COSTA BLANCA NEWS – Page 2 – Colin Harkness on Wine

First Published Costa News Group November 2011

AND SO TO SHERRY!

IF T’WAS GOOD ENOUGH FOR SHAKESPEARE

IT’S GOOD ENOUGH FOR US!

GRUPO ESTEVÉZ RE-VISITED

It’s mid-November and I’m writing this in Granada, shivering under the majestic snow-topped Sierra Nevada, on my return from the rolling, chalky hills of sunny, 28ºC, Jerez. My cases are much heavier than when I left home – the reason, I’ve stocked up on what must be the most undervalued ‘wine’ in Spain and maybe the world!

Jerez (aka Xerés and Sherry, because it was misspelt by our forbears in times before the Bard was born, let alone before he’d picked up his celebrated quill, calling it Sack – but hey, a Sherry by any other name . . . ) is a very special wine, fortified by grape spirit to about 16 – 20% alc. The happy and up-for-it group I am with have of course tasted Sherry before. However, by their own admission, they would rarely think of ordering it in a bar as an aperitif, and probably never would have contemplated it as an accompaniment to dinner.

Well I’m delighted to say they may well think differently from now. You see, Sherry is not just about ancient Aunt Matilda’s Christmas tipple, bless her. Sherry comes in several different styles, thus lending itself to many varied dishes and I implore you to give it a go and become a born-again sherry sipper! This is the first of a duo of articles, written not long before Christmas, but to ask you to think above and beyond simply the festive season. Sherry rocks!

I was first at Grupo Estevéz’s elongated white painted premises, probably three, maybe four, years ago. I was invited to bring another group of disciples along to see how things are going, bearing in mind the

SONY DSC — The Beautiful Reception Hall at Grupo Estvéz

latest challenges brought about by La Crisis. I’m very pleased to see that all continues as normal, as it has for centuries in this unique wine-making area.

The company as it is now only started in 1982 – a new kid on the block really. But they soon acquired for example the brand name Valdespino, which has been in operation since William’s time (no not the Prince, the Poet!), and continued a fine old tradition exporting around the (Globe, no, not the theatre, the world)!

It’s a beautiful place to visit. The tranquil setting (if you ignore the shopping centre that gradually creeps forward like lava burning land before it) is a delight. It’s not only home to tens of thousands of oak barrels holding some twenty five million bottle’s worth of sherry. It also is a stud for the stunningly beautiful black-caped Jerez horses whose stables we visited, as well as the the tack room and of course the wonderful antique carriages used on special occasions and for competition too.

Plus there’s an assortment of dogs (including Spanish speaking Jack Russells) left to roam and deal with any vermin daft enough to come sniffing for sherry! But that’s not all – there is a magnificent collection of antique furniture, particularly Long Case Clocks (Grandfather Clocks), as well as an art gallery – which would be worth the visit, without the sherry! In some ways it’s a living museum and all with a sense of history and quiet elegance.

We tasted seven different styles of wine – first up was Tio Mateo. It’s something of a cash cow as sales are wonderful – a dry slightly salty fino which we enjoyed with olives. Finos are super aperitif drinks very often used as such chez nous.

Then an Amontillado (remember that in its natural state Amontillado is

dry and light brown in colour). Del Principe Amontillado Muy Viejo is 18·5 alc and was one of my favourites. We enjoyed it with some darkly coloured jamon.

Contrabandista Amontillado Valdespino has had a small amount of the naturally very sweet grape PX (Pedro Ximenez) added to the blend to make it a little more like the Amontillado’s found in the UK where, traditionally, there has been a demand for a sweeter style.

Solera 1842 Oloroso VOS was a star! Oloroso is also naturally dry – until doctored for the imagined (and often correctly) British palate. This dry 20 year old wine has a rich acidity and very dark colour from it’s slow oxygenation and a faint toffee nose.

The Pale Cream Sherry (now we’re getting into the Aunt Maude zone) is 17·5 % and has a whiff of sweet orange peel and fruit about it. Royal Cream Marqués de Real Tesoro would suit Maude down to the Zimmer and was accurately and delightfully described by group leader, Glennys. as being ‘quite custardy’.

Finally we moved onto the Pedro Ximenez (PX) 100% – a sherry that is a dessert in itself. It can also be enjoyed with rich fruit cake, Christmas Cake and, as it is often described (by me anyway) as liquid Christmas Pudding, you’ll love it with that final taste of our traditional Festive Food.

First Published Costa News SL, Sept. 2011

PALACIOS

The name Palacios commands immediate respect and admiration in the Wine World. Not just in Spain, but everywhere in the world where the humble grape, guided by man’s hand, makes the delicious nectar we call wine. However there are some wines that taste as if there has also been some divine intervention along the way.

Witness, if you will, the stratospherically priced L’Ermita from DO Priorat and the, as yet less well known, but also stunning (and thankfully much more accessibly priced) X de T, from Rioja Alta. Each has the Palacios stamp. Each is a nectar fit for the gods! (Witness also Barbarot, DOCa La Rioja – but that’s next week’s article!).

Señor Antonio Palacios in the 1,000 year old Bodega

Two of my fellow judges in the recent Albariño Cata-Concurso in Galicia’s DO Rias Baixas (see www.costa-news.com click Cork Talk) were none other than Señor Antonio Palacios, Presidente of the Federacion Española de Asociaciones de Enologos, and his charming daughter Barbara, representing the next generation of gifted Palacios winemakers. Imagine how delighted I was to be able to spend some time with such an esteemed expert in wine making as Señor Palacios. Imagine too, my pleasure in accepting (with considerable alacrity, I can tell you!) his invitation to visit his vineyards, stay in the family house and taste some of his wines!

There surely could not be a better teacher than Antonio Palacios, himself, in his younger days, a student of the fabled Professor Émile Peynaud, the most respected winemaker and wine educator of his generation. Add this to the Palacios family’s wealth of traditional wine-making knowledge and you have one of the best winemakers in the world! The opportunity to tap into this vast pool of learning, whilst also developing a friendship, was irresistible. A pilgrim of a different kind, though equally fervent, I turned right at Santiago de Compostella and headed east along the Camino de Santiago, firstly to Haro, La Rioja.

Then we drove along charming country roads past beautiful coloured stone villages stopping just outside the village of Avalos at what must be the most fascinating and certainly the oldest bodega in Rioja, and probably in Spain. Entering the 16^th Century Bodega (the exact date is impossible to determine, there are those who believe it to be 1,000 years old!) is like taking a giant step back into vinous history.

Hewn out of solid rock, the same colour as those all around the area, but darkened with age and centuries of red wine-making, the temperature is naturally kept at a constant 14ºC all year round, perfect for making and storing wine. Two 600 litre Spanish oak barrels, reserved for the small but significant contribution of Merlot, are reposing in the dim light to the left; whilst the centre-piece is the 7,000 litre oak foudre where the Tempranillo that makes the lion’s share of X de T wine, pride of Antonio, will be soon fermenting the 2011 vintage.

The two varieties are fermented separately after a long cold maceration (where the skins remain in contact with the juice to extract flavour, tannin and colour). The Tempranillo is eventually joined by the Merlot in the foudre where further, post-fermentation, maceration takes place. This addition fills the foudre, ridding it of oxygen.

A longer drive took us then to Rioja Baja and the town of Alfaro where we were to stay with the Palacios family after a super dinner cooked by Antonio’s wife, Casilda (whose family, in days gone by owned the village of Avalos) and served with X de T 2004, the first vintage of this superb wine!

X de T (named after the aristocratic owner of the ancient bodega, the Marques de Ximinez de Tejada, is a deeply coloured, perfectly structured and balanced, full and yet elegant red wine. A shining example of what extraordinarily good wine can be produced in the hallowed vineyards of La Rioja. A touch of minerality on the nose is joined by full fruit, mostly dark but with perhaps some soft red fruit nuances and a little spice and vanilla too. Fermented and aged in oak, one might expect the wood to dominate the fruit, but no, it’s a harmonious and perfectly balanced relationship. Mature tannin and a lick of acidity ensure that this wine has time on its side too

First Published Costa News Group, May 2011

WINE TASTING AT RESTAURANTE CA LA AIAI

PART TWO

Owned by Jose of Teulada’s: Bodegas A Catarlo Todo; Tapes Tapes; and Diversus, one would expect that this elegant restaurant boasted top wines as well as gourmet cuisine. One would also presume that any wine tasting event held there would be top drawer – and you’d be correct on both counts!

Some highlights were discussed last week and today there are more. First though a brief repeat mention, from previous Cork Talks, about the remarkable Riedel wine glasses as used exclusively for this tasting. There is no doubt in my mind that Riedel glasses do enhance the enjoyment of wine – and indeed, as clearly demonstrated at Ca La Iaia, the flavour and taste of other alcoholic beverages, on this occasion Brandy too!

The Riedel Challenge - taste the difference!

Clients and the press were invited to attend a special tasting using perfectly adequate and attractive glasses in competition with Riedel glasses, using exactly the same wines from the same bottles. Proof positive that Riedel glasses are superior, regarding the wine’s aromas and first mouthfeel and taste. (I’m not on their payroll, I should add, I’m simply one of the converted!)

In true Watergate tradition (well ok, perhaps not quite as important!) I feel it my duty to let you in on a secret – Bodegas Care’s Chardonnay 2010 has some officially unapproved Viognier in the blend! My guess is that DO Cariñena’s Consejo Regulador will soon approve the variety – the wine is lovely!

In fact Care wines were amongst the stars of this tasting. I love their distinctive labels (each has a unique modern art face drawn on it) and this effective marketing ploy is backed up by super wines in the bottle. Their joven (young) wine, made with Tempranillo and super fruity Syrah (when grown in a hot climate) has a touch of oak ageing to add some depth to the fresh fruit flavours.

Xclnt 2004 is their take on ‘excellent’ – and it’s not far off! As deeply flavoured as it is coloured the Garnacha, Cabernet and Syrah grapes harvested from old vines also make this a complex and highly flavoured wine. Sixteen months in French oak have added a slight aroma of well-used leather to the liquorice and blackcurrant fruit with a touch of spice from the Syrah grown at altitude – a minty minerality completes the picture!

Bodegas Alegre, whose logo you’ll see on my website, continues to make super wines. Their Selección Especial 2004 (an excellent year in la Rioja) is made from Tempranillo with the addition of Graciano for added flavour and Mazuelo for acidity. This wine will last for several years yet, lovely!

Their flagship wine, Pontiac 2005, is elegant and subtle, with dark chocolate notes on the finish and a great length. There are dark fruits and mature tannin to seduce the drinker followed by a warm glow after swallowing that lasts and lasts.

NB when I was there three years ago there was a wine that had just finished fermenting which was going to be the next generation of Pontiac – they didn’t have name for it them, so called it Pontiac+. Watch out for Pontiac de Portiles when it becomes available soon – I’m certain it will be outstanding!

There was also a ‘Super Tuscan’ wine from Italy, Insoglio from the Antinori stable. Damson fruit from its Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Syrah, this surprise package was of the ‘best in show’!

I liked Pago de Vicario’s Soto De Vicario, made from that unique variety Bierzo and aged in 300 litre Caucasian oak with its violet colour and aromas plus mineral notes too.

However the wine I came away thinking about, and one to which I’ll return

A lasting memory - super Martúe red wine!

for sure, was Martúe from Bodegas Martúe La Guardia (the only bodega in DO Campo de la Guardia!). Put simply it’s such a lovely, fruit driven but deeply textured, layered wine that it’s a real pleasure to drink! (Note also that their white Verdejo Pie Franco, a past Costa News Top Ten wine, remains perhaps the best Rueda wine I’ve tasted!).

FIRST PUBLISHED IN COSTA NEWS SL SEPTEMBER 2010

WHEN IN PORTUGAL . . .

PART TWO

If you haven’t read part one you may like to log onto www.costa-news.com and click Cork Talk? Our summer holiday in Portugal this year taught me that it isn’t a bad idea to do as the Portuguese do!

I wrote about Port, the eponymous fortified wine that is now world-famous – but I dealt only with red Port and I didn’t touch on the regular wines of this other Iberian country. Nor did I mention a perhaps little known, delicious secret! All will be revealed in this article plus a comment on nature, the environment and indeed the planet!

All this for such a little cost – what a top newspaper this is!

White Port, whilst not being classed as a secret, is certainly not widely known nor imbibed outside of this, the most westerly European country. No wonder considering Ernest Cockburn’s comment in the early 20^th Century (yes that Cockburn!) – ‘The first duty of Port is to be red!’ It’s a shame as White Port can be a super aperitif.

Most White Port is quite sweet. It can be made from 30 different white grape varieties, Moscatel being on commonly used. Fermentation is arrested at roughly the same point as with Red Port, but grape spirit is usually used instead of brandy. It has to have aged for 2 years but ageing is almost always in stainless steel or epoxy lined cement tanks.

However those which are aged in oak take on a different darker colour and lovely different taste nuances. Often such white ports are on the drier side. I had one a few years ago, Churchills I recall, and it was excellent.

I wish we’d had more time in Portugal as I rediscovered there a fortified wine that I haven’t tasted for over 15 years and had mostly forgotten about! It’s something of a secret in that it is largely left undiscovered in the UK and in Spain, but in Portugal it rocks!

Madeira is a small island administered by Portugal about 1,000km from Portugal and 750km from Africa. It’s also the name of a super wine whose history is fascinating and whose taste goes from the lovely to the sublime! I was put on the spot and asked to identify it, tasted blind in the wine merchants, Loja do Vinho. Set against a white port, which I did identify correctly, the Madeira was drier, with a faintly brownish colour. It struck a very pleasant chord, but no I couldn’t place it.

In fact Madeira, which the Portuguese certainly do do not only when in Portugal but wherever they are in the world (Brazil is a big market) is a fascinating wine and subject and will therefore have a column to itself soon.

So that moves us on to the regular wines of Portugal. Always in the shadow of their more illustrious bedfellow, Port, the wines of Portugal have in fact been in existence for far longer. Indeed it was from the wines of 16^th Century Portugal that Port was first made. Records aren’t clear as to when Portugal first made wine but it is known that there existed a healthy wine trade between Portugal and England as long ago as the 12^th Century!

Clearly that’s long enough for the Portuguese to have developed some super wines and often using wholly indigenous varieties. I was recently chatting with Mariano, chief winemaker at Grupo Bodegas Castaño, who is somewhat in awe of the number of varieties that are Portuguese alone and not in fact grown anywhere else.

Those of us who fear that the world’s wine will eventually be homogenous with only a few different varieties and with little to distinguish between the same varieties grown in different countries would

do well to move to Portugal. Here there has been little influence by the outside wine world, the ubiquitous Cabernet for example has made few inroads into Portuguese wine production. Why should it and it’s like, when Portugal is so rich in its own very individual vines that produce such aromatic and rich, deeply coloured wines?

There are even vines growing in Portugal that have yet to be identified! But those which are doing very well with huge potential too are for example, for white wine: Alvarinho (yes, Albariño in Spain), Louriero, Fernao Pires and Arinto; and for reds: Touriga Nacional, Touriga Francesa, Baga, Castelao Frances and Tinta Roriz (aka Tempranillo).

It’s a question of suck it and see! We tried quite a few in our 10 days there, reds and whites – it’s tough you know, researching wines for Cork Talk! We even tried an Espumante, a sparkling wine in the style of cava – Fita Azul Reserve Brut was refreshing but had little on the nose or palate, however.

Plan Alto, Douro DO, Vinho Branco (white) Reserva 2009 was quite elegant on the palate if a little lacking in character; but Casal Da Coelheira 2009 from DO Ribatejo using Fernao Pires and Chardonnay was a super wine, though the packaging, I think, need further consideration. Vinho Verde Alvarinho 2009 has a super, inviting fruit laden nose, though on the palate it is a little thin. I think this would be my general criticism of the whites we tried – compared to similarly priced whites from Spain the Portuguese wines were a little thin, albeit pleasant, aromatic and refreshing.

We tried several reds. I liked the youth and vitality of Marques De Borba 2009 from DO Alentejo; the added depth of Vinha Das Leres, DO Alentejano with it’s cool label; and the equal favourites – Vila real Douro DO Reserva 2007 whose indigenous grapes, several mentioned above, give the wine its deep colour and rich flavour. This wine shared first place with a wine that we brought home with us.

Meia Pipa 2007 is readily available and doesn’t cost a lot of money but it is a super, deeply flavoured and coloured wine with some treacle and liquorice on the nose, subtle 12 months oaking and a medium long finish.