Category: Articles

First Published in Costa News SL, March 2011

BODEGAS DOMECQ

AN EMPIRE IN THE MAKING

I always knew that Domecq was a very large wine business, but it wasn’t until I was invited recently to a La Vinoteca, Calpe, wine tasting that I realised the huge scale of the empire that is Domecq Bodegas!

 You’ve heard of one of the best selling wine brands out of Australia, Jacobs Creek – well think again, this is actually owned by Domecq Bodegas. The fabulous Champagne Perrer-Jouët, including their iconic Grand Cuvée, Belle Epoque, is also a Domecq holding. La Rioja’s Campo Viejo is another.

 France’s aniseed-flavoured aperitif Pernod and Ricard; Castillo de Diablo from Chile; Graffigna from Argentina; and Montana from New Zealand; plus a plethora of bodegas in several different Spanish DOs and VdlTs all feature in this global enterprise’s portfolio! It’s really quite amazing!

A Triumvirate of Tasters @ La Vinoteca, Calpe

 I was asked to assist in the presentation from Domecq’s friendly representative in this region, Francisco Javier Góme, translating Javier’s eloquent Spanish descriptions of the areas of production, the bodegas concerned and of course the four wines we tasted.

 We tried firstly a white wine, which in fact was to be my favourite of the evening. I knew we couldn’t go wrong when, before we tasted, Javier explained that this wine is made from the indigenous Verdejo variety, with just a touch of Sauvignon Blanc – a winning combination for sure!

 Auro 2010 is like a professional photograph of flavour, encompassing all that’s good in the super wine making zone of Rueda. There are fine mountain herbs in the foreground amongst waving grasses moved by the gentle breeze. Wild asparagus mixes with green vegetal notes, particularly Italian peppers, amid pear and kiwi fruit – all brought into sharp focus by a fresh acidic lift of Sauvignon gooseberry.

 Castillo de Javier 100% Garnacha Rosado from DO Navarra was the second wine. Rice dishes are so popular in Spain of course and, depending on the ingredients, they are happy to be accompanied by several different styles of wine. However you’ll very often see Rosado as the Spaniards’ choice – this is because of the remarkable influence of the Saffron. This wine doesn’t have great deal on the nose, some of the expected raspberry fruit with some pleasing floral notes. But on the palate it opens up into a lovely dry, inexpensive prettily pink wine.

 CV De Campo Viejo is a new wine from the famous Campo Viejo stable. It’s designed for use only in the restaurant trade and for sale just in wine shops, not supermarkets. Indeed Cecilia, from La Vinoteca is the exclusive stockist of Domecq Bodegas wines in the Calpe area.

 Selected from several different parcelas in the Laguardia area the

Cecilia, owner of La Vinoteca, poses with the wines tasted.

 Tempranillo, Garnacha and Graciano grapes are fermented separately at a relatively cool temperature in order to preserve the fruit character. The wine is blended and aged in only French oak for 12 months with a further year in bottle. It was first released in January 2011 and we were amongst the first to taste this new wine.

 A little tannic at first, it’s best enjoyed with food. As the wine warms to the ambient temperature it gives off some more of its dark fruit and cinnamon aromas and develops further in the mouth finishing with plum, black cherry and vanilla.

 Finally Quinta de Tarsus is a classy wine in the making. Still a touch green with sturdy tannin and a sprightly acidity there is nevertheless sufficient fruit from the 100% Tinta del Pais (aka Tempranillo) grapes. It’s had 12 months in American and French oak, a third of which was new. Violet purple colours abound when poured and again this wine is good with meaty food.

First Published n Costa News Group SL

BODEGAS AROA, DO NAVARRA

ODDS-ON PRIZE WINNER AT IMMINENT

ORGANIC WINE FAIR, PAMPLONA APRIL 2011

It’s halfway through March as I write about what will, I’m sure, happen in a few weeks time. If only I was able to predict lottery numbers with the same certainty that I now forecast that Bodegas Aroa will come away with prizes and medals from the forthcoming Organic Wine Fair in nearby Pamplona!

 In truth it’s not too difficult to make such a confident prophecy, having tasted the wines of this thoroughly modern looking winery whose roots are firmly entrenched in historic, traditional soil-friendly methods. And this is definitely not because of a paucity of quality organic wines in Spain!

 My trusty laptop has recorded several Cork Talk articles I’ve written about the rise and rise of ecological wine over the years. This pleasing progress continues unabated and Bodegas Aroa is clearly in the vanguard of developments in this field, literally!

 The following wines are good wines, not just good organic wines. They are designed to reflect that which is contained in the grapes used and in the soils in which the plants’ roots search for nourishment. Furthermore their viticulture is intended to benefit the soil and indeed the whole local eco-system, of which the land is of course an integral part.

 We are talking here of the philosophy of sustainable viticulture. This is by no means a new innovative theory. It’s an understanding taught from generation to generation by those who have worked the land for hundreds of years, but which has sadly, tragically even, been pushed into the background during the greed-inspired 20th Century.

 Mutiko is their youngest red wine. Made from 70% Tempranillo and 30% Merlot, it has a surprising rich, roundness considering its youth. There are dark damson fruits on the nose and palate, plus a faint whiff of mountain herbs and subtle mineral notes, with a touch of damp earth too. A very good relatively full, joven wine.

 Jauna 2006 has Cabernet as the majority shareholder with Tempranillo and Merlot also on the Board. It’s inky-black with mature tannin, black cherry, blackcurrant and the bodega’s characteristic autumn leaves, minty mineral notes with abundant rich fruit. There’s a dark chocolate finish and a good length. This wine has three to five years to shed its still youthful, fruit-inspired vibrancy and mature in depth and flavour.

 Larossa is their very pretty rosado wine which comes in elegant 50cl bottles. It’s unusual to note minerality on a rosado wine but that’s the first whiff, before rich, almost syrupy raspberry and strawberry, take its place.

 This sweeter sensation is carried onto the palate where the 1·9 grams of residual sugar and high alcohol level make for a wine that is going to delight those with a sweeter tooth!

 Gorena 2004, 70% Cabernet 30% Tempranillo, has a hunger-inspiring smoked-bacon nose as the cork is pulled with blackcurrant cassis coming through strongly along with typical earthy mineral notes. There is a slight medicinal flavour with integrated oak and a touch of tannin making it a wine that is best enjoyed with food.

 Deierri 2006 is vermillion coloured with a full fruity nose with mineral and meaty notes, following its 4-6 months in American oak. It has a good mouthfeel with mature tannin, some fresh acidity and a good finish.

 I feel some awards coming on!

FIRST PUBLISHED IN COSTA NEWS GROUP, MARCH 2011

BODEGAS RODA, DO LA RIOJA

FOR SUPERB WINES AND EXCELLENT OLIVE OIL!

It seems my recent article about ‘Corimbo’, a new wine from Ribera del Duero, made under the auspices of the famous La Rioja winery, Bodegas Roda, hit the right note with the eponymous bodega! I recently received samples of their two mid-range Rioja wines, the much lauded Roda and Roda 1. Furthermore samples of their award winning Extra Virgin Olive Oils also arrived, gastro-heaven!

 In many ways the wines and oils are happy bedfellows. Making top level olive oil as well as stunning wine is really a natural progression. The olive tree and the vine have enjoyed a symbiotic relationship over millennia and the produce from each can justifiably claim to be two of the finer gastronomic delights of Spain.

 Aubocassa and Dauro Extra Virgin Olive Oils have been recognised since their inception as being in the vanguard of fine oil production. The former is from Mallorca where it has been given Denominación de Origen recognition and in fact was voted the best oil in Spain in 2009/10.

 Dauro is a Gran Pagos D’Olivar oil from Empordá (itself a fine wine producing area) which is awaiting the granting of DO status. Both oils are from olives harvested in November 2010 and both are unfiltered leaving a faintly cloudy element to the bright golden colours of each, the one with a touch of dark lime green running through it too.

 The oils speak of the terroir from whence they came. Green, autumnal vegetal notes abound in each, the Dauro incredibly smooth; the Aubocassa the same but with a super peppery finish. You can just catch the flavour of blanched almonds with faint herby notes – marjoram, thyme and rosemary, with the faintest whiff of wild fennel too!

 It was the philosophy of Roda founders, Mario Rotllant and Carmen Daurella (the first two letters of each surname together spell Roda!), to make quality wine that owes all to the grapes, the terroir and indeed the variance in climate each year.

 Roda Reserva 2006 has a red foil, deliberately chosen to denote that this wine is made from those vines whose grapes display red fruit characteristics. It isn’t just rich, it’s opulent – the heady aromas escape from the bottle when the cork is pulled. Cherry and loganberry are the soft fruits that immediately come to mind, but there is also, for me, a touch of bramble fruit all underpinned with seductive and subtle French oak. A wonderful, sensuous, full and yet delicate red wine – check it out for next Valentine’s Day!

 Roda 1 Reserva 2006 has a black foil – yes, you guessed it, it’s a dark fruit cocktail this time – blackberry again, but with blackcurrant and I think a wisp of damson, a tantalising apparition in the background. 100% Tempranillo (Roda has 3% Graciano added) from old vines, selected, I presume, from the higher vineyards which would account for the acid lift that this wine has along with maturing tannins.

 This is a wine that will add immeasurable depth to your fine dining – it’s elegant and yet powerful; graceful and yet racy. It’s dark and rich; earthy and with a noticeable minerality, plus it has time on its side too – perhaps five to eight years, maybe a touch longer, but you won’t be able to wait that long!

First Published in Costa News Group’s Four Titles!

AVOIDING A SPANISH WINE LAKE

 Of late I’ve been working as a wine consultant, advising and brokering deals between Spanish bodegas and wine buyers from different countries who wish to import Spanish wines to sell to their clients. (It’s an expanding part of my business, so if there are any readers interested in buying Spanish wines to sell on, then please contact me – I’m certain I’ll be able to help!).

 It’s not difficult swapping hats from wine writer and critic to wine consultant and broker – the rules are the same. As a wine writer I have to be both impartial and honest; the same applies when I am advising a client to buy or not to buy. So, no problem.

 But in wine writing there is a third principle which perhaps bends, but certainly doesn’t compromise these self-imposed regulations. Nobody wants to read bad news. Cork Talk readers want recommendations, not diatribes about disappointing wines; and bodegas don’t want me to bang on about any of their portfolio that aren’t up to scratch.

 So when I’m sent a raft of wines I taste them all with integrity and impartiality. The ones that are of good quality and above will receive a positive report; those that are not, simply don’t receive a mention. It’s a system that works. Nevertheless this rule can be bent as well!

 Most recently I’ve been trawling the more economic end of the market for would-be buyers where, I’m sad to say, there are more in the latter category above than in the former. Far more. In fact it’s been quite a shock to taste so many thin, acidic, harshly tannic, and fruitless wines!

 The lower end of the market has bottomed-out to a point horribly reminiscent of the dreadful cheap wines of Spain thirty years ago – and this from me, a keen and loyal supporter of Iberian wines!

 The best wines are made from the juice of first 50-60% of the gentle pressing of the grapes. There is more juice left, of course, so the grapes can be further pressed and indeed, ultimately crushed to death by relentless pressure to extract the very last drops and thus maximise output. These dreadful, sadly cynical, wines are made from the grapes of over-cropped vines which then suffer this overbearing crushing where the pips, too, make their tongue-furring contribution.  

 So what’s to be done? Well there is still, regrettably, a market for wines of this depressing standard (I was going to say ‘of this quality’, but that word shouldn’t be in the same sentence as some of the wines I’ve been tasting). There are those in this country and in the UK who will drink them because they are a cheap ticket to an alcohol trip. But those of us who may not be in the position to buy expensive wines, but who still want to enjoy flavour, must still be catered for.

 In the UK, a wine that wholesales here at say 1·50€ (the cheap end of the market), is going to retail at about 4·50 pounds after the importer’s transport, tax and duty costs plus a tiny profit. On the supermarket shelves in Britain you’ll see many wines from Chile, for example, at this sort of price. Taste them and you’ll find far more flavour and aroma pleasure than in the Spanish dross above.

 It’s true that the profit in wine is minimal, measured in cents at this lower end, and bodegas have to make a profit to survive. But if the reputation of Spanish wine isn’t going to be sullied for ever, I think that producers have to bite the bullet and lower their prices in the slightly higher level, up to about the mid-range (or why not across the board to stimulate sales throughout?) and accept less profit per bottle, but at least compete on flavour and price with other wine producing countries.