Cafe D’Art, Javea Port, Wine Tasting

CAFÉ D’ART, JAVEA PORT,

HOSTS INAUGURAL WINE TASTING

I’m pleased to say that there has been considerable interest in my new website by wine businesses anxious to promote their wines. One of the services I offer through www.colinharknessonwine.com is to present wine tastings in their own premises. It gives them a chance to showcase their shop/restaurant/café, their wares and of course to sell them too!

Everyone’s a winner – the clients who attend enjoy an entertaining and tasty evening; the bodegas that make the wines enjoy good PR and further sales; and the organising business can expect new clients who’ll hopefully be back as well as increased sales on the night and in the future.

So it was that Toni from Café D’Art, in one of the pedestrian caminos near the Tourist Office, called me and asked me to present some wines following a refurbishment and make-over of his premises. Toni also runs a wine distribution service making his prices all the keener.

The tasting was to take place at the first weekend of the Javea fiestas and when the World Cup Group Matches were in full flow – so how would this affect numbers? Well not at all actually as the place was full with some 40 clients perhaps anxious to avoid some football for a change and keen also to make a night of it by dining there afterwards. I wonder how many of the men there had calculated that the game that evening wasn’t so interesting and that this was a good chance to get back in the wife’s good books!

No matter the evening, the tasty aperitifs and of course the wines were enjoyed by all.

We were there to taste wines that are mostly under 5 Euros, all from the same winery and one well known for the easy drinking quality of its entry level wines as well as one or two of higher quality. This was another example of a place where inexpensive wines can be bought without heading to the local supermarket where it is unlikely that the wines will be as well looked after.

The first was, for me, the most charming of the evening – a very unusual blend of local favourite Moscatel with international traveller Sauvignon Blanc. Imagine the typical floral, raison and grape perfume of Moscatel blending with grassy and gooseberry laden Sauvignon, it’s a blend that works!

Moscatel is often thought of, in many respects quite rightly so, as a variety for super (and some not so good!) dessert wines. However it is not always thus! There are different clones of Moscatel and one such clone, Moscatel de Alejandria, is more suited to making wines in a drier style, an off-dry taste where there is a touch of residual sugar left in the wine that is noted on the first hit on the palate, but where in fact the wine finishes dry. Mix that with the greener style of Sauvignon and bingo, you have a super aperitif wine that will also match salads and light fish fishes.

Next was a rosado – I often like to include rosado wines in my tastings in an effort to gain further recognition for this underrated wine style. Rosado rocks, in my book and I’d like to see it appreciated more than it is. Spain is the world capital for rosado wines – so we are in the right place to experiment. I’m sure that even die-hard red wine drinkers will find a rosado that suits them here on the Iberian peninsular. They are, after all, made with black grapes and would in fact be red wines, were it not for the fact that the skin/juice contact is far shorter.

Bodegas Vinolopó from DO Alicante uses the favoured Monastrell grape variety for their rosado. It has typical raspberry notes on the nose but also with red cherries in there. It’s a rosado that is quite light in the mouth and yet manages to be bold in flavour. Good stuff!

When I met Toni for the first time he gave me an example of each wine to taste at home for my presentation notes – the young Monastrell, unoaked red was only available in Magnum size at the time, “Oh, all right then, if I must!”. This wine demonstrates the unadulterated joy of inexpensive young Monastrell – it’s full of fruit and very juice in the mouth. It hasn’t got a long finish, but its not meant to have. Enjoy it for what it is, pure fruit-driven fun!

The final wine was the only one that stepped over the 5 Euro mark, the monovarietal (single variety) Petit Verdot with a short ageing in oak. This variety will I think start to increase in plantings again in the Bordeaux region where 20-30 years ago it was being grubbed up. It’s late ripening in those days was an inconvenience the Bordelaise could do without. They had to have it fully ripened but to wait was a risk as there was always the possibility of a weather change. Now however with climate change there is sufficient sunshine to fully ripen Petit Verdot along with Cabernet Sauvignon et al.

Of course here in Spain we’ve always enjoyed sufficient sunshine to ripen our grapes, the more so in the Alicante province. In fact here we have to be careful in that for me this variety can become flabby and lose its acidity if it is allowed too much sunshine. It seems that Vinalopó has the formula just about right – it was the most popular wine of the evening!

First Published Costa News Group, June 2010

CALIFORNIA, THAT’S THE PLACE

YOU OUGHTA BE . . . . . . . .

. . . . . So they loaded up the trucks and went to, well El Paso Robles actually! Ah the Beverly Hillbillies, remember the series? Well it’s wine and not Black Gold or Texas Tea that have brought it back to my mind as I’ve been engaged recently in an interesting project – shipping Spanish wines to California!

Californians Randy and Marianne Wallace have been living in Moraira for about four years but have now decided to return to their roots to set up an e-shopping business, Spanish Tienda, selling authentic, quality Spanish products to fellow Hispanofiles in the Golden State. I think they are onto a winner – all things Spanish are of great interest to American citizens, with Spanish now being the second language of the country.

Randy and Marianne have been researching for some considerable time and have now left to tie up the loose ends, Stateside, and finally to launch this new enterprise. Pivotal to their business will be their Spanish wine list, short but well chosen initially, and no doubt building as time goes on. I’ve been acting as consultant and it’s my job to handle the Spanish wine side in their absence. As you can imagine we had to taste several wines!

For the moment we have settled on two bodegas – well known to Cork Talk readers: Bodegas Dominio de la Vega and Bodegas Vicente Gandía Plá, which, coincidentally are quite close to each other inland from Valencia.

Whilst the priority requirement was of course the good quality of the wines there are other factors that have to be considered too. Clearly the price point is crucial, there are many hidden expenses to add to the price of the actual wine – transport, of course, but also duty, tax, temperature controlled warehousing etc. However we have also been considering the style of wine and the grape varieties used.

Like anyone else, Californians like to celebrate – and what better way to do just than by popping the cork of some top quality Cava. So Spanish sparklers had to be on the list, white and rosado. Also, whilst California is awash with Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and, to a perhaps lesser extent, Merlot, they are often of a similar, big and oaky style. Spanish Tienda would like to offer the same varieties but with a difference.

Clearly the super Spanish grape variety, Tempranillo, really should be showcased across the pond but also we believe it’s time to spread the word about Utiel-Requena’s jewel in the crown, the indigenous Bobal, whose soft and silky, fragrant red wines are quite unique.

There’s also a place we believe for some Sauvignon Blanc based wine and why not one with the be-loved Chardonnay as well as super, aromatic Spanish Moscatel in the blend? We have one, and it’s lovely!

Let's Seal the Deal - with Wine, of course!

Having done the hunting and gathering it was time just before they left to invite Randy and Marianne to dinner to tasted the wines on trial to taste both without and with food – there’s no point in being anything other than rigorous in our selection, the success of the wine side of the business depends on it!

Dominio de la Vega delivered a host of wines from which to choose – we started, naturally with the fizz. I’ve always been a great believer in their Brut cava, for the price I honestly believe you cannot find better. At a blind tasting you’d expect this wine to be at least 10-15 Euros, it retails for about 5! Their Brut Reserva with that elegant bottle, is justifiably touted as a cava with Champagne beating qualities and the excellent retail price tag of approximately 14 Euros – another way that it beats Champagne, hands down.

Dominio de la Vega’s Pinot Noir Rosado Cava’s label speaks of what is to come – lovely pink flower petals on the nose with good Pinot fruit and the added value of finesse and elegance. A new wine to me, their Sauvignon Blanc/Chardonnay/Moscatel is such an aromatic wine that the heady perfume leaps from the bottle the moment the cork is pulled. On the palate it there is a fruit cocktail mix of gooseberry, pineapple, banana, peach and raisons – all derived from the varieties used, but also a refreshing acidity with floral and green notes too.

In the same shaped bottle with the same label their 100% Bobal 2009, blew us all away (good American expression, huh?). It’s had six months in oak adding depth to the super, dark brambly fruit, slight caramel and violet notes. There’s a touch of cinnamon with added spice of sweet paprika and even a passing fragrance of creamy Danish pastry!

Their Madurado en Barrica 2008 is made with Bobal, Cabernet and Syrah and has dark plum skin and blackcurrant on the nose and a rounded integrated oak note from it’s four months in French wood. We opted for the 2006 Crianza, Bobal Cabernet and Syrah again, but with more time in oak. It’s a developing wine that will last – not that we expect it to stay on the shop shelves for long! Finally the 2004 Reserva swaps Syrah for Tempranillo and is a super example of why it is so good living in Spain!

Bodegas Vicente Gandía Plá offered us their full, new Fina del Mar range. These 2009 vintage wines are incredibly well priced. The Tempranillo is deep and dark coloured with tinned strawberries joining hands with blackberry fruit and a touch of oak. The Merlot has black pepper and floral notes and the Blackcurrant and Green Peppered Cabernet Sauvignon is perfectly approachable for such a young wine – a virtue emanating from fruit picked at optimum ripeness. Their Chardonnay is light, easy drinking and will contrat well with the blockbusters of California!

First Published Costa News Group June 2010

BODEGAS MIGUEL TORRES

A WELCOME RETURN TO THE WINES OF ONE OF SPAIN’S MOST PRESTIGIOUS BODEGAS!

I haven’t written about the wines of Bodega Miguel Torres for a couple of years now. I promise you this is not a knee-jerk reaction to the criticism I received once accusing me of being in the pay of Señor Torres, so complimentary was I about his wines. A serious wine critic must be impartial and I know that I am, and was being so when I was heaping praise on this bodega which in some ways may be considered more of a Spanish Institution rather than just a winery.

Bodegas Miguel Torres survived the dreadful troubles of the Spanish War (including heartbreaking vandalism of the building and the barricas which housed its super wines) and the subsequent depression here in Spain, whilst establishing a practically unheard of export trade, particularly in the USA.

Bodegas Miguel Torres is a shining example of how big can be beautiful – and this bodega isn’t just large, it’s huge! It now makes wines in several different areas of Spain, not only in its own backyard of Penedés, as well as in other countries, including Chile and the USA, where the current Miguel’s sister, Marimar Torres makes world class wines, specialising in Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

You can imagine my delight therefore, when I was in Barcelona earlier this year, to be able to enjoy a tasting with Mireia Torres, Miguel’s daughter! This elegant, erudite, almost aristocratic and yet very charming young lady – certainly knows her wines and indeed, understandably has an unshakeable belief in them. Mireia has not only grown up with Torres wines but has of course studied wine too. Like many in the Torres wine portfolio, it’s an unbeatable blend!

Manso de Velasco 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon is their best wine from Chile. The vineyard from which the grapes were handpicked is 100 years old, the must (juice) has a lengthy maceration and stainless steel fermentation is followed by a year in French Oak. It’s a wine that speaks of super-mature, opulent fruit, subtle oak and bags of sunshine tempered by adequate acidity gained from higher altitude. NB as it’s from Southern Hemisphere Chile it’s roughly 6 months more advanced in its development than a European wine of the same vintage.

Perpetual 2007 is from Priorat and again is their flagship offering from this wonderful wine area where the steep mountainsides which are home to the vineyards are difficult to work but are so well drained. Also whilst the soils contain little nutritious material to feed the vines they are nevertheless full of minerals that make such an impact on the wines.

The vines for Perpetual are an average of 55 years of age. It’s a small production and the wines have a marked minerality with very dark fruit combining with spices, liquorice and some black pepper and for me just the faintest hint of the spray one might sniff when cutting a dark green pepper. It’s a big wine in the mouth (15·5% abv) and enough fruit, acidity and tannin to develop for 10 more years!

The high alcohol content surprised me. Torres is not known for abundance of alcohol (except maybe in their brandies!) and yet this is an unusually high abv (alcohol by volume). Mireia explained that over the last years all their wines are coming in with a higher abv – a natural result of climate change. There is more sunshine, higher temperatures and this results in more sugar in the grape – it’s the sugar that is converted to alcohol!

It’s a problem that is occurring to such an extent in Australia that some areas can no longer make good wine as the phenolic development of the skins (a crucial part of winemaking) is not keeping apace with the sugar development of the juice. Typically, for such a broad thinking bodega, Miguel Torres boffins are on the case with plans to make sure that this does not happen here.

For example their blends will be changing with more of the naturally lower alcohol varieties being in used to lower the overall abv. Plantings will be at higher altitudes, more leaf coverage will be encouraged and different rootstocks will be considered.

Mas Borras 2007 is 100% Pinot Noir – a notoriously difficult variety to perfect, but one that will reward the grower’s patience with some masterly wines. Grown in Penedés at about 500 meters above sea level in a specific vineyard whose soils and aspect to the sun have been carefully considered for this variety, the wine has acidity and tannin aplenty at the moment but with a lovely rich depth of fruit, again some liquorice and minerality too. Nine months in one and two year old oak and time in bottle in the cellar finish the wine. It’s a Torres classic!

Finally, for this tasting at least, we tried the wine that perhaps made Miguel Torres famous – Mas La Plana. The 2006 vintage is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, there was a dreadful downpour during the normal harvest time, but these grapes were harvested afterwards when drying winds had done a perfect job in making sure that the grapes arrived at the winery in perfect shape.

The juice was in contact with the skins for 4 weeks to extract all the colour, flavour and tannin that are required to build a wine to last of perhaps 20 years! At the moment dark fruits come from the depths of this wine, with noticeable tannin and some minerality but it is not the finished product. This wine is one to buy now and bury in your cellar for say another 5 years and then to taste and plan when you will imbibe the rest of the case. It’s going to be a wonderful wine!

Bodegas Aragonesas, DO Campo de Borja

BODEGAS ARAGONESAS, DO CAMPO DE BORJA

MAN SHALL NOT LIVE BY FAGUS ALONE!

Avid readers (so that’s Claire, my brother and my Aunty Joyce, I guess) may remember my December article ‘The Costa News Top Ten’. This annual article is gaining interest and, dare I say, fame and influence each year. For me it’s very difficult to write as I have to squeeze into just 10 places the best Spanish wines I have tasted for Cork Talk during the year.

You can imagine the difficulty as there are so many wonderful exclusively Spanish wines from which to choose. It end’s up with me having to split the points I award to each wine, by decimal point to reach a final top ten conclusion and even then there are usually two who share a place, 3= for example, as it is just impossible to decide between them.

As is my custom, when the list is finally completed and awaiting publication in all four titles of the Costa News Group, I send it also to those bodegas who have made it into the Top Ten. Whilst I’m not saying that this is the major ‘prize’ that such bodegas receive each year it is nevertheless important recognition to them as it is often the English speaking public, i.e. Costa News readers, who are buying their wines here in Spain.

I often receive letters of acknowledgement and thanks. In the case of Bodegas Aragonesas, DO Campo De Borja, a leading light in the DO that sadly seems to be overshadowed in many consumers’ blinkered minds by the perhaps more illustrious and certainly more famous DOs that surround it (La Rioja, Navarra and Cariñena), I received further samples too!

Our friends John and Mary have long been admirers of Bodegas Aragonesas’ perhaps most famous wine, Fagus de Coto de Hayas. Indeed it is this wine that causes John, a confessed Cabernet Sauvignon aficionado and dedicated fan, to stray away from his favoured variety and appreciate (equally?) the charm of Garnacha – the variety responsible for this super wine (90 points in Vinos de España’s excellent Gold Guide; and 91 points in Peñin).

In November 2009 we went to their house for a top tasting which included Fagus and made me re-consider the placing for that year’s Top Ten. Fagus made it, with 92·5 Costa News Points, in 5^th place.

Luis Maza, Commercial Director of Bodegas Aragonesas sent me 4 wines to sample so it was only fair to repay the compliment and invite John and Mary too. Of course hangers-on(!) Hal & Jan, Ron, Jean & Eileen(!) got wind of it and suddenly we had a quorum!

The first wine was the Coto de Hayas Roble 2008 made from a blend of Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon and with the benefit of 3 months in new American Oak. Each variety is harvested and fermented separately and subsequently blended together for the oak and ageing. For the purposes of this tasting the wine was the entry level – a considerable step up from many entry levels for sure. Good fruit, some noticeable acidity and tannin which mellowed during the evening and in fact was very laid-back the next day when I enjoyed the wine even more. Decant the wine and it will be instantly ready!

Coto de Hayas 2008 Garnacha Centenaria is the sort of wine that will convert any slave to Cabernet! This wine, as the name implies, is made from Garnacha vines of more than a hundred years of age, vines planted in the 19^th Century! The low consequently low yield is harvested by hand and there follows a long maceration where the rich juice takes on colour, tannins, acidity and flavour – bags of it!

Must (juice) from vines of this age should be handled with care – oak ageing is good, but it has to be subtle and not too long. French oak and three months only seems to be perfect as this wine is excellent. On the nose it’s full of rich dark, brambly fruit initially which with some time in the glass develops into a rich well-toasted coffee bean aroma too. In the mouth the richness fills the senses as well as the palate and there is a long finish as well.

Coto de Hayas 2005 Reserva is made from Garnacha too, 40 years old this time and with characteristic dark fruit aromas and flavours. However it’s relative youth allows the winemaker to be a little more generous with the oak. It’s had 15 months in French and American oak plus of course time in bottle maturing in the heart of the bodega until the time for its release onto the market.

The rich, mature fruit handles the oak perfectly and the two combine to give depth of flavour and a lasting finish. There’s the brambly blackberry fruit with some toasted vanilla from the American oak and some leather notes from the French with a slight dark chocolate note as you swallow. Lovely.

Well the above proves that man shall not live by Fagus alone – but if you had to, it drink only Fagus it wouldn’t be a bad option! Fagus de Coto de Hayas 2006 certainly deserves its place in the Costa News Top Ten, and in your cellar.