Category: Articles

First Published Costa News Group, Jan 2013

WE’VE NEVER HAD IT SO GOOD!

WINE-WISE, WE’RE BETTER OFF HERE THAN IN THE UK!

Our recent sojourn in the UK was great! We love to see family and old friends and of course we are always trying the wines that are commonly available in the land of our birth!

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – I believe the UK is the best country in the world to buy wine! The variety of styles and the exhaustive choice really are second to none. All the wine producing countries of the world sell their wares in the UK, plus of course, the English and Welsh also make wine themselves! It’s an Aladin’s Cave of a country!

There’s also the advantage of the UK being the country which boasts the greatest number of Masters of Wine (many of whom act as consultants for the wine buying retail outlets of Britain) as well as the large number of wine articles and Radio and TV programmes that are available. This again leads me to an oft repeated comment of mine that the British public are probably the best informed wine consumers in the world!

A fact that is far too slowly becoming recognised by Spanish wine retailers and restaurateurs whose very gradually slackening head-in-the-sand attitude has been a source of considerable frustration for this particular commentator over the sixteen years I’ve been banging my head against their brick walls of incredulous denial!

Fortunately, forward thinking bodegas (whose numbers have swelled dramatically over the last ten years) and at last some Spanish wine retailers (witness my final paragraph here, for example) have acknowledged that the British Euro (Euros spent in Spain by British residents and second home owners) makes a significant and positive contribution to their balance sheets, and are now actively targeting (in the nicest possible way!) UK ex-Pats with their promotional campaigns etc.

From this point of view things are improving in Spain, though there’s still a lot to catch up on when comparing this aspect of the wine trade to that in the UK. However where Spain fares far better than the UK is, judging by my latest visit, in the quality, the sheer pleasure of the taste and aromas of so many of the wines on sale for the prices being charged!

You will surely have noticed when last in Britain that the major supermarkets have a very broad selection of different wines, but when one considers their quality, the choice dramatically narrows. The more so when considering the price point and the large number of discounted wines.

When in UK supermarkets we are assailed by offers of wines, normally (we are led to believe!) in the, say, 6 – 8 pounds price bracket. These are offered at the ‘bargain’ price of about  5 – 7 pounds, corresponding to a discount of approximately 20% off their ‘normal’ price. The wines fly off the shelves and it seems almost everyone drinks them.

But are they happy with them? Well, given that price has to be king for most of us in these hard economic times, I’m sure that most people in the UK are either quite happy, or convince themselves to be so! However, considering that a wine that is discounted(!) to five pounds actually means that people are paying approximately 6·15€, we can taste the fact that they are really being ripped off!

For just over six Euros I can think of very many Spanish wines readily available here that will knock the socks off wines currently being sold in the UK in this price bracket! In Spain we lucky to be able to enjoy far richer, fruit driven and aromatic wines for that sort of figure, and if you trade up a couple of Euros, the difference is even more pronounced when compared, for example with the ‘special offer’ wines if they were sold at their ‘normal’ price!

Consider also that the duty on wine in the UK is approximately 1·5 pounds. Add that to the cost of transport from the country of origin (it’s a helluva way from Chile!); the cost of the bottle, cork/synthetic closure/screwcap, labels and foil, subtract this figure from the purchase price and see how much you are left with!

This paltry sum is of course the real value of the wine – no wonder so many of these ‘bargain’ wines are thin, insipid and wholly undistinguished.

But not all of them! I enjoyed several of the various different New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs I tasted; one of the Pinot Grigios, from South Africa, I think; and an excellent, remarkably inexpensive generic white Burgundy.

I was mostly disappointed with the reds. Last year I was bemoaning the glut of over-rich (to the point of being ‘sickly’!), powerful Chilean reds – how I missed them this year! There were very few, with Argentina and South Africa having much more shelf space this year, though the Maipo Chilean Merlot was good.

One Côtes du Rhône (chosen because of the IWSC medal sticker on the bottle – a sure mark of quality) was very good and I did very much enjoy one or two excellent Champagnes.

Over all though I’m so grateful to Señor Daniel Castaño of Bodegas Castaño, DO Yecla, who sent a case to our address in England – I guess he’s been to the UK recently and was worried that I wouldn’t be enjoying the wine available there!

First Published in Costa News Group, December 2012

THE COSTA NEWS TOP TEN

CORK TALK’S TEN BEST SPANISH WINES OF 2012

Since its inception ten years ago, following a reader’s suggestion, the Costa News’ Top Ten Spanish Wines of the Year has grown considerably in stature. A growth commensurate, I believe, with a similarly dramatic increase in the quality of wines made here in Spain over the same period.

I’m not suggesting that wine making bodega owners the length and breadth of the Iberian peninsular are sitting on the edge of their seats awaiting the following list of winners, but as is always the case, I know there is considerable interest in which bodegas have earned a coveted place on the podium.

As is always the case, there are several wines that could have made the list, had they been given just one more mark, or with some wines, just half a mark! But the Top Ten has to be just that, Ten only!

No. 1 The Costa News’ Top Wine of 2012 is: Doix 2008 from Bodegas Mas Doix, DO Priorat: Perhaps considered their flagship wine, Doix 2008 is made from low yielding venerable old Garnacha, Cariñena and Merlot vines, the oldest of which can count 105 harvests! French oak has made the wine wonderfully supple, tasty with depth of flavour and complexity.

No.2 = Sharing second place is another wine from the vineyards of North Eastern Spain, which underlines just how good wines from Cataluña can be. The honour here goes to: Dos Dedos Del Frentes, Bodegas El Escocés Volante, DO Calatayud. This unfiltered red wine is a fascinating blend of Syrah which grows so well here in Spain and the wonderful white wine grape variety, Viognier. Unusual bedfellows here in Europe but quite common in New Zealand. The Viognier makes such a significant contribution to the perfume of the wine as well as adding a lightness to the spicy, black pepper and olive, rich dark berried flavour of Syrah. Integrated oak adds to the party and makes for a super-flavoured red wine.

No. 2 = From the same stable, El Escocés Volante, and impossible to separate from the above, El Puño Garnacha displays the subtlety of French Grenache, judicially oaked, with juicy Spanish sunshine-inspired deep and dark fruit this wine is a fine Garnacha example. Herby mineral notes and a long finish, it’s as elegant as a fine French maiden but with machismo strength of flavour.

No. 2 =Blanc d’Enguera, Bodegas Enguera, DO Valencia is the final wine to share second spot. Readers will notice two interesting points about this wine, firstly it’s white and secondly it’s from DO Valencia, the first time that a Valencia wine has figured so highly on the Costa News Top Ten – and a white at that! Following clarification and gentle filtration the wine undergoes a short ageing in lightly toasted French barricas which results in integrated oak with a lovely fragrance. On the nose there are hints of grapefruit and Seville orange peel, with further citrus notes and a fleeting memory of apricot too! The local Verdil variety (70%) is joined by Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier and Chardonnay a certain percentage of which has been fermented in oak.

No. 5  Quinta Sardonia, Bodegas Terres Gauda, VdlT Castilla y León. QS is made with Tinto Fino (aka Tempranillo) and Cabernet Sauvignon; Merlot; Syrah (only 5% but surely impacting significantly on the overall juiciness of the finished product); Petit Verdot; Cabernet Franc (interesting this because, if Mencía shares any characteristics with another variety, it’s Cab. Franc); and finally Malbec! Its colour is a glorious dense and dark cherry, picota, red. On the nose there is an alluring intensity with cassis and mountain herbs to the fore. On the palate you’ll find ripe plums, a touch of black pepper with a hint of black olives too. Sixteen months in French oak have added depth of flavour and complexity.

No. 6  Cullerot, Celler del Roure, DO Valencia. Yes, another white and again from Valencia. This beguiling, aromatic dry white wine has a fragrance similar, in its subtle style, to a perfume. It’s made from an eclectic blend of Macabeo, Verdil, Malvasia, Chardonnay and PX (normally found in Jerez). Fresh in the mouth, there is also a hidden depth of flavour, with a Chardonnay finish wrapped around blanched almonds and citrus flavours with floral notes too!

No. 7  Absis 2005, Bodegas Parés Baltá, DO Penedés. Cataluña again, and this time a red wine from a bodega perhaps more famous for its Cava. Tempranillo with Syrah, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s a wonderfully dark coloured wine, sultry in the glass, with aromas of black cherries and blackcurrant jam (with a whiff of same but with a tiny splash of whisky or brandy in it too!). Complexity, richness, depth, minerality and elegance in equal measure!

No. 8  Finca Caraballas Verdejo 2011, DO Rueda. I’m delighted to include a wine from an area so well liked by readers, DO Rueda. Finca Caraballas’ organic methods include the use of only natural yeasts indigenous to the vineyards. There’s no spraying either, no artificial fertilisation, no chemicals – nothing, just nature. The young 100% Verdejo has a certain singularity, that distinguishes it from others made from the same grape. The wine’s perfume is wonderful, inviting. It has an abundance of deep, fresh, fruit with similarities to subtle gooseberry but with herbs, even basil too. It has vegetal notes, green pepper perhaps and the whole assembly is full and rich with clean acidity and a super-long finish.

No. 9  Blanca Cusiné, Bodegas Parés Baltá, DO Cava. Perhaps the flagship of this bodega is the Micro-cuvée range, wines and cavas made from low yielding old vines grown in vineyards that boast beneficial micro-climates and terroirs. From this range comes Blanca Cusiné 2008 Cava whose Champagne-esque blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir (the Pinot having been fermented in 400 litre French Oak barrels) is expressive on the nose, a touch toasty, and deeply flavoured on the palate with a long finish. It’s had 35 months in bottle following it’s second fermentation and as such is a similar style to a Cava Gran Reserva.

No. 10  Señorio de Nevada Club de Barrica Syrah Selección 2008. A late entry, received early December and selected for the pure pleasure of simply drinking it! It’s the best Syrah I’ve tasted in Spain, thus far. Big ripe fruit flavours of dark cherry, blackberry and damson plus mountain herbs and with some black pepper spice too. A conversation stopper with a long finish from the Sierra Nevada above Granada, in fact some of the highest vineyards in Spain. The consequent dramatic drop in temperature from day to night adds a crucial acidic lick to the wine and enhances aromas too.

Watch out for wine tastings and bodega visits, plus special wine offers through Heat Gold FM 91·1 FM and www.heatgold.fm Listen Live throughout 2013! colin@colinharknessonwine.com and www.colinharknessonwine.com

First Published Costa News Group, December 2012

CLOS d’YVIGNE

PATRICIA ATKINSON’S DIET OF WINE AND LITERATURE!

At a time of pre-Christmas dieting, I couldn’t resist the above title. Although, as far as I know, this Atkinson diet bears no relation to the Atkins Diet that so  many of us have and tried and failed/succeeded! I’d far rather follow Patricia’s diet of erudite prose and silky, alluring French wines, any time!

Hers is an interesting story. To escape the frenetic pace of a fast-lane life in the UK Patricia and husband took the decision to buy a farmhouse in France, near Bergerac, where much of James’ work could be done via the internet with regular visits back to Blighty. The rural idyll they found, which included a almost incidental few hectares of vines, seemed to be perfect and both set to work making a new life for themselves, restoring the accommodation, the wine making facility and discovering a new hobby – wine making.

I’m not the first to comment that their story, told in Patricia’s first book ‘The Ripening Sun’ (published by Arrow Books, www.randomhouse.co.uk) can be likened to Peter Mayle’s ‘A Year in Provence’, albeit a vinous version of the same. However, whilst there are similarities, Patricia’s experiences, I think, surpass those of Peter’s. Patricia Atkinson’s debunking to France was at first a matter of re-location, a combination of working holiday and new lifestyle.

But the debilitating illness that her husband contracted not long after the move, causing him to have to return to the UK, left Patricia with the vineyard as her only means of support. In a matter of one or two growing and harvesting seasons she would have to become expert in a business of which she had no knowledge and no experience and in a language for which her schoolgirl French had hardly equipped her!

The trials, tribulations, disasters and sweet successes which are so poignantly described in the book that the reader feels he/she is living them him/herself. And, of course, you can follow the story by buying the book (and its sequel, ‘La Belle Saison’, which, though I haven’t read it yet, I expect to be similarly entertaining). The only thing missing is being able to taste the wine from Clos d?Yvigne.

So when our great pals, Mary and John, gave me the book, having visited the area on holiday and indeed visited the winery and tasted the wines, I felt I needed to investigate further. An e-mail enquiry resulted in a white and red to taste, plus three different vintages of Clos d’Yvigne’s flagship wine when John and Mary made a subsequent visit.

The vast array of super wines in Spain makes it unnecessary to taste wine from other countries. However, as variety is the spice of life and because it’s so stimulating to compare other countries’ wines with those available here in Spain I was really looking forward to our recent dinner party where the wines were going to be tasted.

And I wasn’t disappointed!

Clos d’Yvigne’s Princesse de Cléves is named after the heroine in Madame de La Fayette’s early 17th Century novel, whose purity is reflected in this quality white wine. Made from a blend of Semillon (a French variety which has quietly been responsible for super white wines for hundreds of years, but perhaps now better known, though inaccurately, to 21st Century wine drinkers as an Australian grape),  Moscatel and Sauvignon, it has a fascinating floral nose (Elderflower and Magnolia) with citrus notes, some green leaved herbs and a depth of flavour too.

It’s a dry, clean and refreshing white wine that has a touch of residual sugar along with a dry, quite long lasting finish. There’s depth and complexity in the wine too, coming in part at least for the short time it has spent in oak. We tasted it with moules (it was a French night after all!) with which it coped admirably, as it would also with fish dishes, with or without sauce, and light meats, particularly chicken and turkey.

There is an established order in which to taste wine, so that the palate remains fresh to take on the new flavours. Of course nothing is written in stone and I’ve had several off piste tastings where the tradition is ignored. However, I felt that sticking with the norm would be best for these wines so we started the reds ‘correctly’, with the youngest wine first.

Le Prince 2009, Appelation Bergerac Contrôlée (as are all Clos d’Yvigne wines; AC being similar to the Spanish DO), is a well-rounded, supple, richly fruited wine which, put simply, is a real pleasure to drink. Merlot and Cabernet Franc from the  estate’s oldest vineyards. It’s a tactile wine, with a velvety smoothness and depth coming from the two years it has spent in oak (French, mais oui!).

It’s mellow with no harsh tannin, but with a pleasing acidity, excellent fruit content and 14º abv all of which auger well for ageing. Look for cherry, mostly dark but with lighter elements too, integrated vanilla, a fleeting and yet persistent aroma of bay leaves and just a touch of peppery spice. We all love it!

A vertical tasting is where different vintages of the same wine are tasted against each other. Quality bodegas/chateaux/wineries always keep back some cases of wine from each year so that they can taste them in future as part of their quality control and of course to see how they evolve over time. It helps enormously in assessing the longevity of a certain wine.

We started our vertical tasting with the 2009 vintage of the chateau’s top wine, Le Rouge et Le Noir. Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon are bedfellows for this wine which has also enjoyed two years in oak barrels. Fruit laden Merlot, red and black cherries, combine perfectly with more brambly, blackcurrant Cabernet Sauvignon.

There’s an earthy, mineral aspect to this wine with maturing tannin and an acidic lick softened by rich fruit (I’m sure 2009 was a good year, the fruit laden Le Prince is from the same vintage) with vanilla and a touch of a new leather upholstered car aromas and just maybe a tweek of cigar box too! Balanced and drinking very well but with time to mature, as indicated by its attributes and the fact that the 2008 is a different animal!

The voluptuous fruit of the 2009 has become more integrated in the earlier 2008 vintage. The wine as a whole retains its richness but is more serious, more subtle, though that’s not to detract from it at all. It’s a wine that is lovely to sip and enjoy with friends but one that will also suit meat dishes – our cassoulet loved it, and vice versa.

The final Clos d’Yvigne wine of the evening was the Le Rouge et Le Noir 2007. At five years of age there’s no sign of this wine becoming tired. It still has good fruit a touch of minerality and some wild mountain herbs on the nose – I find bay leaf again, though I’m  not sure where it’s coming from! Slightly more tannic than the younger versions, this wine is set fair for the dinner table, suiting game and beef dishes for sure and duck, for me, without the influence of a sweet, rich sauce.

In a head to head between the Atkinson and Atkins diet, I know which I’d choose! (Clos d’Yvigne wines are available on-line www.closdyvigne.com, as are both books).

PS If you’re looking for more knowledge about Spanish wines and how to taste them; bodega visits; wine tastings etc – please contact Colin at colin@colinharknessonwine.com and www.colinharknessonwine.com

First Published Costa News Group, December 2012

THE CAVA REFUSENIKS!

WHAT’S IN A NAME?

Since I first heard that no less a name than Raventos i Blanc had become one of the most prestigious of the fraternity of Cava makers to withdraw from the DO, I’ve been contemplating my reaction. Raventos i Blanc is one of several Cava producers who have recently elected to disassociate themselves from the DO Cava, of which they have been members from its inception and indeed for generations.

I’m not wholly decided but broadly speaking I’m in favour of the move – albeit with some reservations, not least of which is the undoubted fact that there is going to be considerable consumer confusion. So this article is an attempt to walk readers through the reasons for the split and the probable outcomes.

Raventos i Blanc took pains to explain that there had been no falling out with DO Cava, no harsh words and no hard feelings on either side. But I don’t buy it! It’s clear that there has been a long period of posturing resulting in a stalemate that finally prompted the abandonment of what they, and other deserters, see as a sinking ship.

It has all come about because of a concern amongst producers of quality Cava that the original good name of the DO and its produce has been besmirched by the veritable tsunami of cheap Cavas that really don’t deserve the name!

It can’t have escaped your notice that every supermarket has been chock-full of Cava during this festive period. Christmas and New Year have passed but the Three Kings celebration is just around the corner so huge sales will no doubt continue. In fact over 50% of all Cava sold in a year in Spain is sold at this time – that’s millions of bottles, literally millions!

Many outlets have offered tempting discounts in an effort to drive sales further, some have slashed them to what surely must be the loss-leader level in the hope that those clutching their bargain Cava will also buy other products whilst in the store. Nothing wrong in that of course – it’s business.

But I’d ask you to consider for a moment how it is possible to slash the price of a bottle of Cava that retails for less than a couple of Euros anyway? But the lowest end of the price scale has also been subject to this discounting and needless to say, sales have rocketed.

It is the belief of the Cava Refuseniks that there has been an equal and opposite reaction in terms of the quality of the Cava at this lower end. Whilst sales have gone viral, quality has plummeted. And it’s not just at Christmas.

There are many Cavas that I honestly wouldn’t touch. I’m not being a Cava Snob and I’m certainly painfully aware of the current and long-running financial disaster that is Spain and the consequent need to tighten belts. But these ridiculously cheap Cavas are nothing like the real McCoy. There are bubbles and that is the limit of the similarity!

These cheap end, tasteless, anorexic Cavas offer the same inviting ‘explosion’ as the pressure inside the bottle pops the cork but it’s an open and shut case of flattery and deception, of breach of promise! However no litigation will follow. The producers have obeyed all the rules – the approved grapes have been grown in the right areas and so on. Thus they have every right to call their produce Cava and sell it at whatever price they like.

The problem that the quality minded producers see, and have no doubt brought up many times in discussions with the Consejo Regulador (Ruling Council) of the DO, is that there is no quality control. If you follow the rules you can call it Cava, no matter what it tastes like, or more accurately in this case, if it actually tastes of nothing! In this, the Denominación de Origen Cava is not alone, there are other Consejo Reguladores who have been similarly apathetic as the good name of a specific area of production has been gradually eroded by a river of second and third rate wine.

The rebel band of ex-Cava producers won’t be able to call their Cava having withdrawn, Cava interruptous style, from the DO before it’s too late, and further damage is done to their good name! So they’ll simply call it Spanish Sparkling Wine, or more likely in Spanish, Vino Espumoso.

But this will lead to further confusion – there is already Vino Espumoso in Spain. Several areas (watch this space soon!) have made sparkling wine for years, using the traditional method (aka the Champagne Method, though one isn’t allowed to put that on a label!), but with different grape varieties than those officially approved by DO Cava and of course in areas different than those where Cava can be made.

Some Cava makers, and consumers too, have poured scorn on these wines calling them ‘wannabe’ Cavas, dismissing them as cheap, uninspiring copies. But hold on – there will soon be Raventos i Blanc (et al) Spanish Sparkling Wine, and as they’ll be made by such well respected producers it will be impossible to laugh them off!

My guess is also that there will be an increased interest in Vinos Espumosos, Spanish Sparkling Wine, which as yet doesn’t have the same cache as Cava, but probably soon will have. This will be excellent news for the current Espumoso producers, albeit ironic, and perhaps to their collective chagrin, considering that after years in the shadow of Cava it will be Cava makers who will be responsible for shining the spotlight on their produce!

What does it all mean for you and me though? Well, there will still be top class, Champagne-equalling, and beating, Cava. Many famous names are staying put, perhaps feeling they have more chance of effecting beneficial change from within, now that the whistle has been blown.

But there will also be first rate Spanish Sparkling Wine, as there in fact always has been, though, until now, it’s never been given its due. Plus of course there will still be the frankly insipid under two Euros end of the Cava market.

So something of a minefield for the consumer? Well the answer is in an old homily – when it comes to Cava/Sparkling Wine, you get what you pay for! If it’s priced at the lowest end of the scale, that’s what it’s worth! It’s still true to say that in Spain, up to a point, and that point is determined by the depth of your pockets, the more you pay, the better the wine.

I have a simple answer which would have saved all this gnashing of teeth, though I’m sure that the refuseniks have already mooted it. Why not bring in quality control to the DO Cava and have two levels – Cava Superior, of course for the better quality Cavas, and simply Cava for the others? Works for me!

Contact Colin: colin@colinharknessonwine.com and www.colinharknessonwine.com