Showing posts with label Albarino. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Albarino. Show all posts

Monday, June 19, 2023

Familia Torres getting the very best from Albarino in Rías Baixas

Familia Torres getting the very best from Albarino in Rías Baixas



Pazo das Bruxas Albarino Rías Baixas (DO) 2022, 13% ABV

€19.95 Bradleys, North Main Street, Cork. 


The fresh aromas, even as the cork is released, hint that this is indeed an Albarino from the Rías Baixas,  a small winemaking region in Galicia, northwest Spain (the Green Spain). The colour is a clear light gold and there are aromas with both floral and fruit characters, all intense. And that intensity of engagement spreads onto the crisp and minerally palate, rich and flavourful, with apple and pear, and balanced by an acidity typical of the region and the grape.


Very Highly Recommended.


I first tasted this Pazo das Bruxas back in 2015. I had a distinguished guide, none other than Miguel Torres, one of the family’s fifth generation. He said it has good density and finish and added that Albarino can age well, 7 or 8 years, and can get more complex. This is excellent as it is,  with great freshness and flavour. That was the 2013 vintage and it seems the 2022 is keeping up the high standard.


That 2013 was perhaps the first Torres Albarino from this vineyard. It was only in 2012 that the fifth generation of Familia Torres launched a winegrowing project in Rías Baixas and made its first Albariño with the name of Pazo das Bruxas. This wine is made from grapes grown primarily in the subzone of the Valle de Salnés.

***************

Check out the Good Value Wine List here

***************

Attention to the world around them and to detail in their winemaking is typical of the Torres family. No magic, just a lot of hard work. But you will notice witches on the front label as Pazo Das Bruxas pay homage to the folklore and landscape of Galicia (much of it with strong Celtic connections). 


It tells the tale of the Galician witches said to have gathered in the woods, which surrounded some pazos or manor houses, to conjure up spirits with their dances and spells. “Nourished by their energy, the sap or lifeblood then coursed through the vines, in the same way, the Albariño grapes give life to this wine today.”


Magic or no, this outstanding multi-award-winning wine serves as an excellent aperitif and is good with raw, cooked or grilled seafood. Pairs perfectly with mild, white fish. Its lively palate strikes a perfect balance with soft goat cheeses. A good wine for Irish cuisine then and no wonder that Albarino has become so popular here.

*************

Click here for our growing list of top wines for 2023

*************

Torres, always aware of climate change, says the 2022 harvest in Torre Penela was one of the earliest in recent memory, “brought forward by 12 days compared to the previous year. The winter was extremely dry and warm, followed by an equally dry spring with episodes of nighttime frost, one of which affected part of the vineyard and brought down yields. There was no rainfall in the summer, and the intense heat increased the pace of fruit maturation. After the three summer months, rainfall during the first week of September brought up yields somewhat and helped regulate both the alcohol and acidity of the wines. The grapes were in excellent condition.”

Sunday, November 6, 2022

A Duo Of Excellent Whites From North-West Spain. Monterrei and Rias Baixas

 A Duo Of Excellent Whites From North-West Spain


Via Arxéntea Godello Y Treixadura Monterrei (DO) 2021, 13% ABV, €17.80 MacCurtain Wine Cellar





This is a Spanish white wine with a marked varietal character. Made with Godello and Treixadura, both native Galician varieties, to transmit those aromas and flavours that our land, climate and fruits are capable of producing. 


That’s part of the info on the label of this blend produced by Via Arxéntea in Monterrei in North West Spain.


It has a bright yellow colour and it is certainly aromatic, apple, peach (especially) and mango to the fore; notes of citrus also. The intensity is also evident on the palate where flavours are bold but balanced by an excellent acidity. There is a long and fruity aftertaste, with a faint sweet sensation never too far away. 


Serve at 8-11º degrees and pair with cooked fish, grill, seafood rice, squid a la plancha and vegetable dishes. Very Highly Recommended. 

The DO Monterrei is in the province of Ourense, close to the Portuguese border. Most of its wine is white and most of that is based on Godello (which is also called Verdello); other varieties of white grapes here are the autochthonous Doña Blanca  and Treixadura.

Godello is quite possibly the most scented of the newly fashionable white varieties in Spain’s far north-west, according to Grapes and Wines. “Almost extinct in the 1970s, it is now flourishing in Valdeorras.” Valdeorras is also in Ourense.



Early ripening Treixadura is one of the grapes that blends well with Godello. In Portugal, where it is called Tradajura, it adds crisp, citrus characters to Vinho Verde.


The MacCurtain Wine Cellar, owned by Trudy Ahern and Sean Gargano, is essentially a wine shop where you may select your purchases from a huge wall of wine. Don't worry though, you'll have lots of excellent advice, given with knowledge and a rare enthusiasm, not to mention charm. 


If you wish to drink on the premises, that is no problem in the evenings. And while wine is their priority, they also provide some very tasty small plates and sharing boards as well. Such a poremises is known as a Cave à Manger in France.


There is a the fantastic range, all organic, biodynamic or natural. I picked the Godello and Treixadura blend from Monterrei while Sean suggested the Celler del Roure Cullerot Blanco (toi feature in a later post!). He was very enthusiastic about this winemaker and about the future of wines from the Valencia area.


**********



Almirante “Vanidade” Albariño Rias Baixas (DO) 2020, 

13% ABV,  €15.95 Bradleys.


Did you know that we Irish are the fourth largest importers of Albariño in the world? It comes from our Celtic cousins in Galicia, in Spain’s Rias Baixas region. It has all happened quickly and relatively recently.  


“It is a young industry,” said Lynne Coyle MW, one of our hosts at a Rias Baixas Tasting in L’Atitude during the summer. “In 1975 there were just 200 hectares of Albariño here, now there are over 4,000, lots of small holdings.


Val de Salnés is the main region. And it is from here and its granite soil that this wine by Vina Almirante comes. That ocean influence is evident in this dry crisp and elegant wine.


The Vanidade has a beautiful and inviting gold colour. Citrus and peach notes in the aromas. Those fruits also feature on the intensely flavoured palate, fresh and zesty, no shortage of acidity,  with a slightly salty tang, plus the starting fruit all the way through to a clean and refreshing finish.  


You don’t get many poor  examples of Albariño but this is outstanding and you are thinking straightaway of matching it with seafood and white fish. See for yourself why Albariño became so popular so quickly. Very Highly Recommended.


Vanidade translates as vanity. I’m very happy with this one and so too are the producers: “Very tasty, very good, wonderful. This is Vanidade, a wine of which we are particularly proud. Both because its organoleptic properties and tasting ratings, and because it’s a champion of cultural change in our time.”

Vain? Proud? Not you? Take a look at the producers site where they have a vanity test ready and waiting. Up for a bit of fun? Click here.”

Importers Findlaters tell us that Vina Almirante is one of the most important wineries in North West Spain. “Its properties are in the borough of Portas in the Caldas de Reis region situated in the northern part of Salnes Valley. These legendary vineyards, which extend over the 35 hectares, are treated with tender loving care and in keeping with state-of-the-art wine growing techniques. The wines.., are distinguished by the faithful reflection of a late autumn harvest, giving rise to a macerated wine endowed with brilliant notes of freshness, elegance and an intense flavour that’s sure to please even the most demanding of palates.”

Tuesday, May 31, 2022

A Gorgeous Valpolicella Ripasso. And a couple to note when dining out.

A Gorgeous Valpolicella Ripasso.

And a couple to note when dining out. 


Musella Valpolicella Ripasso (DOC) Superiore 2017, 14%, O’Briens Wine €24.45

Musella is an organic family-run winery and one of the "13 Amarone Families", a group regarded as the best producers in the Veneto region, in the Northeast of Italy. Musella value their local grapes (grown in the predominantly limestone soil), including those in this blend:  Corvina and Corvinone 85%, Rondinella 10% and Barbera 5%.


The colour of the blend is a bright ruby red. And the nose draws you in further with aromas of red fruits and spices. The palate is full of vibrant cherry flavours, smooth for sure, and with the most perfect balance. And it finishes well and long with more fruit (raspberry included now) and some herbal notes plus a gentle touch of tannin on the lips. A very engaging Valpolicella indeed, complex yet quaffable,  and Very Highly Recommended.


The concentration here is the result of the Ripasso method. Ripasso (re-passed) wines are made by fermenting young Valpolicella wine with the unpressed but drained skins and lees left over from making Amarone and this process can give the Ripasso a “super-charge”. Read more details about the method here.


Suggested pairings are cold meats/pâtés, Duck, Nutroast, Pheasant/Pigeon, Pizza/Pasta, Rib-Eye Steak, Sirloin/Striploin/Rump steak.


By the way, I was just reading there in Vino Italiano that Valpolicella means “valley of many cellars” (vallis polis cellae). The Modern History of Italian Wine though, says the POL refers to large mounds of sand and gravel left behind after flooding in the local river but goes on to confirm that “this great land of wines has always practiced the characteristic technique of over-ripening and drying the grapes”.


Wine Folly has proposed a hierarchy of Valpolicella blended wines with our Ripasso in the middle. Above it are Recioto Della Valpolicella and Amarone Della Valpolicella while below are plain Valpolicella Superior and Valpolicella Classico. So now you know!


The Veneto (capital: Venice) is one of the 20 Italian regions and has a population of about five million.


Two O’Briens Spotted In The Wild

(Well, in restaurants really!)


Bodega Tandem Casual blanco 


I was surprised to find this one on the by-the-glass list (also by the bottle of course) in the Michelin Bib Gourmand Restaurant CUSH in beautiful Ballycotton. 


You rarely see Viura as a house white in Irish restaurants. Tandem's gorgeous Casual, with its elegant nose (floral and fennel) and its vibrant, fresh and mineral palate, could change all that. The wine, from Navarra, was superb with the halibut.



They like their Latin in this Spanish winery, even the Tandem is Latin. The wine name here is from the word casualis, accidentally, luckily. It is the only thing accidental about this wine though,  a beautifully made Viura from a gorgeous plot. Viura is perhaps best known as the main white grape in Rioja but has obviously crossed into neighbouring Navarra. In the rest of Spain it is known as Macabeu.


It has been fermented in stainless steel with its wild yeasts at 15-16ºC for 32 days and aged on its lees for 4 months at 16ºC. Recommended serving temperature is 12 degrees.



Lagar de Costa Geal Albariño



Geal Albariño is made on an artisanal scale by O’Briens Wine Director Lynne Coyle MW and the family owned Lagar de Costa winery in Rías Baixas, Spain. Most of these vineyards are very small and Lynne told us at a recent Albariño tasting that the Lagar de Costa winery has 11 hectares and is regarded as quite large.


The wine was aged on lees in a single concrete egg for eight months bringing complexity and depth. Geal Albariño is dry, refreshing, and lightly textured with green fruit notes, a hint of white peach and a lingering salinity making it an ideal wine for seafood. 


Geal by the way is the Irish and Scottish (Lynne is Scottish) for bright. Most of you will have come across it in school; if you don’t remember, check out the pronunciation here. 


In Nell’s, the new wine bar in MacCurtain Street, Cork, we took Aine’s advice and ordered a glass of the Geal and it went well with their lovely Fennel infused Nocellara olives.


It is also perfect with shellfish and seafood. The vineyard is right alongside the Atlantic and the vines grow on granitic soil. So that, and the fact the some of the roots are more or less in the water, may account for the traces of salinity in the Geal.

Friday, May 6, 2022

Celtic Cousins Linked By Wine. Galicia's Albariño Very Popular Here

Celtic Cousins Linked By Wine. 

Galicia's Albariño Very Popular Here 



Our Celtic cousins in Galicia, in Spain’s North West, are thrilled to know that their Irish relations are huge fans of their Albariño wines from the Rias Baixas region. Believe it or not, we are the fourth largest importers of this particular wine in the world!

Lynne Coyle MW


It has all happened quickly and relatively recently.  “It is a young industry,” said Lynne Coyle MW one of our hosts at the Rias Baixas Tasting in L’Atitude last Tuesday, “In 1975 there were just 200 hectares of Albariño here, now there are over 4,000, lots of small holdings, cottage farming. Indeed, Lynne herself has made Albariño in Rias Baixas, on an 11 hectare vineyard “which is regarded as quite large”.


“It is not organic here”, she told us. “It is a difficult area to go organic and they focus more on improving sustainability.” One method they use is to grow the vines on pergola type horizontal trellises. This helps ventilate the grapes and also allows the farmers grow their cabbages underneath!


Our afternoon of tasting and masterclass began downstairs in the renovated and always impressive L’Atitude. Lots of chat and lots of bottles lined up on ice for a silent tasting. Not quite silent though.

Basque vines grown in "pergola" system


They had a few sparkling Albariños on show and I immediately gave a big thumbs up to the Bodegas As Laxas Sensum  Brut NV, a gorgeous opener, from a winery in the sub region of Condado do Tea. The same winery also had an excellent still wine from 2020. 


As Lynne Coyle indicated, there are few large-scale producers but Martín Códax is one and a very consistent one. The winery is named after one of the most important medieval Galician troubadours and was founded in 1986 thanks to the idea of a group of winegrowers; as a winery made by people for the people. 


Their 2020 is of medium intensity with ripe citrus notes and tangerine. On the palate it is fresh with good balance and the citrus is there right through to the finalé.


Bianca points to the rias


Soon, maybe not as soon as planned, we were seated upstairs and Lynne filled us in on the area and later Blanca Valencia would enthusiastically tell us all about the similarities between Galicia and Ireland and also about the food of the area. And the first dish up was a beauty and typical: Razor clams, Mussel and potato crisp and a lively Olive and anchovy combo.


Val de Salnés, towards the north, is the main region. And it was from here and its granite soil that our first upstairs wine came from, the Mar de Frades 2020 in an eye-catching blue magnum with a big white wave splash as a label, the blue chosen apparently to remind us that this comes from the Atlantic coast where some vines have their roots in the coastal sand. And that ocean influence was evident in this dry crisp and elegant whine. “No oak, really fresh”.


Number 2, the Granbazan Etiqueta Verde 2020, also came from this area. Citrus and floral, “with more salinity, a quintessential Val do Salnés. The other sub regions are Ribeira do Ulla, the tiny Soutomaior, Condado do Tea, and O Rosal. 


Terras Gauda is perhaps my favourite from O Rosal and their 2020 tasted very well. This is, by the way, a blend. Mainly Albariño of course but with 20% Caiño and 8% Loureiro. 



You can expect more fruit in O Rosal and Condado do Tea, maybe not quite as fresh as those further north. O Rosal still benefits from the ocean of course while planting at altitude helps keep the wines of inland Condado fresh.  One of the big takes from the afternoon was that we were learning that not all Albariños are the same, that is there is quite a variety.



Lynne is often asked what should they change to make Albariño more popular? More sparkling? The use of oak? More blending? She was emphatic in her answer: "More of the same!”


Now, as Blanca took her turn we enjoyed a plateful of mainly bonito and sardines. Delicious, as was the final plate of cured meats and Galician cheeses. She told us that the area inland was very mountainous. “But the coastal areas are vibrant and dynamic. The scenery reminds me of Ireland.” 


She invited us to visit and not just for the Camino. But if you do find yourself in Santiago di Compostela, then head for the market and choose the seafood. It is not expensive. “So you don’t have to do any penance to enjoy it!”



And if you want to spend more, then there are scores of Michelin starred restaurants in the general area, one with a menu at less than 30 euro. 


People are very similar to the Irish, “they don't like to say no!” Someone suggested the phrase “I will, yeah!” They love their vegetables and greens. Pork is important, veal too and the cheeses are mainly from cows milk. Albarino works fantastically well with Indian, Asian and Mexican food also.

Tetella cheese (DO)


By now we were making progress on the second flight of wines. I noted two, both citrus and dry, each lip smacking. One was the Señorio de Rubios 2020 (imported by Honest 2 Goodness), the other, regarded as a modern classic, the citrusy mouthwatering Pazo Señorans 2020 (imported by O’Briens). 


Great to be back at a full room tasting again after the Covid enforced drought, not so much a lack of wine but a lack of company. And good too to have experts on hand such as Lynn and Bianca, with Lynda and Sinead of Wine Tasting Ireland keeping it all together with a pour and a laugh.

Wednesday, August 18, 2021

A White and a Rosé to savour this season

A White and a Rosé to savour this season



Terras Gauda, Abadia de San Campio Albarino, Rías Baixas (DO) 2019, 12.5% abv

€20.95 64 Wine Dublin, Bradley’s of Cork, Greenman Dublin, Le Caveau Kilkenny


My first introduction to this particular wine came with the 2011 vintage which arrived on the doorstep just as I was heading off to Hendaye on the French/Spanish border. I brought a few bottles with me - talk about bringing coals to Newcastle. I was very impressed and rated it Very Highly Recommended. Lots of Albarino since then, including one in Nerua (in Bilbao) during that holiday!


And, glad to say, this 2019 is up there with the best of them, Very Highly Recommended again! Aromas are intense, tropical fruit (mostly mango and pineapple). And there’s amazing power and balance on the palate, “the intensity of taste of a harvest of well-ripened grapes”, as they say themselves, is balanced by a vibrant acidity. And the finish is persistent and pleasant all the way.

 

Le Caveau are obviously enthusiastic about it: Abadia de San Campio Albarino is such a lovely white..No sign of oak, the wine is therefore as pure and bright as a whistle.. Served with tuna steaks, it works brilliantly. Ideal with seafood, shellfish (Percebes!), fish... or almost anything coming out of the Atlantic.

 

Vintage 2019 all came right in the end as there was an “excellent ripening of the grapes, offering us a broad, concentrated and very lively Albarino”.


Back in 2012, as is the case now, ageing was not recommended. Quite a few experts, such as Hugh Johnson, were giving Albarino the DYA designation, meaning drink youngest available! You’ve been warned!


The producers recommend serving between 10 and 12 degrees with shellfish, oysters, clams, crabs and enjoy with spicy Asian cuisine.


Located in the O Rosal valley, in Galicia, Terras Gauda is notable for owning around 85% of its own vineyards; the remainder of the grapes are provided under strict quality control agreements with local growers.


Antica Enotria Contessa Staffa Rosato Puglia (IGP) 2019, 13% 


€18.25 64 Wine Dublin, Bradley’s of Cork, Greenman Dublin, Le Caveau Kilkenny

The colour, more a red rose (close to pomegranate) than a pink rose, is what catches the eye with this Italian rosé from Puglia. It is a blend, Nero di Troia (85%) with Montepulciano. Aromas are rather intense - strawberry and cherry. It is light and lively on the palate, with a crisp and refreshing acidity, yet full of flavour with a good balance and a reasonably long finish. It is one of the drier rosés around, also that bit different to the French rosés, and Highly Recommended.


Contessa Staffa Rosato is the Mediterranean wine par excellence, with a strong restorative power on hot summer days. Yet it is liked for its versatility in the kitchen. It should be served cool, usually around 10 ° -12 ° C, so that it can express all its aromas and give soft and round sensations in the mouth.

With what to combine it? Almost with everything! It is an excellent aperitif, an obvious combination with cold cuts; with sushi it is a must; but try it with a soup or fried fish; with any first course, it is the king of summer cold dishes. Perfect for chicken and veal tuna salads; the roundness and softness make it the ideal companion for many spices.

Raffaele di Tuccio bought this run-down farmhouse (dating back to the 1700’s) in 1985 and over the past 30 years has worked tirelessly with his wife, Antonia, and son, Luigi, to bring the property back to life. Sadly Raffaele passed away in late 2020. the care of the farm and vineyards are now in the hands of Antonia and Luigi.

Thursday, August 27, 2020

Two Highly Recommended Wines From O'Briens

Two Highly Recommended Wines From O'Briens


This organic blend of Syrah and Mourvedre, from Emiliana in central Chile, has a ruby colour of medium intensity. Fresh cherry and plum aromas. Silky and soft on the palate, generous fruit, tannins are close to smooth and the finish is long. A friendly everyday wine that may be enjoyed with grilled meats and spicy food. Highly Recommended. 

O’Briens say: Made by our long-time Chilean partner, Emiliana, the organically farmed vines for this wine are planted on their own rootstocks in the Cachapoal Valley. In the cellar there is minimum intervention and the wine is aged for 12 months in French and American oak.

Emiliana were founded in 1986 and the Giulisasti family are the major shareholders. They began the move to organic and biodynamic in the late 90s and their “Gé” (named after the Greek word for earth) was Chile’s first certified biodynamic wine (ref: Wines of South America). They run what they term “interactive vineyards” with biodiversity the major factor. 

Many different kinds of plants (employees are encouraged to grow their own to feed their families), many different types of animals ( alpacas, horses, cows, birds, chickens, sandpipers, geese, etc. live together here and also contribute to the compost used on the land), lots of cover plants (that contribute nitrogen and nutrients to the soil while planting of flowers draw insects away from the vines). Read and see more about their organic and biodynamic practices here



This zesty Albarino, made from young vines, has a light straw colour with a little splash of green. White fruit (“doughnut” peach) feature in the moderately intense aromas. And more white fruit, citrus too, as the fresh wine moves over the palate, quite a fruity finish too. Highly Recommended.

Producers indicate it is ideal with all kinds of seafood, oriental and vegetarian cuisine. O’Briens themselves say the crisp acidity “is an ideal pairing to cut through oily fish or tapas dishes”. We tried it with the delicious smoked chicken crown from Skeaghanore and a garden salad and it worked perfectly well. Serving temperature: 8 – 10 °C.

O’Briens: made exclusively for O'Briens by the Paco y Lola winery in the Salnés Valley, the largest cooperative in Galicia's Rías Baixas region. It has the typical pear and citrus fruit profile of Galician Albariño with a saline mineral note on the long tropical fruit finish. 

Tuesday, January 1, 2019

Whites Alright at Marks & Spencer



Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough (New Zealand) 2017, 9.5%, €16.00 Marks and Spencer

Just 9.5% alcohol, as compared to the normal 13-14%, yet with all the taste. Dr John Forrest is the man, not the only one (Villa Maria are among the others also involved), behind this trend where “through careful manipulation of the leaves of the vines, the grape berries end up with around 60% of the normal amount of sugar.” Expect more lower abv’s as other varieties come under Dr John’s appliance of science, a pioneer in the field.

Three per cent Riesling is included with the Sauvignon. The wine is a lightly coloured yellow, with green tint and mini-bubbles clinging to the bowl of the glass. Herbaceous aromas, especially nettle (which I’m told is more associated with Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire). The nettles continue on the palate, citrus and gooseberry making an impression here also, and a superb acidity also. Amazing about that nettle effect; I’ve often heard of it but this is the first time I’ve had it face to face, so to speak. It is an amazing wine and Very Highly Recommended.

There are already technological solutions, such as using reverse osmosis, which passes the wine through a membrane to strip it of ethanol, or a spinning cone column, which uses centrifugal force and steam for the same purpose. But winemakers would prefer something they can control themselves in the vineyard and so it looks as if the Forrest method may be the way forward as climate change continues to lead to higher alcohol counts.

Castro Martin Albarino Rias Baixas (DO) 2016, 12.5%, €19.00 Marks and Spencer

This light and fresh wine has a light straw colour, tints of green and micro-bubbles were noted clinging to the glass. Aromas are mainly pear and peach. It is vibrant on the palate with intense fruit, lemon now also in the mix, a zesty refreshing acidity too and a long dry citrusy finish. Try with shellfish, white fish and salads and also as an aperitif. Highly Recommended.

You’ll see the words Sobre Lias on the label and you’d be right if you guess that means on the lees. Castro Martin, a family estate where Angela Martin is the wine-maker, use this method to “add richness, flavour and aroma complexity”. The Albarino grape comes mainly from north west Galicia where it flourishes.

M&S winemaker Sue Daniels notes that this bone dry white is made with minimal intervention and no oak “to allow full expression of the grape’s unique flavours. Couldn’t argue with that after finishing the bottle (I did share!).