Costa News Group – Page 2 – Colin Harkness on Wine

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 Costa News Group, April 2011, Plus Breaking News Update, 1st May 2011

AN ODE TO ODDBINS

THE LAMENTABLE DEMISE OF THE

COMMON MAN’S WINE MERCHANTS

Regular readers will have noticed over the fourteen years of Cork Talk that I have regularly mentioned, in glowing terms I might add, the wine merchants chain Oddbins. My introduction to the tutored study of wine was through Oddbins. My teacher, David Large, was manager of their largest shop in Liverpool. My first restaurant opened with Oddbins, Prenton, as suppliers, the second restaurant followed suit.

Then some years later, having established a name for myself in the Spanish wine-world, I brokered a deal between Oddbins and a Spanish supplier. Yes, I have a happy feel-good connection with Oddbins that goes back over 20 years. It’s not surprising therefore that I read with some sadness recently that the company has gone into administration.

Twenty million pounds worth of debts are, quite understandably, considered to be too heavy a handicap, the business is no longer viable. Over eight of those millions are owed to HMRC (Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs) and as the largest creditor it was them who finally pulled the plug, not the cork.

Of course that leaves another twelve million owed to other parties – British Gas is a creditor for example but also a number of wineries all over the world may be owed payment for wine deliveries Oddbins received when it was trading. Pol Roger, the famous but relatively small Champagne House is out over 200,000 pounds and as their managing director Nick James says for a small company like theirs it’s a major blow which will have serious repercussions throughout the industry.

The extremely disgruntled owner of the Sur de los Andes winery in Argentina has suggested that Oddbins was badly managed by its previous owners, Castel, and that this mismanagement continued with the current owner Simon Baile. Indeed ‘Disgusted of Argentina’ goes a step further claiming he has been fraudulently treated by Mr. Baile who ordered twice the usual stock before Christmas knowing that he would be unable to pay for the wine, but in fact selling it all!

Staff at the shops are understandably unhappy too. The more so when it was revealed that one of the executives was given a five-figure redundancy pay off, just before the company went into administration. And the administrators are saying that it is unlikely that creditors will receive any more than 7·5 pence in the pound!

For me it’s a real shame. Oddbins were the pioneers of making wine accessible to everyone. Extremely well-informed, jeans and tee-shirt clad shop assistants and managers smiled when they asked if they could help shoppers make their choices. Illuminating and often amusing tasting notes were quirkily written by each new wine.

They didn’t try to sell you the most expensive wine, they assessed all your requirements and comments recommending the wine they honestly thought best suited you. Wine experts and novices alike were comfortable in Oddbins premises.

Messrs. Manning and Smith from Deloittes have been appointed Joint Administrators and they are saying that there are buyers interested, but it’s unclear whether it will be bought as a going concern or if it will be bought in small portions.

But there’s another danger lurking behind this sad demise. If Oddbins failure is indicative of a general malaise in the UK wine trade, outside that of the supermarkets, does it mean that there will be other smaller wine specialist shops going to the wall as well? And if so will this mean that we will be even more in the hands of the supermarkets who will be able to dictate what we drink in the UK? It’s a worry, but not here I’m glad to say – yet?

*Breaking News, 1st May 2011* 37 of Oddbins shops have just been sold as going concerns to EFB (European Food Brokers), whose owner, Raj Chatha, said ‘this will be a new dawn for Oddbins.’

Mr. Chatha also commented that he was pleased to have saved many of the jobs of Oddbins’ staff whose futures had looked precarious.

The drinks sector of EFB trades under the name of Whitalls Wines Limited and of his plans for the new shops Mr. Chatha also said, “Our focus over the coming weeks and months will be to replenish the stores with an exciting range at competitive prices.”

PS There’s a super Duets Evening with Copas and Tapas happening at the beautiful Restaurante Ca Pepe, Moraira on Wednesday 4^th May, organised by the musical Duo Dolce Divas (pianist Kirsty Glen will also be singing with Claire Post!). Duets will performed from their new repertoire as well as with the exceptional Baritone voice of Andy Headford. The price of this special innovative evening is only 20€; to reserve your places please e-mail info@dolcedivas.net ; or call me on 629 388 159.

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, January 2011

REFLECTIONS ON OUR VISIT TO UK

WHERE OFTEN, MORE IS LESS!

Whilst we were primarily, of course, in the UK to enjoy the company of family and friends at Christmas time, I’m always indulged as far as my observation of current wine trends is concerned. For my part I like to think I strike a happy balance, occasionally I stop taking wine notes and listen!

Our visit last Easter was, it seemed, like surfing in on a giant wave of Sauvignon Blanc! The UK was awash with wines made from this super-crisp grape variety. It was the preferred choice in most houses we visited as well as in pubs and bars, and the wine shops and supermarket shelves were loaded with the stuff. No, problem, I like Sauvignon, and it was a pleasure to try the same from so many different countries – the UK is still the best country on the planet for wine variety!

I expected the same at Christmas – but hey, Sauvignon, move over and make room for Pinot Griggio! Yes the Italian, oh-so-slightly grey-tinged grape variety is currently in vogue. And again, no problem, I often like this wine too, plus it’s good to enjoy variety when offered a glass of dry white.

It seems that, unlike here in Spain, the UK wine drinking public follows fads. What’s ‘in’ this month (maybe week?) could well ‘passé next. I’m quite sure also that, as these darlings of the moment are still good wines, even when they inevitably fall from prominence, they will return another time. It’s a cyclical thing, but who’s turning the wheel, and why?

It may be that the people responsible are those noble gentlepeople of the press (should wine columnists be known as the wine press, do you think?!). If a wine writer is bombarded with samples of a certain grape variety he/she’s bound to write about the wines he tastes. Ergo the more writers who receive these samples, the more column inches there are and bingo, the current tide turns in favour of this next variety. So who orchestrates the sample sending – is it merely coincidence?

I use the ‘more is less’ term here to describe two other traits I noticed in the UK. Cork Talk readers will know that one never fills a wine glass more than a third full. But it seems that in the UK this is not the case (except in the homes we visited, of course, where friends and family are also discerning wine drinkers). I all the pubs and restaurants we patronised glasses were filled almost to the brim. Why is this?

Wine Glasses should be no more than a third full, otherwise More is Less!

I suspect that it is because an unaware public will feel short-changed if they are served a glass that is well short of full. In fact, though, they are already being cheated – of all the aromas, integral to full wine appreciation, that wine offers prior to tasting. If it’s difficult to put the glass to your lips without spilling the contents how can we possibly swirl and sniff and allow those fragrances to tempt us? More is less!

Also ‘more is less’ when I consider many of the wines that I tasted, though you may disagree. Almost all of the red wines I drank, many in fact from Chile (the biggest culprit?), were big. Big in up-front fruit and/or up-font fruit and oak combined as well as big in alcohol. I liked them, initially. The bold flavours please the palate, but the second glass, well it was just too much! Bigger wines, these days it seems, equal less complexity.

Has subtlety been left out of the New World Wine Dictionary? Is finesse a thing of the past in wines from these countries? Has the sophisticated palate been GBH’d by overripe fruit, high alcohol and wooden clubs? More is less!