Colin – Page 65 – Colin Harkness on Wine

Two very special events coming up!

Below, firstly, we have the details of a truly excellent three day, two night, Short Break in Yecla, Murcia, SE Spain – essentially we are talking sheer luxury here! Please read on!

Secondly, details of an imminent (that’s 9th Feb!) dinner with paired wine and wonderful music – where we have just 4 places available, to fill the excellent Restaurante Dgust, Moraira, Alicante.

I’d like to also confirm that the price of the Short Break in Yecla, whilst it may sound a little steep initially, does represent excellent value for money and includes, well everything!:

All travel
High quality lunch*, dinner, bed and breakfast for each of the three days (except breakfast on the first day, of course)
Two nights in luxury accommodation
The cost of the tour and tasting at each of the four bodegas visited
Plus the fun, prize draw and prize quiz on the return journey!

*To give you an example, the lunch and tour at Barahonda (take a look at their restaurant!) is 38€!

By all means visit the websites of the hotel http://casaboquera.es/ and the bodegas:

http://barahonda.com/en/ http://www.bodegascastano.com/en/ http://www.bodegaslapurisima.com/en/

Where you’ll be able to see the quality of the accommodation, their wines and restaurants and probably the usual cost of a tour and tasting (ours is discounted and will have more wines to taste than is usual!).

I’m delighted to announce a fantastic Short Break for those who love fine wine, excellent cuisine and boutique hotel luxury! Weds. May 3rd – Fri. 5th May 2017 I will be taking a small group, 20 maximum, to the brand new luxury boutique hotel Casa Boquera, Yecla, where the resident chef is Michelin Starred and the ambiance is that of a Country House – in a vineyard!

Dinner Bed and Breakfast will be Hotel Casa Boquera. There is a private garden with swimming pool and beautiful views across the surrounding vineyards. Time to enjoy the rooms, garden and surroundings is built into the programme.

We will tour, taste and lunch at: Bodegas Casa Boquera; Bodegas Barahonda; Bodegas Castaño. Plus we will tour and taste at Bodegas La Purísima – the four leading wineries of this, one of the best and most pro-active DOs in Spain.

My friends at all of these bodegas, and indeed the hotel, have kindly offered my group generous discounts – thus we will all benefit from unique prices that will not be repeated!

The basic price of this Short Break is 395€.

Casa Boquera has three different categories of room, though all are luxurious. The differences are essentially the size of the room and terrace, and the view (except for the one Gran Suite room, please see below). The price above includes the Reserva Category, of which there are 4 rooms only.

The Gran Reserva Category has 5 rooms available, for this room there will be a supplementary cost per person of 30€.

There is also one only Grand Suite available which boasts: the top, private floor; a suite; and a jacuzzi! For this rather spectacular room there is a supplement of 55€ per person.

Needless to say we will also have ample time to buy wines to bring home with us at each of the bodegas visited – I’m sure I’ll also be able to arrange a discount or two on these wines, which will be as inexpensive as you can buy anyway, as they are direct from the bodega!

With limited numbers and with different categories of rooms I’ll have to take reservations on a first come, first served basis – I’m sure you understand!

Whilst initial reservation will be by e-mail, or please call me on 629 388 159, I will also need to collect a deposit, as soon as possible.

Please Note:

1. Unfortunately the option of single occupancy will not be available for this Short Break.

2. Rooms can be large double beds or two single beds.

3. It may be possible for three to share a double room (an extra single bed would be provided) – there would be a supplement payable of 30€/per night for this.

4. Insurance is not included, you are recommended to make your own insurance arrangements.

Finally, for now at least – you may be interested to know that Katherine, joint owner of Casa Boquera, will be my guest on the Fine Wine & Gourmet Dine Programme, Total FM 91.8 & online www.totalfm.es, on Sunday 26th February, from 18:00 – 20:00 hrs, when we’ll be chatting about the project and tasting some wines! Any questions during the programme – please text me on 629 388 159.

So – over to you! Please contact me as soon as possible to reserve, stating your room category preference, and your phone numbers. If your room preference is already subscribed, I will add you to the list, subject to your willingness to change, in order to retain your place. I will then reply to advise and ask if you’re willing to change.

Thanks for your time – I can’t wait for this Short Break and I hope you can join me!

2. On Thursday 9th Feb Claire and I are presenting a wonderful evening of Classical Music, Pop Opera and Flute Favourites, with an excellent four-course dinner, each course being paired with a different wine – we have Cava, White Wine; Red Wine and a scrumptious very unusual Dessert Wine. If you’ve been to Restaurante Dgust, you’ll know the excellent standard of this leading Moraira restaurant – if you haven’t been, well you are in for a treat!

Owing to cancellations we have four places left for this splendid gala night – the cost for this event is just 39€!

Also whilst there, you will be the first to hear of the next such night in March, and therefore have the option to reserve there and then, as places will again been limited.

Sorry this has been a bit of a read – but I think it’s worth the effort!

If any of the above is of interest to you, please let me know asap – you can reply by e-mail, or please call me on (00 34) 629 388 159.

Short Break – Yecla Like You’ve Never Done It Before!

I’m delighted to announce a fantastic Short Break for those who love fine wine, excellent cuisine and boutique hotel luxury . . . . .

My friends at all of these bodegas, and indeed the hotel, have kindly offered my group generous discounts – thus we will all benefit from unique prices that will not be repeated!

The basic price of this Short Break is 395€.

The Gran Reserva Category has 5 rooms available, for this room there will be a supplementary cost per person of 30€.

There is also one only Grand Suite available which boasts: the top, private floor; a suite; and a jacuzzi! For this rather spectacular room there is a supplement of 55€ per person.

With limited numbers and with different categories of rooms I’ll have to take reservations on a first come, first served basis – I’m sure you understand!

Whilst initial reservation will be by e-mail, or please call me on 629 388 159, I will also need to collect a deposit, as soon as possible.

Please Note:

4. Insurance is not included, you are recommended to make your own insurance arrangements.

Thanks for your time – I can’t wait for this Short Break and I hope you can join me!

Saludos,

Colin

The Appeal of Dessert Wines

The trouble with Dessert Wines is that, by definition (arguably), they arrive late for the party . . .

PRAISING PUD WINES

The trouble with Dessert Wines is that, by definition (arguably), they arrive late for the party. During the recently past Christmas celebrations we’ve all been enjoying dinners with several courses – lunches too! Also, when home entertaining at other times of the year, it’s the dessert wine that has to negotiate the wake of the others that arrived before. Usually, during these days of strict (rightly so) drink driving laws, it is the pud wine that is forsaken.

Of course, we could, as the fridge magnate directs, ‘Eat dessert first, life is short!’ This would solve the dessert wine problem. However, although there are some of us who do like an aperitif with a little sweetness – think Dubonnet, and Martini from days of yore – I would say that probably more of us follow a drier aperitif tradition.

At such grand repasts we often begin with a pre-starter starter, charmingly termed ‘amuse-bouches, and I’d suggest that it’s not too much of a quantum leap to state that these light-bites are often served with a Sparkling Wine. Incidentaly, in the UK, from where I’m writing this article at the moment, these bubbles are almost invariably of Italian origin – Prosecco, of course. So, at the head of the queue of the wines that dessert wines have to follow is the fizz – and with sparklers, we rarely stick with just one glass!

Then the next course, the starter proper. Well, as likely as not, the more so if we are being ‘traditional’ we’ll have a white wine lined up. Therefore, another behind which the dessert wine will have to follow. And it gets worse for our sweet friend. Given that these days in Spain the standard of white wine is so good and indeed there are so many from which to choose, it’s a definite possibility that there will be two whites to sample!

The main course comes next. If it’s fish, well we’ll probably stick with white, so more of the same wines sampled with the starter, or why not a different one? Meat courses will almost certainly demand a red wine (remember, we are being traditional here). As we all know, Spanish reds have such a long and successful history that our dinner host will certainly have had considerable difficulty choosing just one. Ergo, at least two more before the dessert wine!

Now, throw into the equation the likely fact that diners are probably fully sated (i.e. full and sloshed?!) by now, there will be several who simply will not be able to manage a dessert! Which means of course that the dessert wine will be similarly spurned. So, it would seem that pud wines, these days, are on a hiding to nothing!

Well, not so fast. I think it’s true that many of us, no matter how full we are, still enjoy a little (being the operative word) sweet taste at the end of a fine dinner to satisfy our sweet teeth. Enter, the Copper Pot Fudge Kitchen, hand in hand with pairing dessert wines!

Over Christmas I was as delighted to taste several samples of these delicious fudges, as I was charmed to meet their creator, Catrin, the hardworking young owner of this innovative nascent business. The answer to our desire to have something sweet with which to finish dinner was there, gift wrapped in environmentally friendly recycled papers and boxes. I just needed to get my head around finding dessert wines that would partner such exotic flavours as: Lemon Cheesecake fudge; Gingerbread Fudge; Pecan Praline; Christmas Pudding Fudge; and the best selling Salted Milk Chocolate Fudge – et al (see https://www.facebook.com/copperpotfudge/?fref=ts) !

Well, here are my suggestions: Lemon Cheesecake Fudge with Bronx Dessert Wine from Bodegas Pago de Tharsys; Pecan Praline Fudge with Oloroso Sherry (one of the sweetened versions rather than the naturally dry style prevalent in Spain); Salted Milk Chocolate Fudge (a flavour that is all the rage in the UK right now) with Bodegas Castaño Monastrell Dulce; Christmas Pudding Fudge with PX Sherry (the probably perfect pairing); Gingerbread Fudge (off piste here, as it’s not a dessert wine, but has a super ginger twist on entry as well as on the finish) Bodegas Casa Sicilia Albariño/Sauvignon/Macabeo.

Having left university with a very good English Literature degree, Catrin embarked on this, now burgeoning, totally unrelated fudge business – well you would wouldn’t you?! It’s always a been a passionate hobby for her and she has previous in that she’s been making fudge as Christmas presents for years. When offered the opportunity to trial her wares in her friend’s Welsh village craft shop she jumped at the chance – and the customers jumped at the fudges!

As far as is possible Catrin uses local produce – Welsh Butter, Anglesey Sea Salt, Welsh Whisky (would love to try that fudge, and it wouldn’t be wine to pair!) etc. She’s been mad busy with orders for Christmas, which has given her the confidence to consider expansion plans. There will soon be an online buying facility and, of course, she is always thinking of different flavours including at least two new ones each holiday season, as well as also drawing from her post-univertsity travelling. Possibilities here include such exotic tastes as: cardamom and white chocolate; mango; and chai spice.

So, I’ll be putting on my thinking cap again, each time I hear of a new flavour, to try and find a Spanish Dessert wine to partner them. I love my job!

A Happy New Year to all readers – knowing I have a supportive audience really is most appreciated. Thank you!

PS The next Fine Wine & Gourmet Dine Programme on Total FM 91.8 & online www.totalfm.es is this Sunday 29^th January from 18:00 – 20:00 hrs (Spanish Time). As it’s just after Chinese New Year the theme of the programme is Chinese Cuisine Paired with Spanish Wine! My two guests and will be tasting live on-air some Chinese Dishes accompanied by classic pairing wines, but made in Spain! This has to be worth a listen!

Also please note: I am taking bookings now for a splendid evening with a gourmet dinner, paired with fine wines and classical & contemporary music (performed by www.clairemarie.es) at Moraira’s excellent Restaurante Dgust! It’s on Thursday February 9^th and the cost is only 39€ – you can reserve by e-mailing colin@colinharknessonwine.com or by calling me on 629 388 159. Places are limited to just 30, so please contact me asap!

The Costa News Top Ten Wines of 2016

THE TEN BEST SPANISH WINES TASTED IN 2016

Always a difficult article, this, the more so as time goes on and the quality of Spanish wine continues to increase.

THE COSTA NEWS TOP TEN!

THE TEN BEST SPANISH WINES TASTED IN 2016

Always a difficult article, this, the more so as time goes on and the quality of Spanish wine continues to increase. I’m not sure how many Spanish wines I taste each year as research for Cork Talk, but it’s a large number for sure. So, choosing just 10 out of hundreds is difficult, to say the least.

I’m always ambivalent about this article. On the one hand it’s really enjoyable to relive some of those aromas and flavours, as well as occasions – because the why, when and where is also a part of wine appreciation, when I pore though my archived articles. However, I also agonize about those wines that I’ve had to discard, although they too were excellent, as I’m only allowed to choose ten!

It’s tough, but here goes! As with all the beauty pageants (for these wines can surely be called beautiful), tradition states that I do this in reverse order – so in tenth position in the Costa News Top Ten Spanish Wines of the Year is:

Bodegas Atlan and Artisan 8 Vents is made on the island of Mallorca and it really does speak of the 8 salt laden winds that this Balearic island stoically faces through the year. On the nose there are notes of harbour ropes freshly drenched by invigorating cool waves blending so well with the dark blackberry and blackcurrant fruit that soars to the surface of the wine in the glass, as well as a whiff of deck-sealing tar! It’s made with Merlot and Cabernet, which readers will know well, of course, but also in the blend is the Spanish island speciality Manto Negro and the little known Callet.

Clos Cor Ví Versat is an eclectic blend of Riesling, Viognier, Verdil and Moscatel which works like a dream, it is a really lovely nuanced dry white wine. There’s a minerality which must come from the plot in which the Riesling is grown; a superb apricot/peach fruitiness from Viognier; some body and citrus from the often shy Verdil; and a slightly exotic aroma emanating from the old Moscatel vines which really have made their home in this part of Spain.

Bodegas Hispano Suizas Impromtu Rosé is the best rosado I’ve tasted this year and, believe me, I’ve tasted a lot of rosado wine in 2016! Indeed, this choice was one of the most difficult. As I’ve said many times, Spain should be considered the Rosé wine capital of the world – there is such quality and diversity! Impromtu is made with Pinot Noir and fermented in oak – it’s a really super rosé, which is the n ame chosen (not rosado), as there is a definite French spin on this wine!

Bodegas Enrique Mendoza Estrecho is a wonderful example of monovarietal Monastrell! A torch bearer for DOP Alicante this exemplary wine is made from 100% Monastrell 70+ years old vines, with 15 months in french oak following fermentation. Wholly approachable now, and developing even as I write. Dark plum fruit, perhaps damsons, a faint glimpse of dark chocolate liqueur on the finish. Gloriously fruity with a good length.

Clos Cor Ví Riesling is the best Spanish Riesling I’ve tasted. Made, almost unbelievably on the high plateau around the village of Moixent, in the Valencia Community! Riesling’s natural home is Alsace and Germany where, claro, the weather is rather different from Valencia! Quite how the Clos Cor Ví winemaker achieves this in the Moixent area, is his/her very successful secret. Minerality, a touch of lime, subtlety and yet graceful power!

Bodegas Hispano Suizas Bassus Dessert Wine is, I think the highest placed dessert wine ever in the Costa News Top Ten, and deservedly so – it’s a beauty! Provencal rosé in colour, Bassus is made with the two black grape varieties, Bobal and Pinot Noir whose skins are left with the juice for only a short time. The former is indigenous to the Valencia area, and of course Pinot Noir is the basis of the great wines of Burgundy. So, one might ask, how do they grow such good Pinot in Utiel-Requena?

Bodega Lavia Lavia+ Paso Malo 2012 was one of the Gold Medal winning wines that I enjoyed when judging the annual DO Bullas Wine Competition, back in March. A single vineyard organic wine made from 100% old vine Monastrell. Fermented, and subsequently aged for 18 months, in 500 litre French oak barrels. You’ll find wild herbs, some earthiness and lots of rich fruit, clearly harvested at the optimum time. The finish is subtle and lengthy, forcing you to reach again for the bottle!

Bodegas Rompesedas Finca Las Parvas from DO Toro – It’s enjoyed 22 months in French oak following its fermentation in new French 500 litre barrels. The barrel fermentation here seems to have benefited the texture of the wine as well as adding an extra level of flavour and complexity. There’s a noticeable earthy minerality with almost ephemeral whiffs of bay leaf and thyme. More blackberry than black cherry it’s juicy fruity, mellow but with attitude and has a long finish!
Bodegas Castaño Casa Cisca – at about 35€/bottle, Casa Cisca sells out every year, with many cases going to the USA. It’s not flattery at all to say that this wine is one of my favourite Spanish red wines – excellent quality! From the oldest vineyards, over 60 yrs of age, only the best small bunches are selected for this iconic wine. It’s aged in oak for 16 months but, judicially, so as to enhance the depth, the richness, the fragrance, the complexity and the flavour, without at all diminishing the glorious fruit. The epitome of top quality Monastrell wines!

Bodegas Atlan and Artisan Epistem No. 2 – sorry, this is an expensive wine, but it’s wonderful and rightly takes the crown for this year, as the best Spanish Wine I’ve tasted! It received 93 Parker Points though I’d place it at least as 95! I tasted this wine completely blind, in terms of varieties and price and was knocked out by its quality. My guess that I was drinking a wine at around the 50€ a bottle mark was woefully out – this wine retails at 95€! It’s a structured, distinctive and complex wine, made with Garnacha Tintorera and Syrah whose organic vineyards are located at 700m above sea level, resting on limestone slabs where there is very little nutrient for the roots, which have to dig deep between the rocks for succor.

There is minerality along with perfect fruit, damson and blackberry, with a little black cherry too. A disturbed forest floor of fallen leaves complements the fruit-driven long finish as the taster savours the hedonistic pleasure that really fine wine brings! Ok, its price tag makes it a special occasion wine for most of us, but, what an occasion. NB the Epistem No.5, priced at just 85€, sold out! The No.2 will as well, I’m sure!

Try any of these wines and you are sure to have a Merry Christmas!

NB Next Fine Wine & Gourmet Dine Programme on Total FM 91.8 & online www.totalfm.es Sunday 18^th December, the last of the year, when it will be Christmas Party Wine/Dine Time! From 18:00 – 20:00 (Spanish Time)!