is fair as the La Pamelita has 5% Garnacha too!) and its had 24 months en rima. Though a mouthful of flavour, for sure, this wine is graceful too.

It’s a celebratory sparkling wine with a very pretty colour but enough body and depth of flavour to make it an ideal partner for paella as well as being lovely with fish of the same colour and white fish with sauces, and salads too. Aromas of loganberry and a very slight citrus element accompany those of the classic sparkling wine characteristic, bready/sweet pastry panaderia-esque notes. It’s definitely not just a wine for girls – rufty-tufty Aussie men would love it too!

It’s hard to say, but I think, if I’m allowed a little indulgence here, that ‘el gordito 2009’, though a still red wine, was actually my personal favourite – though it is an entirely subjective view, of course.

Garnacha grapes, hand harvested, make up 50% of the blend – the vines have seen 70 summers and are producing opulently rich fruit, whose influence transfers into the finished product – el gordito is a fruit driven wine. You might guess that the other 50% is from Shiraz vines, this time relatively young, which gives a certain brightness of colour when the wine is poured as well as a fresh palate-tingling vibrancy to the wine.

Like a modern day father/son wine-making relationship, where valuable tradition is augmented by fresh innovation, the two ‘halves’ of this wine form a perfectly harmonious whole. In addition, 25% of the blend spends time in medium toasted new and second use French barricas, which adds depth, complexity and additional mouth-feel and richness.

You’ll find some black olive and black pepper spice with subtle coconut whiffs blending famously with blackberry and blueberry notes on the nose and on the palate there’s just a touch of dark chocolate to add to those fruity flavours. Lovely wine and though the 2009 vintage, it’s still drinking perfectly.

Contact Colin: colin@colinharknessonwine.com and through his unique wine services website www.colinharknessonwine.com; plus you can follow Colin on Twitter @colinonwine for all the latest news about Spanish wine.