Colin – Page 123 – Colin Harkness on Wine

Cava Dinner, Moraira, Costa Blanca

A MARRIAGE MADE IN MORAIRA

DO CAVA TAKES THE MARINA ALTA BY STORM!

Señor Pere Bonet, El Presidente del Consejo Regulador, DO Cava, with Cava Dinner Presenter, Colin Harkness

Whilst it is true that Claire and I spent our Wedding Night in Moraira’s elegant Hotel Swiss, this is not the eponymous marriage to which I refer. Perhaps it’s best that we keep that to ourselves, dear readers!

No, the maridaje I’m talking about here is one of a gastronomic nature – the pairing of different styles of Spain’s wonderful sparkling wine, Cava, with the varied dishes of a top class, four-course dinner in a highly rated restaurant, that of the Hotel Swiss. And what a night it was!

I remember way, back during the dying embers of August when dining on a superb lunch in the beautiful 11^th Century fortress that is home to Bodegas Segura Viudas, discussing, with my host ,the President of the Consejo Regulador, Denominación de Origen Cava, Señor Pere Bonet, the possibility of presenting a Cava orientated dinner. It was an honour to be asked to present such a dinner, albeit a little nerve-racking as the President was to be in attendance on the night in question!

I was very excited about the prospect – you see it’s the concept that I love, as well as the the protagonists, quality Cava and haute cuisine. I once went to such a dinner twenty-plus years ago, in fact in the UK, where the sparkling wine is question was a lesser one, it’s true – a French fizz, named Shampoo or something like that(!) and enjoying it immensely.

Like my fellow invitees on the night, it was a fascinating to learn that, whilst there can be no better celebratory drink than sparkling wine, celebration is not it’s only raison d’etre. When a balanced, full dinner is served with a well chosen Cava styles, the effect is something of a revelation. I felt it my duty to illustrate this to the full house who arrived in their finery, befitting such a venue!

But what do I mean by ‘the different Cava styles’?. Well, probably most of us buy Cava Brut, and probably the young versions of this classic ‘style’ of fizz. Such a sparkling wine is legally defined as having no more than 12gms of sugar/litre as well as having had a minimum of nine months ‘en rima’ before it is released on to the market.

‘En rima’ means the wine is left with its lees (the dead yeast that was added to the base wine in order to facilitate the second fermentation, that which creates carbon dioxide bubbles) whilst in the inverted bottle. So the different ‘styles’ of Cava are derived from variations on these themes – the amount of permitted grams of sugar and the length of time ‘en rima’. These variations result in Cavas of very different styles – that’s: flavours, aromas, body, depth, complexity and more.

When this is understood, it doesn’t take a degree in the science of food pairing to realise that these differing styles of Cava will therefore suit a variety of different dishes. And that’s exactly what we all enjoyed at Hotel Swiss, just at the end of November.

Revelers, reveling - at the Swiss Hotel, Moraira, where a super 4-course dinner was accompanied solely by different styles of Cava! — Revelers, reveling – at the Swiss Hotel, Moraira, where a super 4-course dinner was accompanied solely by different styles of Cava!

The first of the styles we tasted was a Joven (young) Brut Cava. Made from the three most commonly used traditional grape varieties, Macabeo, Parellada and Xarel.lo, 33+% each. The wine delighted us all with its clean, refreshing acidity and its pairing with the amuse bouches and innovative first course of salad with jamón serrano, pear, lettuce leaves and baked cherry tomatoes plus dressing. A good start, and in fact for several tasters, their favourite of the four different styles we were to taste!

The Cava served with next course, a perfectly cooked and presented fillet of sea bass, upped the ante in terms of depth of flavour, whilst retaining that oh so important freshness, the foundation on which all styles of Cava should be based. The Reserva Cava we tasted here had, had two months longer than the 15 months minimum time spent on its lees (en rima) in order for it to qualify as a Reserva.

For many of us it was clear that we were experiencing a deeper, fuller and more complex sparkling wine with a greater mouthfeel and weight. The 50% Macabeo made it’s presence felt in terms of the required acidity and slight green apple aroma and flavour, whilst the 35% Parellada added elegance and an understated floral and slightly earthy nose. The Xarel.lo in the blend was just enough to ensure a full and long finish. I thought it excellent!

Having experienced a meat course served with a Gran Reserva Cava when in Cataluña, coincidentally on the opening day of the 2014 Cava harvest, I knew that such a style of Cava, in this case a Brut Nature, the driest possible style of sparkling wine with a maximum of only 3grams of sugar per litre, would manage the challenge set before it. This Cava took part in an elegant dance of flavours, body and richness, served as it was with Magret de Canard.

A Gran Reserva Cava has to have had a minimum of 36 months en rima – this weighty and yet noticeably elegant, full-flavoured and enticingly perfumed venerable Cava has enjoyed, rather regally in my view, an ageing of 45 months before its release. It’s a wine that, whilst complementing such a flavoursome dish, also needs to be savoured on its own. A wonderful Cava!

I’d like to acknowledge here the advice that my UK based colleague; Fiona Beckett of www.matchingfoodandwine.com, gave me regarding the final pairing – dessert with a Brut Rosado Cava. A number of ideas were circulating my small brain but it was Fiona’s recommendation that we paired this wine with a cheesecake that focussed myself and the Head Chef of the Swiss Hotel.

Made with Trepat, Monastrell and Garnacha (all black grape varieties, of course) and having had a full 15 months en rima, this Cava has balanced freshness, fruit aromas and flavours as well as depth. Red cherries, raspberries and redcurrant, with a passing nod to pomegranate seeds, abound, complementing rather nicely the black forest fruits of the cheesecake. Lovely and pretty too!

And the prevalence of all the cavas we tasted on this rather special evening – well it’s actually a secret, that hasn’t been revealed to me either! The Consejo Regulador has generic examples of all the different styles of Cava (we’ve considered just four in this article – there are more) made specifically for them as a backbone to their promotional activities all over the world. Therefore advertising that which Cava generally can provide, rather than that which specific bodegas make.

So, now that you hopefully have a better understanding of Cava and all its possibilities you can seek out bodegas making the many styles of Cava whose wines suit you personally. And let’s face it – such research isn’t exactly a hardship! Enjoy!

Oh - and you'll need these! — Oh – and you’ll need these!

Contact Colin: colin@colinharknessonwine.com & through his website www.colinharknessonwine.com as well as via Twitter @colinonwine .

Give Us This Day Our Daily Wine

GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY WINE!

*GUÍA DEL VINO COTIDIANO Los Mejores Vinos Por Menos de 10€

Over the years I’ve been chastised several times by readers who are frustrated that, having read about a certain wine, they’d like to know how much it costs, and I haven’t given this information in my article. I understand, but the fact is that I am usually generously sent the wines directly from the bodegas, gratis (told you this wine stuff is tough!) and therefore, I don’t know the prices.

When I am informed about the prices I do try and include them, to everybody’s advantage – but I admit that this isn’t as often as readers might like. Well fear not, even if you don’t speak Spanish so well, the *‘Guide to Daily Wine, The Best Wines for Under 10€’, is the ideal answer!

There are a number of Spanish Wine Guides – I often refer to the most famous and certainly the most comprehensive, The Peñin Guide; as well as to the excellent Guía Proensa. The former no longer lists the prices of the 10,000+ wines included in the guide; and whilst the latter does, this is a guide to ‘Los Mejores Vinos de España’, ‘The Best Wines of Spain’, and therefore might be considered by many as somewhat exclusive.

It depends what you are after – and let’s face it, the continuing poor economic outlook for many translates to us having to be careful re how much money we spend on wine. This guide, written under the auspices of MiVino/Vinum (available from www.mivino.es) concentrates solely on those Spanish wines that retail at under 10€ per bottle, which is probably the figure that most of us are prepared to spend for, as it says on the tin, our daily wines.

If you are like me (Heaven help you, if so!) you perhaps enjoy a glass (or more) of wine on most nights. Well, as we all know, this can add up to a significant monthly outgoing, so any guide that suggests wines under 10€/btl and includes a write-up has to be useful.

All of the contributing Denominaciónes de Origen (it seems not all of the DOs of Spain are represented, though most are) are listed on the opening pages along with a very useful explanation of the Gastronomic Symbols placed next to the wines (such as: recommended with olives, smoked meats, etc) and the marking system, and how this relates to other marking systems. Also, and this is particularly pertinent, a quick and easy to understand symbol that tells you that the wine is, for example under 4€, and so on.

Plus, if you are looking for a wine from this group, perhaps for a special occasion, there is a section for easy reference that lists the top wines (those which earn over 8 points out of 10).

I’ve read every page of the book and was delighted to confirm that, contrary to what some critics believe (that is that I personally live exclusively in the rarefied atmosphere of the very expensive wines) many of the wines included in this guide are well known to me.

But where to start, re some recommendations to Cork Talk readers? Well, firstly I highly recommend this guide, ‘GUÍA DEL VINO COTIDIANO Los Mejores Vinos Por Menos de 10€’ as a perfect Christmas Present for the wine buyer in your house! You’ll find that you are obtaining far more out of your wine choices whilst simultaneously saving money as your decisions will be better informed and you won’t have wasted money on a wine that in fact is not to your taste.

It is true that the wine descriptions are written in Spanish – so initially, this may be a hindrance for some, but look at this way – it’s an ideal opportunity to polish your Spanish, at least that which is related to Wine! So another advantage of the guide!

Considering firstly, the wines that attract the ‘hasta 4€’ (up to 4€) symbol – amongst those listed, I can recommend:

The Homenaje, white, rosado and red from DO Navarra – are consistently good quality, punching above their weight in terms of aroma and flavour delivery. Borsao from DO Campo de Borja have other wines in the higher brackets in this guide (so don’t forget them when considering those wines that retail at 4€ – 7€ and those from 7€ – 10€) but their Tinto Seleción 2013 is a good buy at under 4€. The Estola range from DO La Mancha has several entries at this level and I know that many readers will be well aware of this range, but look also for Torre de Gazete, from this DO – amongst others.

From DO Jumilla there are entries here from the Casa de la Ermita bodega which I’ve visited on a number of occasions. Of the more famous areas, DO Ribera del Duero has one entry with a few also from La Rioja. Plus there are lots more in the guide.

If we up the ante and go to the next bracket, the 4€ – 7€ range you won’t be spoilt for choice, from almost all the DOs represented as there is a plethora of red, white and rosado, as well as Cava and Sherry. This includes the amazingly popular Verdejo ( and blends) plus Sauvignon wines from DO Rueda – Cuatro Rayes, Bornos, Mantel for example, all of which I’ve tasetd and enjoyed, plus many more. You’ll find a lot of Ribera del Duero wines in this bracket and I’m often being told that readers are currently, generally, buying more Ribera del Duero wines than they are Rioja, though Spain’s oldest and most famous producing area is also very well represented in this bracket.

In the top bracket, where many, but certainly not all of those in the ‘Cuadro de Honor’, the best wines of the guide, are listed, you’ll find a host of wines which really do deserve your attention.

And this is another of the advantages of the ‘Vino Cotidiano’ Guide – it gives you an instant recommendation, as well as price guide, of wines that you may see on the wine shop and supermarket shelves which you don’t know and from areas of which you perhaps have not even heard. So, you can start to take of those blinkers and experiment in your wine buying, without it being a gamble anymore!

And don’t forget – if, whilst contemplating a purchase, you are also wondering with what food you should drink the wine, well that’s covered in the guide too! Happy *Christmas!

*Which reminds me, if you are looking to start celebrations a week before the big day, and are based near enough to Moraira, you may like to attend a tasty Gourmet Tapas/Spanish Wine Pairing event on the 18^th December at The Venue Bar/Restaurant where I’ll be presenting wines of the above calibre to match some super tapas. There are some seats left, please contact me: colin@colinharknessonwine.com or by phone 629 388 159.

Christmas Stocking Fillers – 2014!

CHRISTMAS APPROACHES!

Each year at about this time (it’s mid-November as I write) I like to suggest some possible wine related presents that you might consider giving a wine enthusiast for Christmas.

CAVA FOR BEGINNERS!

A super introduction to Cava - an ideal stocking filler! — A super introduction to Cava – an ideal stocking filler!

A new, short, beautifully presented hardback book targeting those who love Cava but who don’t really know so much about it, is, I think, a perfect Christmas present. Whilst it’s pleasant enough to blindly continue drinking Cava, one will derive so much more from the glass of fizz in your hand, if you know a little more about it.

Written by my Swedish colleague and fellow Cava enthusiast, Anna Wallner, ‘CAVA: SPARKLING HAPPINESS’, published by Grenadine, gives the reader a short, informative, easy-reading introduction to the one of the loves of her life. The first page of the text, which follows some evocative opening photos, is entitled, ‘Bubbles Make You Happy’, and ends simply in, ‘Cheers!’ It’s wholly indicative of Anna’s viewpoint – Cava is often used for Celebrations, and this book is a celebration of Cava!

However, that’s not all, of course. Like myself, Anna does not subscribe to the school of thought that firmly places Cava (and other sparkling wines) in the ‘nice, but frivolous and inconsequential’, category. Whilst it’s true that there is no better drink for celebrating: birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, exam success – well, everything, really; there is also far more depth to this very special drink.

Anna tells a little of the history of Cava, revealing some interesting facts. She discusses the geography of the DO Cava, the climate, soils, grape varieties and of course, the method by which Spain’s answer to Champagne is made. It’s fascinating and all written in a very reader-friendly style – in fact, most charmingly, given her passion for the subject and the occasional grammatical/syntactical error that can be expected from one for whom English is a second language!

I’m sure also, that many of use Cava as a wonderful aperitif – it’s thus employed almost exclusively in our house (though Sherry also has a significant input here!). But Anna takes the concept of pairing food with Cava further still. If it’s true that Cava matches brilliantly with all manner of amuse bouche, tapas, hors d’oeuvre etc, it doesn’t take a quantum leap in cerebral activity to extrapolate the idea and consider pairings for starters, main courses and desserts.

I literally read it from the front cover to the end, in one fell swoop, with glass of Cava in hand!

‘Cava Sparkling Happiness’ is available from www.amazon.co.uk – search Cava: Sparkling Happiness.

WINE ACCESSORIES – FROM WWW.BARAMIGOS.CO.UK

I’m a great believer in Homeopathic Medicine – when it works! Unfortunately, for me at any rate, it doesn’t often do what it says on the tin!

I feel similarly about wine accessories – the often small accoutrements that make, or are supposed to make, our enjoyment of wine that much better (but not always small, consider, if you will, the large wonderfully designed wine decanters available nowadays).

Over the years I’ve tried a plethora of: corkscrews, bottle stoppers, aerators, bottle pourers, decanter cleaning tools etc and I’ve had mixed results. It seems that not all producers get it right for all their products. So I’m delighted to let you know about one new company, trading as www.baramigos.co.uk, all of whose merchandise actually works!

Seems to me that all of their products (albeit, at the moment, a list in progress) will make excellent ‘stocking presents’ for the people in your life who love wine and want to be able to taste it when it’s at its best.

I’ve been extremely lucky recently to have been tasted many Spanish Sparkling Wines, and indeed the French imitation – Champagne! I’m working on some articles for Cork Talk as well as for the glossy, UK based, magazine, Glass of Bubbly (www.glassofbubbly.com) and in the course of my research I have to have several bottles of fizz on the go (I know, it’s tough!). Part of my research is to see how the wine develops over a short period and to do this, one has to have a reliable Sparkling Wine Bottle Stopper. It has to work!

Well I’m very impressed with the Bar Amigos Sparkling Wine Stoppers, which, as with their still wine stoppers, also come in a range of colours. After 24hrs and 48hrs the stopper came off the bottle with a pleasing ‘pop’ and the fizz inside was as active as when I’d first pulled the actual cork. It works!

The still wine bottle stopper also works a treat. Wine bottles I’ve closed with this small, user-friendly pump action device have kept the wine fresh for days when housed in the fridge, which is excellent for those of us who want a glass of wine on occasion, but don’t want to empty the bottle. It’s also very useful, for example, if you’d like a glass of rosado with your aperitif, a glass of white with your starter and a glass of red with your main course – allowing you to do the same the next night and the following night+!

Perhaps most impressive was the wholly beneficial effect that the Bar Amigos new generation Wine Aerator had on a four year old wine that I brought out of my ‘cellar’ and opened immediately. A simple test where we tasted a wine when poured straight into the glass, against the same wine poured through the aerator, was – well, astonishing, is about the beast word I can use! Immediately accessible, aromatic with full, balanced fruit delivery. Top marks.

An excellent innovation - your fine wine ready to drink on opening! — An excellent innovation – your fine wine ready to drink on opening!

Finally, though there are more products that I’ve yet to test, simple though it may sound, they also make a very effective decanter washing brush, and wine glass washing brushes, designed in different shapes for different styles of glasses. They work, too! Bar Amigos products are available www.amazon.co.uk and www.amazon.es

PS You may also be interested in a New Year present to yourself(ves) – I’m taking a group March 23^rd – March 27^th 2015 for a fantastic 5-day wine and culture coach trip to beautiful Segovia and Toro. Boutique hotels; two bodega visits, tours and lunches; cultural visits; and lots more! I have just 8 places left. Please contact me colin@colinharknessonwine.com or call me 629 388 159 for more details

Cava Dinner, Hotel Swiss, Moraira

Hola Colin,

I’d like to write a long paragraph about the Cava Dinner on Friday but I can only say – ‘great evening, great food, and great Cava with great explanations of all the Cava’s presented.

It’s the first event we have attended with Tin Lizzy Tours and we were both very impressed. So thank you and we certainly look forward to more of them.

All in all Just great!

Regards

Brian and Lynn Clark