Category: Articles

First Published in the Costa News Group’s four titles March 2012

BODEGA INIESTA

DO MANCHUELA & VdlT CASTILLA

PART ONE

Bear with me here, this is the wine column, I assure you!

For one who was once heavily involved in football: both amateur (I played in local leagues and coached schools’ and representative schools’ teams); and professional football (I spent six years as a professional scout for Liverpool FC) you may be surprised to hear me saying that over the intervening years I have become somewhat disenchanted with the sport.

Whilst I suppose that for me it will always be, to put it in the great Pele’s words, “The Beautiful Game”, I can’t help but feel that the name has become tarnished since those halcyon days when the Pele, universally recognised as his generation’s best exponent, astonished us with his supreme skill as well as his humbleness and exemplary conduct. I’m sure you’ve now guessed where I’m coming from.

Pele, Bobby Charlton, the late Bobby Moore, Franz Beckenbauer et al plus perhaps their more modern day equivalents like Gary Lineker, and fast-forwarding to the wonderfully gifted, Messi, for example must watch and read aghast at the shameful face of today’s football. It seems we can’t open our newspapers or turn on the radio and TV without hearing about, at best, the petty, petulant schoolboy squabbling of current practitioners of the now less than beautiful game; or indeed at worst, accusations of sexual harassment, violence and, currently in vogue, it appears,  disgraceful racism.

We’ll I recently experienced another side of professional football, one of which Pele and his like-minded friends would surely approve. At last a warm story about the most popular game in the world and, my wine-loving friends, a story related, you’ll be glad to know, to this column’s raison d’etre – wine!

Those of you who, like myself, retain at least an interest in football, despite all that’s currently wrong with it, will know the name Andrés Iniesta, scorer of Spain’s World Cup winning goal in 2010 and, put simply, one of the best players in the world. Indeed his invaluable contribution to Barça’s midfield is one of the main reasons why Barcelona currently enjoy being lauded as the best club team on Earth. In sporting terms he really is a living legend!

And it’s Andrés Iniesta who has managed to put a smile back on my face, not just when I see him play, but also because of a little known off the field activity in which he is involved.

Señor Iniesta, Andrés father, and his family have always worked the land around a small village Called Fuenteabilla, not so far from Albacete. As a young man and using a horse he used to plough the fields surrounding the relatively grand finca of the wealthiest man of the village, dreaming a seemingly impossible dream of one day owning his own land and planting vines to make and sell vines, on a small scale of course.

Well, when his son Andrés achieved part one of his own apparently intangible dream by signing as a professional player for Barcelona he used a significant part of his signing-on fee to realise that of his father. The wealthiest family of the village were approached, a price was agreed and Andrés was able to present his father with not not only the land surrounding the finca, but the finca as well! Bodega Iniesta was born!

On a gloriously sunny but very cold morning in early February I exited the state-of-the-art building with Chief Wine Maker Juanjo Muñoz who pointed out to the rear, across pristine vineyards of neatly pruned 50+ year old vines, the white finca on the horizon which sits happily amid the vines of Bodega Iniesta. Inside the grape reception area the temperature was wine-friendly, though not so journalist-friendly, and my fascinating tour began.

Bodega Iniesta is not a Glitterati trophy bodega as are other wineries in different countries. Famous Rock Musicians, Actors, Film Directors and Sports-people have invested in wine operations, some with more success than others, and some, really with no other thought than simply expanding their fame, and wealth, hopefully.

It’s clear from the outset that Andrés Iniesta has inherited his family’s passion for the land, for the vine and ultimately for the wine produced on it. The philosophy of the bodega is to produce wine that tops the price/quality ratio list where a celebrity’s wine will not boast celeb prices. No wonder a banner in the village proudly proclaims, ‘Iniesta Siempre Contigo!”

Part two next week!

First Published Costa News Group February 2012

SPANISH WINE GUIDES

PART TWO – THE PROENSA GUIDE + LA GUÍA DE ORO

Following on from last week’s article focussing on Spain’s comprehensive and most widely used wine guide, Guía Peñin, time now to concentrate on two other guides. One, Guía Proensa De Los Mejores Vinos De España has a similar format, though simultaneously pleasingly different too; and the other, well a whole new concept really.

Most important to we Spanish wine enthusiasts though, is how much use are they regarding advising us about the wines we should be buying here in Spain. Well I think they each play an important role in guiding us through the wine shop and supermarket shelves. And I’m delighted to have access to all three.

The Proensa Guide is named after it’s founder and author, Andrés Proensa, a journalist born in 1958 in Madrid. A lover and aficionado of all things Gourmet in Spain he teamed up with a group of like-minded people, specialising in Spanish wine and was responsible for the Guís de Vinos Gourmets  from 1985 – 1993.

Following this success, he created La Guía De Oro (to be discussed next) until he passed on the business to my friend Jesús Iniesta in 2002, for whom I wrote several articles in English in his Vinos De España magazine. He then decided that there was a call for another guide to Spanish wine, creating Guís Proensa in 2002 – making this year it’s tenth anniversary.

Señor Proensa also edits and is the Director of PlanetAVino, a bi-monthly magazine that I have read and enjoyed several times, though it is now available for subscribers as an e-magazine. Clearly here is a man who has dedicated his working life to information diffusing about all that is good in the Gourmet world of Spain, with a clear emphasis on Spanish wines.

And it’s clarity that is the buzz-word for his Guía Proensa. The lay-out of the confidence boosting hard-back guide is clear and concise. There is some information about him, but more so about the aims of the guide and its raison d’etre. I also found this familial styled guide to be most interesting in his opinions of the strengths and weaknesses of the Spanish Wine Trade, including a historical perspective where he comments, for example on the dramatic improvements made in white wine production here, as I have myself.

There is a section dedicated to short summaries of the previous ten years, on this its tenth birthday. It also explains the scoring system employed, the language used (don’t forget this is a multi-lingual country) and of course its complete impartiality, crucial if we are to believe anything in a guide!

There are drawbacks though. Despite its claim to include the Best Wines of Spain, there must surely be some omitted as some Denominaciónes de Origen have only one wine and one bodega mentioned. However, as a counter argument it this could simply be explained by the fact that no matter how good a guide is it has to be subjective.

Also, like the Peñin Guide, for me it has too great a concentration of Rioja wines with many more pages devoted to this DO which for me is woeful need of an overhaul. Although I’m pleased to see that mostly sensible marks are awarded, and importantly, to those wines which deserve them.

But for me there are two main draws. Firstly its obvious honesty and its unwillingness to jump on any ultra-high point bandwagons; and secondly its user-friendly layout, language (as long as you speak Spanish that is!) and general feel. Señor Proensa has cleverly created an older, more experienced Uncle of a wine guide who doesn’t pontificate but rather leads the reader on a gentle adventure of discovery.

Furthermore it is now available in English via the internet www.proensa.com . I commend it to you.

La Guía De Oro is now an internet guide (though as yet only in Spanish), perhaps making my 2010 hardback edition a collectors item for wine enthusiasts of the future? Its Editor, Jesús Iniesta explained in an e-mail to me that it doesn’t score wines and bodegas like the other guides do, perhaps it’s felt that there is too muich compoetition, or just that there isn’t the demand or the need for another similar guide? Rather, it studies and lists all the other guides’ marks and the medals and plaudits each wine has garnered.

As such Jesús says it’s more like a Guide of Guides and is therefore original and of more use. Well I understand the theory, and agree that this may well be something worth looking at, but I have and at the moment, it isn’t working. Yet? – well who knows. The site is operational in that you can go to www.laguiadeoro.es but, unless my internet was having a particularly bad day, there’s basically nothing there. I hope it’s a work in progress!

First Published in Costa News Group February 2012

BODEGAS TERRAS GAUDA SEES RED

ALL THAT GLITTERS IS NOT JUST GOLDEN HUED ALBARIÑO

Reading back I note that I was quite voluble with my praise of the white wines of  Bodegas Terras Gauda made in their homeland of DO Rías Baixas in Galicia, North West Spain. Well, having now tasted all their red wines, made in nearby DO Bierzo, I’m going to be equally complimentary – clearly this is a bodega to watch!

Mencía, indigenous to DO Bierzo, is a remarkable grape variety. It’s unique with a flavour and even, mouthfeel, like no other I’ve tasted. Its wines are deeply coloured and fruity and when made from older vines whose yield is low but whose grapes are the richer for it, the resulting nectar can be opulent and full flavoured, yet beguilingly elegant too. I always like to have a bottle or two in my cellar and because of its natural acidity it will also age well.

Pittacum 2007 is such a deeply coloured wine. It’s had 8 months in French and American oak after a month left in its fermentation vats where all the colour, flavour and tannin are concentrated. The 100% Mencía grapes were harvested by hand into small capacity crates and once at the winery the selection table was rigorously employed ensuring that only the best bunches were included.

Initially quite closed on the nose, the aromas soon start to develop – damson with notes of mint flavoured meaty gravy. On the palate bitter, dark chocolate blends sublimely with the damson and a curious, but attractive, aroma of old rope being untied. Its finish is mid to long, with a dark fruit liqueur chocolate end.

Its older brother, Pittacum Aurea 2007, is made from 100+ year old vines and again it’s a little closed at first. On the palate the first hit is juicy black plum and damson with acidity and mature tannin. During its first ten minutes it may seem a little lacking in depth to be able to develop further, but soon after, the wine comes alive.

Coffee and wooden barrel aromas mingle with damson fruit and, arriving late but making a significant and appreciated contribution, slatey mineral notes, with a certain earthiness too. It has a long, bold finish with dark fruits and cedar and mineral character. It has a well-earned 94 Peñin Points – making it one of the best Bierzo wines available! Decant before serving (if you don’t have a decanter [naughty, you should have!] pour it into the glass half an hour before you intend to drink it).

Perhaps my favourite, however, was the 92 pointer, Quinta Sardonia 2007, a VdlT Castilla y León, – just for the pure pleasure of drinking! It really is a super fruit-charged mouthful, and no wonder, considering the seven different varieties in the blend!

QS is made with Tinto Fino (aka Tempranillo), the lion’s share in fact making 52% of the blend, but aided and abetted by: Cabernet Sauvignon; Merlot; Syrah (only 5% but surely impacting significantly on the overall juciness 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! Now that’s a lot of wine in a single mouthful!

Its colour is a glorious dense and dark cherry, picota, red. On the nose there is an inviting, actually addicting 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. There’s been oak ageing, 16 months in fact, but it’s been in subtle French oak and has been handled in an exemplary fashion with the vanilla input blending perfectly with  the wine, contributing to the final flavour in an integrated, graceful manner, rather like the double bass in an orchestra.

Indeed this symphonious, sexy wine is sensual in every way. Drinking perfectly now, it has the mature tannin, fruit content, acidity and alcohol (15%!) to age for another 3 – 5 years, but I doubt you’ll be able to keep your hands off it!

First Published Costa News Group January 2012

BODEGAS TERRAS GAUDA

A CHAMPION OF ALL THAT’S GOOD IN DO RIAS BAIXAS

Despite (or perhaps because of) it’s youth, the relatively young 22 years old Bodegas Terras Gauda is something of a yardstick by which the super wines of DO Rias Baixas can be measured. Their classic 100% Albariño wine embodies in abundance all the attributes one would expect from this noble, and increasingly sought after, white wine grape variety.

However such a forward thinking bodega also has a foot in the past and I applaud it for this as well. Unwilling to simply help lead a bandwagon full of Albariño, the variety that is achieving cult status, Bodegas Terras Gauda is also keen to preserve, not just the memory of other local grape varieties, but to promote them as well. Their two other white wines proudly proclaim that they are made with Caíño Branco and Loureiro, with Albariño playing a only a bit part in one (though nevertheless significant) and a more major and yet equal (in terms of flavour and aroma) role in the other.

But even that’s not all! Their eye on the present and the future is also noticeable as they make wines, under a different name, in nearby BO Bierzo too, where the unique, and a touch quirky, Mencia variety makes exciting and yet elegant red wines that will grace any dinner table.

The golden hued, Acacia honey coloured, La Mar, DO Rias Baixas (a glass of which sits invitingly alongside my laptop right now!) is the wine that boasts only 10% Albariño, just 5% Loureiro and the rest the variety, new to me, Caíño Blanco. It’s not an easy variety with which to deal. It is susceptible to disease and attractive to insects. It’s skin is thick relative to the juice it produces and allied with naturally small yields the must realised after pressing is far less than with other varieties.

However the sensual aromas and flavours make up for all the hard work, plus it is also a fine conduit for the terroir under and in which the vine is grown. There’s a minerality about this wine as well as white peach fruit and gently perfumed white flowers along with subtle herbs – a touch of bay, an almost, but not quite anonymous thyme and green, actually damp, sage. Super!

Terras Gauda, simply named but quite complex, is another of their whites that uses Albariño as it’s base but also has a decent percentage of Caíño Blanco and quite a lot more Loureiro (approaching 20%). The Albariño contributes volume, mouthfeel, on the palate as well fruit aromas – some pineapple but predominately peach and apricot and more delicate white flower petals. But it’s the Loureiro that makes such a dramatic contribution to the intense aromatic quality of the finished product.

The Abadia de San Campo bottle, doesn’t have, for me, the most attractive label – but the wine contained therein writes volumes about how good Albariño can be when made from the free-run juice (the first 60% of juice produce from the lightest of pressing). The vineyards for this wine are at the highest altitude with less humidity and considerable differences between night and daytime temperatures.

The wine has a fresh lick of lime and lemon acidity underlying corpulent soft skinned stoned fruit such as peach and apricot. The aroma has a lovely white flower intensity, a touch or orange blossom mingling with distant jasmine floating in on a sea breeze.  It’s a full flavoured wine which will be ideal with its usual Galician partner, the wonderful seafood that is served in all the restaurants, as well as fish with sauces.

So this was the first half of the story – next week the outstanding reds of Bodegas Terras Gauda.