Back to Basics? ….A Look at some Cooperative Wines.

Pedralba Wine Club.

Over the last couple of weeks, with the over-indulgence of Xmas behind us, I thought it might be time to look at some of the wines produced by Co-operatives within the Valentino district of D.O. Valencia. This is one of the sub-divisions of the D.O. and takes in two quite specific areas. First is the area around the towns of Alcublas, Villar d´Arzobispo, Lliria, Casinos, Pedralba , and Chulilla……towns that sit at  between 200 and 650m above sea level and where Merseguera, Plantafina, Macabeo and Pedro-Ximinez provide the white wines and Garnacha, Cabernet Sauvignon and Tempranillo the reds. The long  valley which holds another ( `Alto Turia´) sub-division climbs away from here Westwards towards Titaguas and Alpuente and vineyards up to 900 metres.

The second sub-division of Valentino however is dedicated to Moscatel, normally Alexandria or Romano, taking its name from the grapes which in Roman times provided the popular wines from Valentia which were exported to the entire Roman Empire. This sub-division includes towns such as Chiva, Cheste, Godelleta, Montroy, Monserrat and Turis. There are red grapes grown here and sold  by the local co-ops and organisations such as Bodegas Vinival who are bulk wine traders. The Moscatels are king ( or queen ) here, producing Mistelas or Vinos de Licor, sweet wines stopped by adding alcohol to preserve the natural sugars but there are dry whites from the same variety, dry and sweet espumosas and even an Orujo commercialised in the zone.

And although many of these wines are first choice for locals who still go to the co-operatives to buy their daily tipple, for drinking with elevenses or lunch, they are often far from basic and there are some traditional wines produced across the two zones which appear to be  largely unknown in Valencia itself !

It is just coming up to two years since I became involved with setting up a tasting club in Pedralba. Today there are members from Monserrat and Torrente and Vilamarxant as well. It was for the first tasting that I initially went looking for some wines from local producers rather than looking for top bodegas, there would hopefully be opportunities to look at some of these at later tastings…….just what we have done in fact, sampling wines from Castellon, Utiel-Requena, Alicante as well as all the parts of D.O.Valencia.

As the next tasting is in Monserrat I thought it might be time to go back, look at some of the bodegas we had first sampled and see if there was anything new.

Ximo Semillon.

I started in Villar D´Arzobispo, where the El Villar and Comeche bodegas have provided wines in the past. Although Comeche continues to produce quality wines , quite  a lot of it exported, apart from buying several litres of the excellent Rancio Solera for my barrel at home there was nothing new whilst next door in the new shop from which El Villar sell their wines I found a Semillon, sold under the Ximo label. Semillon is a newly permitted variety, wines were only beginning to be produced from a couple of experimental plots when I arrived. There were as I was told small plots in the Turia valley and up near Siete Aguas. Covibex, the Valencian experimental bodega in Chiva, a modern establishment built to replace  local bodegas in Lliria, Bugarra, Gestalgar, Pedralba and Vilamarxant produced a basic dry semillon and a barrel fermented version both of which I tried some time back. The Semillon from El Villar is 12.5% ABV, from the 2010 vintage. A straw colour, green and golden flashes, clean and bright. On the nose nice acidity, I was surprised at the ripe fruit, honey and citric notes which evolved and as the wine opens across the palate these were added to by green apple, as well as hints of peaches. The back lable suggests the wine is good with seafood, shell-fish and white meat. We had it with clochinas al vapor, Valencian mussels in a little wine with lemon and garlic. Perfect! An inexpensive wine at 2.20€ a bottle and one which I will now be stocking!

Nothing much seemed to have changed at the Co-op in Casinos which dates to 1952. We had tried their astonishing Vi Dolç at the first tasting….Xmas pudding in a glass!

Pedralba´s wine making ended at the co-op a few years ago and now the wines are made in a big co-op on the A3 motorway. So nothing new there although the Bonachon  brand remains a very good sweet wine.

The new wines from Cheste Agraria, the co-op which produces Reymos were covered in my post on the second Sweet wine Fair held in Valencia at the DO HQ in Calle  Quart.

Wines from Godelleta.

So I crossed the motorway and headed to Godelleta, the first town on this stretch of the CV 50 which runs down through the pretty countryside towards the coast. Acting on a tip-off I wanted to see what else was being produced apart from the honeyed Moscatel Vino de Licor. Well what a surprise was awaiting! Three additions to the range I had not seen or tasted before!

First of these is a white dry Moscatel, Castillo Godelleta and 12%ABV. Produced from a selection of grapes which are young and fruity, all Moscatel de Alejandria, the wine is a product of cold maceration and cold fermentation. This has resulted in a pale yellow wine, clean, bright and lighter than the Semillon. On the nose it is fresh, aromatic with hints of apricots and in the mouth it retains its freshness, good acidity, and fruit which grows but remains subtle ending with a nice mineraly, long dry finish. A nice wine as an aperitif as well as good with the clochinas! I find this an interesting wine, clearly produced to compete with Alicante dry moscatels such as Marina Alta and Bahia de Denia. For me it is not quite there yet but…..at 1.90€ it is half the price and very good value price to quality.

Also new to me was an 11.5% Espumoso ( we are outside the Cava DO and in any case it is from a non-permitted variety )  Moscatel . Fine bubbles rise through this yellow gold wine, bright  and with hints of green apples, white flowers and lemon peel on the nose. In the mouth I was expecting a sweet wine but no, it is dry, rich and with just that subtle hint of fresh sweet fruit, A good long finish, a satisfying wine. Bottled for the bodega by Pago de Tharsys and at 4.50€ a bottle of something else to try at the Monserrat tasting.

Newly Pruned Moscatel Vine.

Finally and keeping up the association with Pago de Tharsys I spotted the Orujo in its slim black box……  Orujo is rather more traditional in Galicia than here in Valencia, where you tend to see the variety steeped with herbs, in bars. However Pago de Tharsys in Requena have been commercialising their orujo from  Albarino for a while and BOCOPA, the Alicante Co-operative also commercialise a pure orujo from Moscatel. This one is a bargain 12.10€ a bottle ( 50cl) and has been added to the cellar!

Armed with enough wines for the next tasting it seems I will need to visit some of the other Cooperatives in DO Valencia shortly….. Alto Turia and Clariano here we come!

A Visit to Bodega Enologica Oleana, Vinos Marsilea in Sinarcas, Utiel-Requena.

January is not generally a month for sun-loving softies to go to the interior , here in Valencia. Cold mornings are made worse by a serious drop in temperatures as you rise away from Valencia and head West towards Requena. Sinarcas, our destination for this visit is even higher at 900m above sea level and 3º was the best on offer temperature wise.

Sebastián Mancebo, Winemaker at Ecologica Oleana.

Sinarcas is the furthest of the towns making up the Utiel-Requena denomination, home also to a co-operative and Bodegas Pasiego, is a centre of chicken farms ( most of Valencia´s eggs are produced here) and to all intents and purposes appeared to be a sleepy little town, the only signs of life being the occasional lone worker pruning vines.

Fortunately, our host, Sebastián Mancebo, wine-maker at Oleana had booked us in for almuerzo in the excellent Bar Sinarcas. This consisted of a hearty plate of sausages, made at the bar itself, pisto, the obligatory fried eggs and  fresh bread washed down of course by a selection of the bodegas wines, followed by coffee and an orujo with honey…..a very good start!

Sebastián first impressed me with the bodega´s wines at the 2010 Valencia wine and food fair. The bodega is wholly ecological and proudly displays the Valencian Government´s certificate on the back labels of their wines. Situated in a warehouse on the edge of town, the bodega is relatively small and Sebastián makes mono-varietal wines from Bobal ( Rosado, Joven and Methode Tradicional) , Merlot, and a blend of red from Syrah, Merlot, Tempranillo and Bobal and whites from Verdejo and Gewurtztraminer all from the 60 hectares of vines ( and from some 28 small parcels with different orientations) at this family owned vineyard.

There are also vinos de agujo, a white and a rosado and a bag in the box range, all called Albiar. The wines are sold in Valencia City through a distributor but Sebastián is developing overseas markets including Germany and Belgium and, good news, Birmingham in the UK! He hopes to go to wine-fairs in Germany, the UK and France this year to develop these markets.

20 Year Old Tempranillo.

Marsilea is the name for the top wines from the bodega and Fusion is the coupage made in 2009 from Bobal, Tempranillo, Merlot and Syrah which, in 2011 will for certain be without the Tempranillo as Sebastián was unhappy with the quality and sold it on to someone else. The Merlot is of sufficient quality to reserve some this year for a mono-varietal, a former marque  which has not been produced for 2-3 years.

The vineyards are the typically red soil of the region, sandy, stony and poor in quality despite being between the two dry river-beds of the Rambla Madre and the Rambla de la Hoz which feed the Oleana, ( or Rio Magro) which in turn passes through Requena on its way to the Cabriel and ultimately the sea.

And so to the wines.

We started over breakfast with the Fusion 2009 which is 14.5% ABV. The wine has a good youthful colour still, violet and with long legs. The nose is packed with fruit red, black and with lots of jam. In the mouth it is a full, fruity, easy to drink red, the fruit going well with the spicy sausages and pisto which accompanied it.

Equally good was the Marsilea Brut Nature, Methode Tradicional, Valentià, 100% Bobal and the only rosado in this style made from this variety in the region. The bottle had enjoyed 28 months on its lees before dis-gorging on 1 December 2010, thus enjoying another couple of years maturing which accounted for the very `champignon´ shaped cork which failed to expand. A quite full rose, strawberry colour, with lots of very fine , persistent bubbles, on the nose patisserie, toasty with soft fruits and in the mouth, full, nice attack , very well-balanced and a  surprisingly good match with guëno, chorizo and morcilla!

In the bodega we embarked on a tasting of 2011´s from deposit.

Gewurztraminer 2011.

The Verdejo was pale gold, with long legs and on the nose bananas, ripe tropical fruit, grassy and herby and in the mouth satisfying dry, but full, buttery and with a mineral finish. The wine is ready and awaiting bottling.

The Gewurztraminer is the only pure mono-varietal wine made in the Valencian region from this German/Alsacian grape. Very gold on the nose, clean, bright, long slow legs. On the nose fragrant, ripe fruit, white flowers, mango, lychee, a little orange scent, almond. In the mouth full, good balance, a wine for drinking young and which will go well with foie, pate, blue cheeses and , dare I say light curries! If this is what Gewurztraminer can produce I think there should be more of it grown! At 13.5% ABV and around 5-6 € a bottle in the shops this is a real find!

The next two wines were pure Bobals, the rosado and the joven. The grapes for these wines are grown at 900-1000m above sea-level, the highest in the DO. As a result the grape skins are thicker and contain more aromatics and colour. Also, the long hot days are complemented by sharp drops in night temperatures and breezes which reduces the stree in the grapes. As a result maturity is slower than around Requena. From a first pressing the wine is, not unexpectedly, reasonably deep in colour, bags of hard-boiled fruits on the nose, bubble-gum and in the mouth strawberries and cream but with a bit more depth of flavour.

In the Bodega.

The Joven from the same vineyards is more concentrated, bright purple and still undergoing a malolactic fermentation. unmistakably Bobal, purple, bright violet-blue edge, very long legs. Very fruity deep, concentrated, and heading shortly for barrica.

2011 has turned out to be a particularly good year for Merlot. This had finished its malolactic fermentation and is 13.1%ABV. Some of this harvest is likely to be retained for a mono-varietal this year, something the bodega has produced in the past but more recently has been included in the Fusion blend. Bright purple, with very long slow legs, colouring the glass, on the nose very sweet, mature damson and plum fruit but concentrated blackcurrant as well, jammy. In the mouth full, jammy and youthful, very concentrated. A wine to look forward to!

That I think is probably a description that I would be happy to apply to this bodega…..wines to look forward to which are always a pleasure to drink. A bodega which deserves to be better known than is currently the case! Another gem in this wonderful DO!

The Bodegas Facade in Sinarcas

A Visit to Bodega La Encina, New Artesans in Wine.

Carlos Espi and Tim O ´Donnell.

 

The tiny hamlet of La Encina is situated close to the border between Alicante, Valencia and Castilla La Mancha. It is close to a number of Bronze age settlements because the location is on the ancient tracks from the coast to the `meseta´ which formed trade routes and those of migration in ancient times.

Today this tiny hamlet of Villena, some 18km away towards Alicante, is recognised as one of just 14 railway building towns in Spain and the only one within the Valencian Community. Population has fluctuated reaching around 1200 in the heyday of railway building ( 1960´s) but today has dropped back to around 150. The houses were built largely for the railway builders along the side of the tracks, still maintained and in use today.

In one small street of houses, tucked below the railway lines between the new high-speed train track and the motorway both of which are under construction, three small buildings make up Bodega La Encina, a new addition to the winemaking tradition in Valencia. Carlos Espi and his uncle, José Maria Espi Sánchez are responsible for the bodega, which has vineyards in la Mancha as well as DO Alicante, although both are just between 2-5 km away from La Encina.

Wines From La Encina.

Wines therefore have  either  the DO Alicante mark, or the Viñedos de España `Vinos de la Tierra´ mark for those coming from the La Mancha vineyards. What both share is an absolute dedication to ecological practices with no use of chemicals or chemical fertilizers. The entire process is carefully handled, small boxes for the grapes, transport in chilled van, hand selection and then all of this is subject to inspection by the authorities Valencian Governments Ecological Agriculture Committee who award the prestigious back label certificate which aids export sales.

I was visiting with Tim O Donnell of the newly created Alizarin Wines in South London who is exploring Valencian vineyards with a view to importing wines for delicatessens, restaurants and for retail sales as well. Good ecological wines fit his business plan well.

Accompanied by Tim´s wife Suzanne, Carlos and José were keen to show us this years wines, still in deposit, and earlier wines from the barrel.

The bodega produces four wines currently. `Cero´ which is Vinos de España, 2008 and a blend of Garnacha, Merlot and Monastrell with ten months in French oak and 10 months in bottle before release. `Albalat´ Roble, with around three months in either French or American oak, `Albalat´Crianza with 8 months in oak and both 90% Monastrell, and `Rojoydulce´a mistela from Monastrell, all of which were reviewed in my post covering the L´ Alcúdia gastronomy fair in October 2011 ( see archive for tasting notes).

Forcallet, Rosado.

The three buildings contain respectively the press, deposits and bottling plant, the offices and the barrel park, some of it underground and some of it in an old pigeon loft……though this also just under ground level! There is a separate finca nearer the vineyards which contains another 100 barrels making up the total of around 2oo that the bodega uses.

The deposits are either stainless steel covered with epoxy resin or plastic and the bodega produces around 35-40 thousand litres a year.

The three varieties used currently are Monastrell, Garnacha and Merlot but there is some Forcallet which is producing a rosado .

It was the Forcallet 2011 we tried first, from deposit and with a deep onion skin which will fade when it is filtered before bottling. On the nose redcurrant fruit and in the mouth a hint of sparkle, fruity but very nicely balanced with acidity, long dry finish. I´m looking forward to trying this when it is released.

Secondly we tried the rojoydulce from deposit, also a rosado colour but much more red than the  Forcallet. This seemed still quite dry to me at this stage but deep in flavour.

 

Albalat Crianza.

 

The Albalat Roble 2010 is now approaching botttling time but we tasted directly from the barrel. The 2010 has had nearer to five months in wood and was full of lovely fruit, perhaps a little stalky at this stage. This will evolve and improve in bottle.

Down in the cellar we tasted the Tinto Cero 2010, 70%  Garnacha,  with the balance being Monastrell and Merlot (5%) .This was a deep dark red in colour, a little astringent currently but with Morello cherry fruit and green apple skin flavours. We tasted the same wine, but this time one which was bottled three months ago, from  which the green apple flavours had completely disappeared, This was rounder, more integrated and softer…..and interesting because it showed the influence of bottle in the evolution of wine.

We also tasted the 2010 Albalat Crianza from barrel before moving back upstairs to taste the 2011 varietals direct from deposit. ( `Albalat ´ is  Valencià for a Pago, like a French Chateau a bodega surrounded by it´s vineyards).

The Garnacha is a deep purple colour, 14% ABV, full of fruit and with a good depth. This is ready to go to barrel now which will happen once the Roble has been bottled. With ageing and rounding out in wood this looks like being a spectacular wine for eventually blending.

The Monastrell was if anything even more purple and heady, bags of fruit on the nose and floral notes, great bunches of violets! These were carried through into the mouth which was very full and deep at this stage.

Monastrell 2011 From Deposit.

José told us the soils were very poor, in places sandy and the rest full of stone but that the vines produced better wine if they had to struggle a bit. He described his vineyards as quite stressed! Certainly this was not a description you could apply to either Carlos or José. the latter a former architect who started the project about 10 years ago but who, with the crisis in full swing, now has rather more time to spend on his  new project. Both were very animated and happy with the progress they are making.

A good thing too! The wines have been well received and I have used them in tastings already. They have also been selected twice by Vino-Valencia for their events and  also have a very good price to quality ratio. There are plenty more reposing in the cellars at La Encina. This is officially now a bodega on my list of those to watch and next time I visit I am looking forward to accepting the invitation to lunch in the vineyards!

 

 

 

 

An Interesting Bottle Came My Way…Awatea Hawkes Bay 1992 Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot.

Awatea, So Good I took Two Pictures!

Pre-Xmas, sat at home, Arroz al Horno de Xativa ( home-cooked) for lunch and I felt I needed to try something different to drink!

So a hunt through the older bottles in the cellar offered up a New Zealand wine with a bit of age and promise and well….you can only open it once!

From memory Hawkes Bay and most of New Zealand  shares the equivalent of a Northern European climate. It is for this reason their Sauvignon Blancs like Cloudy Bay have a European feel if being a bit more grassy on the nose.

So, Awatea ( which means `Eye of the Dawn´ in Maori) is a  Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot with a touch of Cabernet Franc and with almost 20 years of age it raised my interest ….would it be past it? Would it still be alive and with promise or even better still? Where did the bottle come from? Well, from memory I think my youngest  brother gave it to me some years ago but whatever, it has been well cellared and today was the day to open it!

The neck level appeared to be normal, no loss there so no expectation of unwanted oxidation. The cork appeared perfect but proved to be shorter than expected… don´t these New Zealanders expect us Brits to keep bottles longer than they might? And, the cork broke in half, despite its lack of length!

Disappointed so far….? Not me, I could smell what the bottle had to offer…..immediately  fruit of the forest…..it fairly flowed from the neck!

And when I poured the first glass I could barely believe the colour……no hints of terracotta on the edge despite nearly 20 years, this was a bottle with a deep, dark, black cherry colour with almost a ruby edge! Long legs slowly crept down the glass and that fruit continued to dominate, now the whole room could smell it,  I think!

Arroz al Horno.

On the nose I was amazed! Here we have a wine picked between 21-30 April 1992 ( Southern Hemisphere of course!) The grapes were macerated for 10-15 days and following the malolactic fermentation it was transferred  into French oak ( 70% of it new) for 18 months. We are dealing here with a wine that is 92% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% each of Merlot and Cabernet Franc, but we might have been dealing with a very good Chinon or Bourgeuil  because on closer attention to me it was the Cabernet Franc that dominated the nose….that lovely raspberry  fruit I remember so well from Druet or Lamé-Delille-Boucard  wines I drank many bottles of in the 80´s on visits to the area or with friends in London.

Also on the nose was a clear hint of clove.

In the mouth there was no disappointment. What a fine wine! That raspberry fruit had a gravel, mineral undertone, still mature fruit and still very lively….two and a half hours later I am still enjoying the second glass which is full, round, long-lived and extremely well balanced…..oh how I wish my brother had brought me a half-dozen bottles!

Worth Another Look!

What a pleasure, it stood up very, very well to the fat in the pork ribs, the sweetness of the roasted garlic, saffron and morcilla de cebolla.

This may have been a self-indulgent lunch on a cold, very windy, Valencian Autumn day but one I shall remember for a very long time to come!

Ricardo´s Ten Most Enjoyed Valencian Wines of 2011.

Tasting in Villena.

Well 2011 has been a spectacular year for tastings with first visits to regions outside Valencia, some hot tastings in Valencia, some wonderful evenings at Las Añadas, Vino-Valencia, Pedralba and Vilamarxant Wine Clubs, some great fairs in Valencia, Requena, Alicante and Castellon and a host of Bodega visits!

Now, of course any list is entirely subjective, it doesn´t matter whether you are Peñin, Parker, Miller, Els Bodeguers or an avid supporter of Verema. We all have aspects about wine which excite us more and in the final analysis even if you know a particular wine is spectacular it will not make it to a final list if something else in another wine tips the balance, be it fruit, a preference for French or American oak,  concentration or just plain quirkiness or a preference for a particular variety or disdain of the same! And please remember these are the wines I most enjoyed, not necessarily the best

Poster for 3rd Cava Fair.

All I know is that going back over the years tasting notes there were wines each time which got exclamation marks and `loved it´in the margin! No boring gradation from 1.1 to 9.9 in my notes! ( Well there are  and it was surprising how many made it into the 8.2 to 9.2 range!) And on that note any bodega which feels their wine should be included in my list….I am sorry…..all wines not included are 0.1 point below the succesful ones!

Let us start with cava….and what a list there was to choose from including some which don´t count as cava because they are made outside the DO or from grape varieties that are not permitted. Amongst these are the `Metodo Propio´ of Carlos Carcel whose just disgorged bottle we enjoyed at the bodega or brother Ernesto´s 9 D’Octubre….both pure Macabeos. Amongst the strong contenders….and still in the running for Xmas Selection ( which comes later) along with these two are three more from Requena, `Sybarus ´from Torroja, Chozas Carrascal and Vera de Estenas. Top contenders for me were however ArteMayor from Dominio de la Vega together with their Pinot Noir rosado, Hispano Suiza´s Tantum Ergo and their rosado also from Pinot Noir, or Pago de Tharsy´s Unico….a `blanc de noir´ from pure Bobal. There is also a 6-year-old cava lurking in the cellars of bodegas Cueva where Mariano Taberner has been conducting one of his experiments! Well Hispano Suiza did rather well with the critics who probably know much better than me naming the rosado best Cava……..but for me `Unico´ just wins, a distinct quality wine which for me is better value than commercial champagne such as Veuve Cliquot, Lanson, etc.

With carlos Carcel.

In fresh whites the choice was immense from varieties such as Macabeo, Merseguera, Verdil, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Tardana, Viognier, Riesling, Moscatel, Malvasia  and more. Of the Tardanas the outstanding wine is of course Sybarus from Torroja. ( A Spanish friend thinks he knows of a small parcel which still remains in Pedralba- where it will be called Plantafina and which could possibly be recuperated.) Of the Verdil´s the best for me is Belda´s 2011, much cleaner and fresher than the 2010. I still like a co-operative white from Merseguera, Balcon de Valencia from Alcublas and loved some of the dry moscatels from Alicante, but in the end Macabeo produced some of the best wines in this category, full of ripe melon and green apple, satisfying with lovely acidity it does grow well in Valencia. Torre Oria, Marmiton, Enterizo from Coviñas in Requena, Vera de Estenas, the list is immense but the wine which stood out was the Marmiton, accompanying morteruelo and ajoarriero in La Sarten in La Portera…. a truly unforgettable couple of bottles with a wonderful meal!

Finca Collado at the Valencia Mostra.

No messing about with the cask aged whites. There were chardonnays from Vinessens, a new bodega in Villena, Viña Lidon from Vera de Estenas, Sauvignon Blanc from Hispano Suizas….(who can forget that vertical tasting of five vintages?)  Ernesto Carcels Macabeo crianza from American oak and of course Chardonnay from Alvarez Nölting and Finca Collado´s blend of Chardonnay and Moscatel from Salinas in Alicante. Magnanimvs blanco, Clemente´s Florante , Angosto Blanco and Frailes Blanco also performed memorably in this category.

Els Bodeguers placed the Alvarez Nölting first and gave the silver to Finca Collado ( ahead of Daniel Belda) which  also went on to win a Bachus later in the year. Of the pure Chardonnays Viña Lidon is hands down winner for me with its  banana fruit and acidity in 2010 but overall I just prefer the Finca Collado 2010, DO Alicante,  blended with Moscatel which now has wonderful citrus ( grapefruit) flavours.

In the rosados Beldas 2010 Merlot, Finca Collado´s Merlot, Pedro Moreno´s Bobal, Parreño from Latorre, Vera de Estenas  Bobal, Torre Oria´s and some others were refreshing, easy drinkers. Amongst the biggest prizewinners were the rosados from Bobal from Coviñas who consistently provide outstanding wines in the category. Of the range from Enterizo, Al Vent or Aula the Al Vent was the winner in this catgory, lovely colour, fresh fruit and cream nose but with a hint of minerality and better acidity in the finish.

In the light red category there were some interesting wines from  2010, generally considered difficult in Utiel-Requena, better in Valencia  Castellon and Alicante although there was a lot of oidium and a lot of treatment as a result.

Of the  reds with a touch of cask ageing Vicente Flors `Flor de Clotas´ from Tempranillo, Bobal from Dominio de la Vega, Cero from La Encina a new ecological bodega in Villena, the 2009 Merlot from Finca Collado, the Martinez Bermell Merlot from Vera de Estenas , La Peña from Alejandro Perez  a small family bodega in Mañan and the green label Viñas de Calles from Vegamar have all excited at tastings. For me the Finca Collado and Vera de Estenas, the Bobal from Dominio de la Vega are serious wines whilst the La Peña and Viña de Calles are more everyday drinkers. Judging by the number of bottles which came through the house or those of friends the La Peña wins the former light red category and the Martinez Bermell the slightly more serious category. There were no basic tintos which excited me at all!

In the `proper´cask-aged reds category there are some very heavyweight contenders. Wines from Muro (Almoroig) , Torrevellisca, Belda, Enguera, Mendoza, Carabibas,  six of the seven members of the  Asociación Primum Bobal, Olivastro, Mustiguillo, Emilio Clemente, and from Castellon `Clotas´ from Vicente Flors, a Tempranillo that I will forever remember standing up to artichokes, Gabriel Mayo Garcia´s Platinum series, a whole host of wines with depth, concentration and flavour.

Serious Contenders from Muro D´Alcoy.

Bobal is such a distinct grape and with such potential that `best bobal´ is a category in its own right. The only rule was that it had to be a pure 100% monovarietal.  Contenders were Olivastro from Viñedos y Bodegas Carres, Pago de Molinos from Dani Esposito, `Casa Don Angel´ from Vera de Estenas, all three quite distinct wines. I have enjoyed the Pago at Asociación tastings, the Vera de Estenas at special tastings and lunch at the bodega and the Olivastro at home as well as the bodega. For me there is very little to separate them but for me the 2008 Olivastro just edges the other two for its explosive fruit. All three develop after opening and are outstanding wines from the variety that demonstrate the ageing potential, depth, concentration and flavours possible.

For me the other winner in this category is the Carabibas, Sierra de Cabreras from Salinas ( DO Alicante) a wine of huge concentration but pushed hard by the Almoroig,  Mendoza´s Petit Verdot, Terrerazo from Mustiguillo,  Ca Belda, with a lot more coming up on the rails!

In sweet wines where to go? Moscatels abound in Valencia and are concentrated but not exclusive to the Marina Alta in DO Alicante and the area around Turis in DO Valencia ( Valentino). But there are some produced in Utiel-requena from Bobal (Sybarus or Dagon ) and from other varieties at Dominio de la Vega and Chozas Carrascal amongst others. In Castellon La Palera produced around Vilafames is a sweet sticky syrup of figs from Tempranillo and we should not forget the Bonachon from Pedralba ( Garnacha) or the dulce from Comeche in Villar d´Arzobispo or the sweet reds from Alicante from Monastrell, not to mention the Fondillons from around Monovar. Some of the Moscatels are produced as light espumosos such as those from Bocopa and Reymos from Cheste. There are also wines produced for the mass from Malvasia in Turis and this year was a delight even if the Sweet wine fair in Valencia and the Alicante LomejordeGastronomia had rather less to taste this year than last.

Miquelius from Bodegas Dagon.

Two straight winners……. in sticky reds it has to be the unforgettable Dagon and in the lighter espumos0s Reymos for it´s consistency and light easy drinking!

So there you go, my favourite 10 wines of this year. Bet they will all be different at the end of 2012!

 1. Cava….Pago de Tharsys Unico.

 2. Light Whites….Marmiton Macabeo 2010 , DO Utiel-Requena.

3. Oaked Whites….Finca Collado Blanco 2010, DO Alicante.

4. Rosado….Bobal …Al Vent 2010 Coviñas DO Utiel-Requena.

5. Young reds……La Peña Alejandro Perez. DO Alicante.

6. Medium reds….. Martinez Bermell Merlot, Vera de Estenas, DO Utiel-Requena.

7.Serious Reds…Bobal…Olivastro 2008 , Carrés, DO Utiel-Requena.

8. Serious reds…Other Varieties….Carabibas, Sierra de Cabreras 2009 DO Alicante.

9. Sweet Wines….Heavy…Bobal, Bodegas Dagon, Utiel-Requena.

10. Sweet Wines…Espumosos, Reymos, Cheste Co-op. DO Valencia.

Vilafamés, Gastronomy Days 2011.

Poster for the Vilafamés Fair.

Just once in a while, despite thinking you know somewhere well, something jumps out and gives you a huge surprise! The Jornadas Gastronòmiques de Vilafamés was one of these. Normally these `Jornadas´ are held in local restaurants in a town and are a showcase for local cooking at reasonable prices and this was no exception with all the bars and restaurants displaying tables laid up for excited diners in the know. Unusually I think this is accompanied by a local fair in the market place in Vilafamés, a very pretty town about an hour North of Valencia with a ruined castle and set in a steep valley between mountain ranges.

I think I have been to Vilafamés five or six times this year, it is the home to Bodegas Mayo Garcia and Señorio de Vilafames, as well as having a local Co-op bodega as well. It also is home to the olive oil Co-op named after the local mountain peak of Penyagolosa.

From the town there are astounding views over the Plà de Vilafames and the vineyards it contains, in the narrow streets with their tall  houses, some built into the stone of the mountainsides there is colour and a vibrancy which may well be due to the light.

Discussing Sausages at Casa Marta.

It was this colour which first surpised me on arrival at the fair. Our usual parking space in the towns main square was not available due to the marquee in which local bakers, butchers, sausage-makers, the olive oil co-op and Bodegas Mayo Garcia were showing their range of wines called Magnanimvs. Here also, local restaurants were displaying their menus and taking bookings for lunch or dinner.

Outside it was a very bright and warm December day, we have been enjoying an Autumn with daytime temperatures still around 18 degrees and so far without frosts. Inside the marquee, often drab and uninviting, the colours abounded on the various stalls.

We were to be tempted by Bunuelos and figs from the local housewives association served with a sweet rich Moscatel Vino de Licor.

In a corner one of the local butchers, Casa Marta, which also provides a take-away service, were displaying a huge range of sausages, white, black and red, blanquettes, longanizas, chorizos, botifarras, sobrasadas and morcillas, perro and artesan cheeses with rosemary, olives and in the traditional servilleta and tronchon shapes. From here we selected a sheeps cheese, `El Poble Benessal´semi-curado and from an artesan cheesemaker, a member of the Valencian Cheese Makers Association.

Selection of Breads and Cocas.

From the next door bakers stall Forn de Pa Natural , we selected a  bread weighing about a pound, crisp and fresh, to add to our emerging lunch. To this we added a generous portion of coca, like a pizza base but dressed with sardine, anchovy, red pepper, and aubergine slices.

At the nearby butchers stall of Maria Dolores (MD from the next village of St Joan del Moro) we admired another selection of sausages. Amongst the longanizas frescas was a range which to all intents and purposes could have been English. Thicker in style and with herbs and spices we could have had pork with wine, sobrasada, pork with roquefort, with garlic or other varieties! We selected pork with ajos-tiernos , young green garlic and a botifarra montaña with spices.

Next we called at the stall of Gabriel Mayo Garcia, a very good winemaker and selected some white Magnanimvs as well as the red `Gold top´-as well as sampling the Rosado and `Platinum Top´! These wines have all been reviewed following previous visits to the Bodega earlier in the year ( see archives). Wines should also have been available from both the Co-op, Bodegas Vilafamés, and Señorio de Vilafamés whose cavas and reds I particularly like, but despite advertising their presence neither were there.

Moscatel, Vino de Licor at the Housewives Stall.

Moving on we tried a sobrasada, quite mild, from Estela and some savoury tarts from Entrepans Paima, before stealing outside for a refreshing beer. Here the other bakery in the village, Rafael Galindo, was doing a roaring trade with his chocolate covered fruits. This bakery is renowned for its sweets and sweet tarts and we have visited it before to try almond based pastries!

Up the hill towards the Church and Castle, local shops were selling ceramic and other products. One of these shops is a local delicatessen `La Palera´. Every visit to the town has culminated here so far to buy a few bottles of the Vi dolç, a dark sweet syrup of figs pudding wine from long aged Tempranillo with pasification.  Paco and Mari-Carmen sell quality wines from Castellon, dispense samples of their sweet wine and otherwise have good quality olive oil, honey, marmalades and tourist oriented goods! This time they were dispensing samples of a new white and rosado from their own grapes which they are now commercializing. The white is dry, from Malvasia, Merseguera and Moscatel and was light, fresh, dry, well-balanced with floral notes and apricots and a good finish. The rosado is onion skin in colour with nice viscocity. On the nose quite closed, it may have been a little over chilled but in the mouth was full of fruit, with an initial sweetness balanced by fresh acidity and lovely raspberry and strawberry flavours, quite full with a creamy long finish. From Tempranillo and , unusual in Castellon, Bobal.

Outside La Palera.

We strolled  down the hill, had a coffee, this time avoiding the Carajillo de Ron, ( a lethal rum based coffee) for which the town is infamous and made our way back to the car. From here an hours drive home saw us cooking the sausages and laying out our impromptu lunch. I can only say these were amongst my favourite sausages from Valencia, the Botifarra spicy and peppery and the longaniza with its garlic….well, garlicky but not overso! Both had a wonderful texture and displayed no fat in the cooking……the coca of sardine was excellent with the bread base easy to eat and neither too oily nor dry. The bread was fresh, easy to carve and well….our next visit to Vilafamés will now have other motives than just visiting the bodegas!

A Visit to Bodegas Mustiguillo, Finca Terrerazo, Bodegas Pasiego and Lunch in San Antonio.

Bodegas Mustiguillo.

It was a  weekend in which we were spoilt for choice, The third Valencian Fair showing DO Cava made around Requena but representing Bodegas from Castellon to Fontanars was being held in the Plaça Arbol in the centre of Valencia under cloudless skies. Casinos, a centre of almond growing was holding it´s annual Turron fair. In Fontanars, Terres dels Alforins the new eno-tourism organisation representing bodegas from the immediate environs held its first  wine fair at Daniel Belda´s bodega.

This week also sees Las Añadas de Utiel-Requena, the annual fair held in Valencia by  the DO at which associated bodegas show some of their newer releases, not necessarily those from the 2011 vintage. Plus there were offers of bodega visits to  taste the new wines from Vicente Flors and a cheese tasting in central Valencia.

`Terroir´ Award.

It was I believe impossible to fit all this in, but somewhat difficult to decide what to omit………..so when the chance came to visit Bodegas Mustiguillo, Finca Terrerazo near Utiel followed by lunch in the region it seemed Saturday was sorted for me! I was very lucky to visit Tony Sarrion at Mustiguillo shortly after arriving in Valencia in the company of José-Luis Contreras of Verema and a group from the University of Valencia and it was a visit that confirmed in my mind what the potential for Valencian wine was.

This week has seen his efforts with ecological wine-making, the terrain and in particular bobal recognised by the University Polytechnic of Valencia, the Gran Pagos organisation and the Valencian Government  with the giving of the `Terroir´ award on Thursday evening.  The time was therefore perfect to visit the bodega and catch up with Tony´s assessment of the development of the property and taste some wines.

Javi Prats, fellow blogger had organised the invitation and we were joined by Fernando Crespo now responsible for the bodegas PR. We joined a tour conducted by Tony himself with around twenty-five other visitors which commenced in the vineyard with its heavily stony soil.

Government Recognition.

His background may have included family vineyards but Tony qualified in Business Management and came to wine making in 1999 when he decided to make a proper job of it and dedicate himself to giving the vines the attention they merited. Finca Terrerazo had been bought in the 1970´s and consisted of some 250 Hectares near to Las Cuevas de Utiel at 800m above sea-level.

The new bodega buildings were constructed around and above the old farm buildings on the site and the first vintage was produced in 1999. The bodega itself is very modern with state of the art technology but this is used to make artesan wines. Currently 85 Hectares are in use for wine-making.

Making those wines well was also more important than following the rules of the DO and from  the outset the wines were no more than Vinos de La Tierra de Terrerazo but by 2010 the fruits of his labour and the extraordinary development of Bobal in particular led the bodega to obtain Pago status which gives its own DO status as well, the first in the Mediterranean to achieve this.

Garnacha in the Vineyard.

The attention to detail starts in the vineyard where you will encounter vines en espalda, en vaso, with or without watering all according to the type of terroir or the `experiment´ Tony is conducting in evaluating the variety. All this leads to vines which produce very small bunches of tightly packed grapes, the best for producing high quality bobal based wines.

Selection continues in picking by hand, then refridgeration for at least 24 hours before a second-hand sorting to ensure only the very best fruit used. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel and the bodega has around 20 small deposits, including 3.5k litre wooden tanks. In the cellar beneath the wines conduct their malolactic fermentation and crianzas in one of around 200 oak barrels from a number of different producers.

Further details on this process are to be found in Javi Prats blog, visiting Bodegas Mustiguillo  http://javiprats.blogspot.com  . Following the visit to the subterranean barrel park we repaired to the tasting room to try two of the wines for which the bodega is rightly renouned, Mestizaje and Terrerazo.

Mestizaje in Gran Format!

Mestizaje 2010 is a young bobal in blend with other varieties, 13.5% ABV and VdeT de El Terrerazo. A medium to deep cherry and plum red with violet edge, and has very fat, long slow legs. It is quite brilliant and glossy. On the nose cherry and a little alcohol, violets and a spiky raspberry fruit. In the mouth initially acidic, then opens really quickly with violets, blackcurrant and if it wasn´t for the acidity would be full of boiled sweets. In fact it is well-balanced, nicely structured and round.

The Terrerazo 2005 by contrast is a much deeper cherry colour, with a more ruby edge, long legs. On the nose it has more depth, plum, damson, jam, cedar wood, menthol, clove and then more concentrated mature fruit, raisins, tobacco, chocolate and liquorice. Very complex , full and in the mouth a very round well-balanced wine, full of mature fruit with smooth tannins. A fabulous wine.

The Bodega also makes a top wine Quincha  Corral.

Our visit over we moved on to Bodegas Pasiego in nearby Sinarcas, the most Northern of the towns in the DO and the most high at 900m above sea-level. This is another of the artesan bodegas in the DO situated close to the road Criadoras y Artesanos sell their wines under the Pasiego label.

José-Luis Perez of Pasiego.

 

The bodega has recently undergone re-development and expansion but remains essentially a small bodega with just four wines, a white from Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, Pasiego Crianza, ( Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon) Pasiego Reserva which also includes about 10% Merlot and Pasiego del Autor with Cabernet Sauvignon, Bobal and Tempranillo.

This last wine is one of the Primum Bobal wines, the bodega being a member of the association and provider of some of the grapes for the new wine which is about to be launched by them.

However we were there to sample the varietals from deposit many of which were still in malolactic fermentation. We first tried a Cabernet Sauvignon, full of fruit and green pepper, then a Bobal and finally a Merlot before trying the blended white from deposit which was full of banana, tropical fruit, white flowers and nice acidity. Finally following a chat ( and a glass of the 2010 white ) with José-Luis Perez one of three brothers who own the property we left in search of lunch.

We settled on Bar Ramos in San Antonio where we had both eaten before……..but were very lucky to get a table as , surprisingly for a Saturday lunchtime, it was absolutely packed with tables full of multiple diners! This is clearly a good sign for a restaurant with a great reputation for traditional, local cookery.

 

Ajoarriero, Mortuerelo and Gazpacho in Bar Ramos.

Nor were we disappointed, the wait for the table being rewarded by some of our favourite dishes, ajoarriero, mortuerelo, gazpacho manchego, embutidos and pancetta washed down with the excellent 2005 L ´Angelet from Bodegas Palmera, a wine of great depth and full of mature soft fruit. We finished the meal with Cava from Chozas Carrascal,  generously donated by the adjoining table which had been celebrating a family birthday.

Another excellent visit to two contrasting but excellent bodegas in this exciting wine-growing area and another educational day!

 

L ´Angelet 2005, Bodegas Palmera.

A Visit to Bodegas Torrevellisca, Zagromonte, Terres dels Alforins.

Experimental Vineyard.

My second visit to a Bodega this month coincidentally was also to a former Cooperative building, that of Torrevellisca on the outskirts of the pretty little town of Fontanars in the Val D´Albaida, part of DO Valencia ( Clariano).

Unlike Banús in Benlloch in this old building they are not using the previous facilities….other than the space available, all the old equipment having been ripped out and replaced with state of the art technology and a new office block in the interior!

The Bodega Seen From the Air.

The property has a `Royal´ history having been part of the former estate of Don Luis Melo, Marquis of Vellisca who renounced his claim to the crown of Portugal and in 1880 settled into El Balco where he built the Torre Vellisca.

Fontanars is a significant wine growing area within the Clariano producing some of the best wines within DO Valencia, and wines grown from these times  were reputedly excellent. Indeed the area has been called the `Spanish Tuscany.´ Of course like many other properties Torrevellisca has changed hands over the years and the current building was erected in 1993 as a Co-op with twenty-eight members. Some of these changes have not been without controversy. However today the bodega is in the hands of Zagromonte, a young team dedicated to the production of quality wine through very technological processes.

Having met Rafael Penades, one of the administrators, at the local L´Alcúdia gastronomy fair ( see October archives) I was invited to visit the bodega. Here I was introduced to the new and young management team of Natalia Strelchik and Emilio Arellano Samper,  the winemaker.

We undertook a visit of the experimental vineyard which flanks the facility with its huge array of stainless steel tanks, modern all-singing, all-dancing bottling and labelling line from Italy, and then the barrel park underneath the bodega. The vineyard has Macabeo, Malvasia, Verdejo, Verdil and Chardonnay as well as Cabernet Sauvignon, Monastrell, Tempranillo and Merlot and covers about 4 hectares. It sits as do the vineyards of their producers in the centre of the valley with water from rainfall seeping its way down and leaving the soil permanently damp.

Part of the Italian Bottling Line.

The bodegas owners describe themselves as wanting to `combine tradition and innovation in a harmonic balance´to bring the best out of the wines produced. So here there are no `old fangled ideas´ of ecological or biodynamic production. The former suppliers of raw materials to the co-op are contracted to the new owners. They produce grapes to the requirements and quality standards required by them and are paid accordingly. It is the bodega which determines the fertilisers used, the optimum moment for picking etc  and before the harvest Emilio visits the producers , takes samples and undertakes tests for acidity, sugar , ripeness etc.

This year the alcohol point reached 14% in the reds.

The bodega now aims to produce a style of wine for consumers to a high standard and with consistency so that customers not only appreciate the wines they drink but associate good times with it and come back regularly for more. To this end Emilio is using the larger deposits less and less ( there is a two million litre capacity ) and making wine in the smaller 15,ooo litre deposits, This has resulted in a drop in production but this is balanced by an increase in quality. The bodega is using special yeasts which can enhance certain flavours and control the level of fruit tasted in the wines. Emilio believes he can make adjustments within a tolerance of about 10% in this way.

The new bottling line was imported from Italy as it is much more modern than those produced here. The bodega believes very much in presentation as much as the contents so there are different types of bottles and different styles of label from modern graphics, through a new wrap around label which leaves a space at the back in the shape of a wine-glass, to more traditional labels for those marques which merit them. The bottling line can cope with all of these parameters.

And the market for their wines is International with wines exported to Russia, China and Holland currently , although not yet to the UK.

In the Cellars.

Down in the cellars the wines are aged in a mixture of French and American oak often pre-blended depending on which marque they are destined for.

The bodega also possesses a shop and tasting area and it was to here we moved next to try some of the wines I had not  recently tasted in L´Alcúdia, commencing with a white crianza.

This was a 2006 from 100% Macabeo, with 16 months in American and French oak and 13% ABV. Pale gold with green flashes clean and bright. On the nose, melon, honey, patisserie and in the mouth round, subtle with a long finish with vanilla. Not overoaked at all, this is a very nice white wine.

Second wine was a Crianza from 2006, a 75% Tempranillo,  25%  Cabernet Sauvignon blend with nine months in oak. There are only about a 1000 bottles of this wine left. Ruby red, moving to a terracotta edge, long legs. On the nose blackcurrant and blackberry, hints of cedar and in the mouth very smooth tannins, oak, and a long finish with lots of ripe fruit.

The Wines Tasted.

Third wine was a Torrevellisca Reserva, also from Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon and 12.5%ABV. From 2006 and with two years in American and French oak and similar in bottle. A medium density wine, dark cherry red with long legs. On the nose quite floral, fruity, hints of grass. In the mouth round, smooth tannins, fruits of the forest, and a long finish , quite creamy with notes of oak.

Finally we tasted the 2005 Merlot, a pure Merlot and a traditional marque at the bodega, crianza in style with 14.1% ABV, the wine was winner of a Bachus silver medal. The crianza in a mix of French and American oak, after 15 days maceration and then fermentation, the crianza was for 12 months. A very dark black cherry colour, with a ruby edge and long legs. Damson and plum on the nose, cherry, floral, (violet) with hints of orange peel. In the mouth very full, well-balanced, and with a very long finish. From a newly opened bottle my feeling was that it needed quite a long aeration in decanter to show at its best.

For notes on the top of the range and new wines Brundisium, Argentum and Aurum see my post on L´Alcudia Gastronomy fair. These wines are I suspect more representative of the new style of the bodegas owners than the wines tasted which of course whilst excellent represent a hangover from the past.

I am not generally a fan of modernity but I was more than pleasantly surprised at the quality of the wines across the whole range and have already used two in tastings I have organised and selected three more for future events. Price to quality ratio is also excellent making this a bodega  with a management team to watch.

www.bodegas-torrevellisca.es

Lomejordegastronomia 2011…and a Somewhat Reduced Tasting of Vinos Alicante.

2010, twenty bodegas from Vinos Alicante in a big stand and no time to go and taste the food or see the gadgets or demonstrations on a day visit!

2011, five bodegas on the Vinos Alicante stand, some others lurking elswhere, including Francisco Gomez in the `Monster House´ and Heretats de Cecilia hosted by a couple of restaurants…..plenty of time to visit the stands of the restaurants, specialist chefs, turron stands, cookery equipment, Cruzcampo for a refreshing beer ( and tapa) as well as catching up with some friends!

Tapas from Iberostar Hotels and Resorts.

Much bigger than Gastronoma in Valencia this fair was one I visited last year and enjoyed a superb tasting of wines from DO Alicante and was looking forward to much of the same this year. As it happens, I thoroughly enjoyed this years fair simply because the smaller number of bodegas present allowed a bigger opportunity to appreciate some of the food on offer!

On arrival I made straight for the stand of Finca Collado to catch up with Maria Carmen de la Vega. Kindly she introduced me to Francisco Quiles, current generation wine-maker at Primitivo Quiles, the oldest of the Fondillon houses in Alicante. Although inheritance has split the bodega from the vineyards of this wine-making firm founded in 1903,( although the history goes back to 1780 )  the family vineyards still produce the grapes for these very `peculiar´ wines.

Francisco Quiles of Bodegas Primitivo Quiles.

Very ripe and even over-ripe grapes are key to the house style. Based in Monovar the family firm has been making wine for generations and the oldest solera dates back to 1892. Although relatively `new´ Fondillons history as a wine goes back to the post medieval period, is mentioned in Shakespeare´s works and was a major export from Alacant to England and the Royal Houses of many European countries.

Today the house wines come in rather more styles and I was lucky enough to try a good sample……a visit will be necessary to properly appreciate the complete range!

There are a white and a Rosado but on this occasion I stayed with the reds, starting with the Roble, 2009, Monastrell ( 60%) and Merlot and around 13.5%ABV with six months in French and American oak. A medium to deep cherry red with very long slow legs, on the nose plum, mature fruit, spicy even with hints of the crianza. In the mouth, full, meaty, quite dry mature fruit and hints of oak.

The 14% ABV Crianza, 2007 and pure Monastrell from  80% American oak with the rest Allier from France has also spent time in bottle before release. Ruby red with hints of terracotta edge, medium density, strong red fruit and vanilla nose, smoke and spice. In the mouth full but well-balanced, mature fruit, long satisfying finish and a wine for food.

Gazpacho Manchego from Los Chispos Restaurant.

The Raspay 2005, `Tinto Brut´  is also 100%  Monastrell , 14.5% ABV and from a batch of just 12,952 bottles. Described by Francisco as on its way to being a Fondillon, the vines are restricted to producing just one kg of grapes, from very mature fruit and subsequently aged in old oak barrels before longer bottle ageing. This results in a quite unmistakeable wine, intense ruby-red, terracotta edge and long glycerinous legs. On the nose spicy, jammy and with notes of barrica. In the mouth aged, round, smooth, oak and very mature fruit. Long finish.

Finally we tasted the Fondillon Gran Reserva Solera 1948 with 16% ABV and aged in  very old `tonnelles´. From grapes which are left on the vine to dry out, then undergoing a long fermentation and ageing, topped up with new wines as the older and lower part of the solera is drawn off. The wine is amber, clean and bright with long glycerinous legs. On the nose old dried grapes, raisins, initially hints of sweetness then a dry acidity, smooth tannins…..wonderful old wine. No wonder the old `Sun King´, Louis the 14th of France enjoyed it….or its predecessors at least!

Having set the gastric juices going it was time for some food, what better than a Gazpacho Manchego made with rabbit, partridge and snails with peppers and served on a torta de gazpacho with guindilla peppers and an anchovy? From the kitchens of Yeclas´ Los Chispos restaurant. For a very good price of 3€ a generous plate followed by a full refill was offered, accepted and despatched!

Wines from Murviedro.

The wines of Murviedro are seen at every fair and  as I have noted before not only win prizes but also they often offer a new range. In this fair they were launching the Coleción range. Following  a palate cleanser of the Luna de Murviedro cava I sampled  both the Tempranillo and then the Syrah.

The Tempranillo, 2010, Vino Joven, 13%ABV was a medium density cherry red with good legs. On the nose caramel, red fruits, and in the mouth red and black fruits, open, nicely balanced . A very nice easy drinker which , it seems is the point of the range which also contains a Petit Verdot amongst the reds.

The Syrah by contrast was whilst a similar colour and appearance generally, full of spiky raspberry fruit, nice medium body warm in the mouth, with red and black fruits, depth and also easy to drink. Nice, must look out for these wines.

Jamons and Jamoneros from Iberico de Bellota.

Jamon, pata negra, bellota, 5 jotas, cebo, bodega, reserva, gran reserva…..just some of the words which accompany this classic and Spains most famous product. Whole legs ( and shoulders) of Iberico pigs produced on the Sierras in Extramadura, from towns with names like Guijelo, Cordoba,  and Jabugo. Most famous of all of course is Joselito who were presenting their jamons but there were many more to choose from, many on offer, and many offering plates to try at a cost…..very little was available for a free sample. One I did get to sample was from Ibesa, Los Pedroches. www.ibesa.es whose website is full of information ( except the prices for the products in the on-line shop!)

For more information on Jamon see my archives, September 14th 2011.

There are no shortages of outlets at these fairs and just occasionally a beer is very welcome!  Yesterday was no exception so a Cruzcampo accompanied a small tapa plate of arroz abanda before moving on to the next stand.

Cruzcampo Cervesa and Arroz Abanda.

Carabibas, Sierra de Cabreras, is a wine I discovered last year in Villena…….yes, I am pretty sure I wrote about it first! A brand new bodega operating out of a warehouse in Salinas the wine ( 2009 ) from a tiny production of less than 5000 bottles was astonishing! Although sold out by early 2011 there are still thankfully some bottles left for aficionados to compare with the similarly small production 2010, bottled in July of this year. Now with a year in bottle the 2009 which debuted at 18€ a bottle is deep black cherry, the fruit still colouring the glass, with long fat glycerinous legs. On the nose plum , damson, incredible fruit and depth, and in the mouth huge body, meaty, immense depth of fruit, a modern concentrated wine with a massive long full finish. I am so glad I have some of this at home to keep for the future!

The 2010 is a similar colour with long legs. This year it has its Vinos Alicante accreditation. The bodega believe the wine is better integrated at the same stage than the 2009. For me the nose was less marked, the 2009 was much more forward this time last year. In the mouth however the wine is deep, still a little closed, tannic, lots of blackcurrant with a concentrated finish if a little astringent yet. However there is no doubt of the potential of this wine, powerful, a vino de guardar…..now, how to get some of this before it sells out!

Marzipan sweets on a Turron Stand.

A further excursion took us past the stand of sausages and cheeses from the Balearics, a stall  selling chefs and waiters uniforms, chocolates from the museum of Comes, the Cofradia de Arroz de Valencia selling generous portions of the best soul-food, arroz al horno, another selling awesome looking pans but with no information whatsoever on where to buy them or how much they cost!

Turron, the classic almond based sweets of Valencia were evident on the stand of the CRDO Jijona and Turrons of Alicante, preserved sugared fruits, honey and much ,much more were there to tempt.

A Fine Selection of Modern Pans and Pots!

We also visited the stand of Caserio San Juan del Obispo, producers of natural cider (Tareco) , aguardiente ( Alquitara del Obispo ) and an aged cider aguardiente ( Salvador del Obispo) with 9 years in wood which gives it a deep amber colour. Sadly not on sale this Spanish rival to calvados gets my vote! I think we might be ordering some of this when we can afford a treat!

Our time at the fair came to an end, but not before the last opportunity to talk to the owners of Finca Collado, Paco and Amparo and congratulate them on this years harvest before enjoying a glass of the 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot…. one for the road for the non-drivers! They seem immensely happy with their project in the safe hands of Mari-Carmen and Guillermo and wine-maker Joan.

Another gastronomic experience well worth the travel time! And one hopefully to be repeated next year!

Arroz al Horno from the Cofradia de Arroz.

European Wine Tourism Day and Some 2011 Wines Tasted!

Young Tasters at Vera de Estenas.

 

The past weekend saw European Wine Tourism Day and in Utiel-Requena this was marked by a number of events both in the old centre of Requena where visitors could enjoy a glass of wine and a tapa ( not actually a local tradition) in the castle square.  On the Sunday visitors to a number of bodegas were able to check on the progress of the 2011 vintage wines.

Due to previous engagements I did not get to the castle square but I certainly have managed to try a number of the new wines and some destined for blending and ageing over the next few months.

I started at Dominio de la Vega where I had to call-in to buy some wine anyway. The bodega seemed to have a good number of visitors and having completed the purchase of some 2010 Bobal I was invited to try the new Bobal….which curiously had a label calling it `Primum Bobal 2011´. By all accounts the harvest of Bobal was a spectacular success with quality up, production down but acidity, fruit and concentration all that might be hoped for.

 

Felix Martinez Leads the Tasting at Vera de Estenas.

This particular bobal was still at the end of its malolactic fermentation and not ready for sale but clearly has a huge amount going for it! Deep purple with a violet-blue edge, not quite clear due to the ongoing malolactic activity, but with long legs. On the nose deep, very fruity with lots of boiled sweets, bubble gum. In the mouth youthful, deep, warm and fruity with lots of black fruits and liquorice. Good start!

This is a young wine destined to be released as such.  Hopefully by Christmas we will see `Primum Bobal´, the wine being produced by Dani Esposito at the bodega, for the Primum Bobal Association of seven local bodegas dedicated to promoting the variety and improving its production and then in March the bodegas´own young bobal with oak ageing being released. 2011 clearly has more depth and concentration than 2010 and the time can´t fly by fast enough for me!

Second visit of the morning was to Vera de Estenas where Felix Martinez had promised a tasting of cask or deposit samples of the headline grape varieties.

We started here with the Chardonnay, destined for the Viña Lidon 2011. Harvested on the 2nd September and having been committed to barrel on the fourth of November this wine was also undergoing its malolactic fermentation. As a result it was still turbio ( or cloudy ) but on the nose the hint of ripe banana was balanced with fresh acidity in the mouth. To me this is reminiscent of the young 2010 which is widely recognised as the best vintage of this marque. Destined to be a lovely wine, which is very lucky given the unwanted attention of hailstorms and young rabbits both of which caused much damage in the vineyard this year.

 

Autumn Patchwork in Requena´s Vineyards!

Second sample was the Malbec, which at 13.41% was also undergoing its malolactic fermentation in deposit. Also a youthful purple with long legs and slightly cloudy, the nose had lots of red fruit and clove, and grass and herbs. Harvested on the 20th September this wine is the most forward and will finish its `malo´this week, go to deposit to clear and then to barrica before eventual blending as the bodega´s second wine.

Third was the Merlot which is the first red harvested at the Vera de Estenas and destined for the Martinez Bermell marque. At 13.1% ABV this has already had 15 days in barrel and was a medium cherry red with a very closed nose. At present this is light and fruity in the mouth. The short barrel ageing will round it out before its release in the Spring.

Next up was the Tempranillo, at 13.13% ABV with just three days in barrel. A similar colour to the Merlot it has raspberry , red wood fruits and grass on the nose. In the mouth quite dry and this needs some time in barrel before eventual blending.

Finally we tried the Bobal which Felix describes as the best yet, at least at this stage! 14.91% ABV this was just starting its malo and is a very deep cherry colour with the trademark blue edge. Destined for the flagship Casa Don Angel Bobal this wine allowed a little fruit to emerge with lots of aeration, and in the mouth had huge depth, potential and meaty body. Without a doubt 2011 will be a vintage to lay down for some time when it is finally released….in 2014!

This was a really educational tasting for which, many thanks Felix.

Vineyards at Finca Ardal.

We ended up at Finca Ardal for a tasting of wines from Luis Gil Orozco´s excellent range finishing with the Ocho Cuerdas Bobal, one of my favourites and the bodegas Primum Bobal wine. One of my favourites! Luis is President of the rutavino in Utiel-Requena and it is worth recording there were events also at Pago de Tharsys, La Madroñera, Chozas Carrascal, Torroja, Vegalfaro, Hoya de Cadenas, Pasiego, Aranleon, Utielanas, Torre Oria, Vereda Real, Emilio Clemente and Coviñas ( who had a wine and chocolate tasting) as well as several Hotels and restaurants in the region.

When I say we ended up at Finca Ardal it was of course only relevant to the Sunday and if there is any opportunity to extend events it is a given that I will try to do it. So on the Monday ( yesterday) we paid a flying visit to Finca Collado  in Salinas ( DO Alicante) to see how the new wines we helped to pick ( or in my case watched being picked!) were progressing.

Guillermo is positively fizzing over this years wines and having tasted the musts I wanted to try the wines at their next stage.

We started with the rosado, a deep cherry red from pure Merlot which, subject to losing maybe a little colour in a light filtration could just as easily be marketed as a `joven tinto´given its deep colour. This was the result of picking and leaving the grapes for twenty-four hours before pressing. On the nose this wine has bags of boiled fruit sweets and in the mouth is fresh, light and fruity. A really easy drinker this should be ready hopefully in time for Xmas!

 

Harvest at Finca Collado.

The moscatel by contrast is currently showing quite dry and fresh with lighter fruit than expected whilst the Chardonnay by contrast, currently undergoing barrel ageing was very fruity, elegant ripe banana and mango but with a lovely fresh acidity balancing the touch of oak. This is destined for the blend which makes up the Finca Collado Blanco which promises to be every bit as good as the 2010 award-winning wine! Hopefully there will be enough Chardonnay to produce a small amount as a monovarietal.

So good progress here as well and an educational weekend overall.

These events help everyone understand the evolution of wine and are very welcome! The one conclusion that flies out is that 2011 has indeed been a very good year for wine making here!