When I started going to regular tastings in Dublin in 2008, one of the areas where I climbed a steep learning curve was Spanish white wines. As I had been focused on French and “new world” whites up to that point, Verdejo, Albariño, Godello and others were totally new to me. I learnt quickly! But it’s only in the last five years that I’ve come to realise that there are no real limits on how good these wines can be. Along with Rafael Palacios, Belondrade’s wines keep on pushing the boundaries for Spanish whites.

Verdejo and Rueda

Although Verdejo and Rueda are inextricably linked, Verdejo is actually thought to have originated in North Africa, and was brought to northern Spain by Christians under Muslim rule around a millennium ago. The wines were made for centuries in an oxidative style, not unlike Sherry, until the variety almost died out. Ángel Rodríguez Vidal of Bodega Martinsancho saved Verdejo from extinction and used it to make a fresher style of table wine, helping to establish the Rueda DO. His success was amplified by Rioja’s Marqués de Riscal who, seeking a source of fruity whites to sell alongside their own reds, poured significant investment into the area.

The fortified wines are still made in Rueda, as is a sparkling wine, but the still fresh style is by some margin the most popular. Verdejo is also grown in Castilla-La Mancha and Estremadura.

Sauvignon Blanc is also grown in Rueda, either as a blending component with Verdejo or as a principal variety. My person experience with these wines has been less favourable than Vedejo dominant wines.

Monsieur / Señor Didier Belondrade: A Frenchman in Spain

The third act of the Rueda story belongs to Didier Belondrade. he has recognised the potential in Rueda’s Verdejo and moved there to begin his own project in 1994. The first wine he produced was under the label Belondrade y Lurton, and showed a distinctly Bugundian approach, with oak and less used for both fermentation and maturation. The estate covers 40 hectares divided into 23 plots, each picked and vinified separately. Viticulture us certified organic but this isn’t mentioned on the label.

Quality has been improved year on year, with a big step coming after the construction of a new winery at La Seca in 2000. The range was extended with two wines named after his two daughters: a 100% rosé Tempranillo named Quinta Clarisa and a 100% Verdejo named Quinta Apolonia (the wine detailed below). Producing the latter as a second wine means that only the very best grapes go into the first wine, enhancing its quality.

Balancing delicately at the very top of the Belondrade quality pyramid is Les Parcelles, a super-premium wine made from grapes harvested from two plots over two days in 2018. After 18 months in the barrel, 1994 bottles were filled and laid down for a further three years before release. The eagle-eyed among you will have noticed that the number of bottles corresponds to the year the winery was founded. As wellas the quality being super-premium, the price is super-premium at €410 on their website.

Belondrade Quinta Apolonia Vino de la Tierra Castilla Y León 2020

Belondrade Quinta Apolonia

As mentioned above, one of the reasons for the creation of this wine was to find a home for fruit that weren’t the very best, and thus excluded from the flagship wine. However, this doesn’t mean substandard fruit are used, just those berries which might not be the most complex or concentrated. Quinta Apolonia is designed to showcase the Verdejo variety rather than the wine-making, so it’s a fresher and more accessible style than Belondrade Y Lurton. Alcoholic fermentation is with natural yeast, but temperature controlled to preserve freshness. After ten months ageing on the lees, a blend is made from different plots and different fermenation vessels, then bottled for five months before release. Quinta Apolonia is designed to be drunk within six to eight years of vintage.

I tried this bottle at three and a half to four years after vintage, smack bang in the middle of the suggested drinking range. And it’s singing! the nose is elegantly perfumed with fresh pip and stone fruit. The palate is deliciously creamy and textured, with more fruit than a smoothie, and great acidity. It manages to be simultaeously a wine to pair with white fish and a wine to pair with roast chicken – very few can do both well.

In the low to mid twenties retail price point in Ireland, there’s very little to touch this wine.

ABV: 13.5%
RRP: €23 – €28
Source: purchased from Pinto Wines, Drumcondra
Stockists: Pinto Wines, Drumcondra; drinkstore.ie; Martins Off Licence, Fairview; Deveney’s of Dundrum;

Conclusion

I’ve been lucky enough to taste both this wine and the big sister Belondrade Y Lurton several times over the past five years. On each occasion, I prefered the junior wine. I found the Y Lurton too closed and not expressive enough, even with price taken out of the equation. So what gives? In essence, I think the senior wine needs time, time which I’ve been unable to give it.

However, I did just stumble across this article on Belondrade Y Lurton from my esteemed colleague John Wilson. Please do read it for yourself, but – writing in 2023 – he calls the 2018 an “Outstanding wine”. So perhaps I need to lay a few down myself.

Tasting Events

SuperValu Spanish and Portuguese Whites

February 16, 2022February 15, 2022 admin

After several years of successful French and Italian Wine Sales, Irish supermarket chain have launched a joint Spanish and Portuguese Wine Sale, running from 10th February to 2nd March. Bargains galore are to be had, but which are good and which are great? Here are brief notes on four whites which are all worth picking up.

Abellio Albariño 2021

Abellio Albariño

This is a bright, refreshing Albariño from north west Spain; a variety that is very popular in these parts, and sometimes overpriced due to customer recognition. This example is on the simple side, but there’s nothing inherently wrong with that. The citrus fruits are joined by the saline notes typical of the Atlantic coast. The normal price is perhaps a little steep, but on offer at a tenner it’s one to buy in bulk in preparation for longer spring evenings.

ABV: 13.0%
RRP: €14.99 down to €10.00 from 10th February 2022 to 2nd March 2022
Source: sample
Stockists: SuperValu stores

Five Hidden Lagoons Sauvignon Blanc 2021

Five Hidden Lagoons Organic Sauvignon Blanc

What’s this, a SPANISH Sauvignon Blanc? Yes, and it’s not the first either as varietal examples in Rueda are not uncommon. Whereas those I’ve tried from Ruesda have been somewhat similar to less expensive Sauvignons from the Loire, this is more New Zealand in style. The nose has lots of tropical notes: passionfruit, mango, pineapple and grapefruit. The palate is tangy, slightly more centred with grapefruit and gooseberry to the fore but those exotic fruits still in the background. The acidity is good but not searing, making for a crisp finish, dry but not bone dry.

ABV: 13.0%
RRP: €14.99 down to €10.00 from 10th February 2022 to 2nd March 2022
Source: sample
Stockists: SuperValu stores

Marqués de Cáceres Rueda 2021

Marqués de Cáceres Rueda Verdejo

Rueda is increasingly the white wine playground of major players from Rioja, offering an alternative to white Rioja which is seldom expensive and doesn’t rely on oak or oxidative ageing for character – Verdejo has plenty, thanks. This is a clean, fresh wine, all about stone fruit, lemon, lime and orange. It’s pithy and tangy with great texture, a great example of the grape and the region.

ABV: 13.0%
RRP: €14.99 down to €10.00 from 10th February 2022 to 2nd March 2022
Source: sample
Stockists: SuperValu stores and supervalu.ie and supervalu.ie

Viñas del Vero Somontano Gewürztraminer 2021

Viñas Del Vero Somontano Gewürztraminer

Sticking with the German rather than Alsatian spelling, this Gewürztraminer is from the fairly new region of Somontano, in the foothills of the Pyrenees. Unlike the wines above it does have some colour, though not as dark as some Gewurz I’ve seen. True to form, it’s highly aromatic, though not like sniffing perfume; gentle rose petals and other floral notes float out of the glass. Almost a touch musky. The palate is perfectly poised! A little sweetness, though only a little, and a round, enticing mouthfeel. There’s almost a touch of sweet and sour, though scaled down from the Chinese sauce. A wine in balance, then, and not overblown. This is actually a great introduction to the grape.

ABV: 13.0%
RRP: €14.99 down to €10.00 from 10th February 2022 to 2nd March 2022
Source: sample
Stockists: SuperValu stores

Frankly Wines Pick

The order of the wines above ended up being my order of preference. It’s rare to find a balanced Gewurz that hits the spot, but the example from Viñas del Vero does exactly that – and it’s incredible value at €10.

Make Mine A Double

Wine Review: Protos Rueda and Protos Ribera del Duero Crianza

December 19, 2021September 22, 2022 admin

The history of Bodegas Protos is inherently entwined with that of Ribero del Duero. While the world famous Vega Sicila estate was founded before Protos (1864 versus 1929), Protos allowed its brand name “Ribera Duero” to be used for the Denominación de Origen when it was established in 1982.

Protos had already built a monumental ageing cellar in the previous decade. Over 2km of tunnels were bored into the side of a mountain to give them the perfect place for long ageing of wine in barrel and bottle. Four years after the creation of the DO, the Bodega built a new wine making facility closer to their Ribero del Duero vineyards in Anguix. Not resting on their laurels, they also built their own winery in the (principally) white wine DO of Rueda in 2006. Although white Ribera del Duero does exist – made in very small quantitiies from Albillo – it is the nearby Rueda which is the natural place Ribera del Duero producers look to for white wines.

Here are two of the Protos range which impressed me recently.

Protos Rueda 2020

Protos Verdejo

Protos’s Rueda vineyards have free draining gravel soils at an altitude of 800 to 900 metres above sea level, so cool night time temperatures help to preserve acidity in the grapes. The Verdejo grapes are machine harvested at night from vines over 15 years old. (Possibly coincidently, the grape which Verdejo is often compared to is Sauvignon Blanc, and night harvesting by machine is very much in vogue in Marlbourgh.)

Fermentation is carried out at cool temperature to preserve fresh flavours and then the must is aged on fine lees for around three months (“Criado sobre lias finas” as it says on the front label.)

In the glass this Rueda is a bright lemon with green flecks. The nose is expressive with lemon, lime, quince and a touch of gooseberry. These notes continue through onto the palate, but also leesy and tangy characters. In the mouth there’s also some decent texture from its time on the lees. The finish is crisp and pleasantly bittersweet. This is a superior Rueda!

ABV: 13.0%
RRP: €15 – €17
Source: sample
Stockists: Jus de Vine, Portmarnock; Mortons Food Stores; Fine Wines; La Touche Wines, Greystones; On the Grapevine, Dalkey; wineonline.ie; theallotment.ie

Protos Ribera del Duero Crianza 2017

Protos Ribera del Duero

Protos make several different bottlings in their home of Ribero del Duero. The youngest is the Roble which is aged for six months in a combination of French and American oak (hence the name: Roble is Spanish for oak) and six months in bottle. The Crianza spends 12 months in barrel then 12 in bottle, for the Reserva it’s 18 and 24 months respectively, and for the Gran Reserva the periods are 24 and 36 months.

The ageing regime is not the only thing that distinguishes the wines from each other; the age of the vines and the proportion of new oak also increases as we rise up the quality ladder. The Crianza therefore comes from Tinta del país (aka Tempranillo!) vines of 30 to 35 years. The year it spends in barrel is split into three parts: a third new French oak, a third one year old American and French and a third two year old American and French, with the thirds being blended back together before bottling.

So what are the results of this complex process? The wine is ruby red in the glass as one would expect for its age. The nose has rich dark fruits and a little vanilla. These are reflected on the palate which is smooth and velvety. It’s a powerful yet approachable wine, tasty yet elegant.

For me this wine is the sweetspot of the Protos range; a delicious wine that won’t break the bank, complex yet not too arcane.

ABV: 14.5%
RRP: €24 – €26
Source: sample
Stockists: Jus de Vine, Portmarnock; Mortons Food Stores; Fine Wines; La Touche Wines, Greystones; On the Grapevine, Dalkey; wineonline.ie, theallotment.ie

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Make Mine A Double

Wine Review: Blume Rueda Verdejo and Château Jourdan Bordeaux Blanc from Lidl Ireland

September 15, 2021October 13, 2021 admin

September 2021 sees the introduction of a new batch of wines to Lidl Ireland shelves. Some have been there before but not on a permanent basis; the idea is that a special batch of wines are released into stores and once they are gone, they are gone. Some eventually become regular listed wines and are available all year round.

Here are two whites that I tried recently and enjoyed:

Blume Rueda Verdejo 2020

Rueda is a region in central / NW Spain that is best known for white wines made from the Verdejo grape. However, there are almost a dozen permitted varieties:

Traditional white varieties: Verdejo, Viura, Sauvignon blanc, Palomino Fino
Newly approved white varieties: Chardonnay, Viognier
Authorised black varieties: Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Garnacha.

It’s not for no reason that Rueda is the most reliable white wine on the market (© Kevin Summons-Walsh). Even when made with 100% Verdejo as this wine is, Rueda tends to be fresh without being austere and not too dissimilar to Sauvignon Blanc in style.

The cheapest Ruedas can be a little too simple, but this example is simply delicious – full of citrus and ripe stone fruits, all coalescing into a lip-smackingly tasty wine that will be finished quickly. This is probably the best Rueda I’ve tried under €13 in Ireland.

ABV: 13.0%
RRP: €8.99
Source: sample
Stockists: Lidl Ireland stores

Château Jourdan Bordeaux Blanc 2019

White Bordeaux is an under-rated wine category in my opinion, all the way from AOC Bordeaux like this one, Entre-Deux-Mers, Graves and the top wines of Pessac-Léognan which can rival the Grand Crus of Burgundy for complexity and excellence. There are actually a good number of permitted varieties in white Bordeaux:

Common traditional grapes: Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Muscadelle
Rarer traditional grapes: Sauvignon gris, Ugni blanc, Colombard, Merlot blanc, Ondenc, Mauzac
New introductions: Alvarinho, Petit Manseng, Liliorila

Although Semillon is still the most widely planted white grape, Sauvignon Blanc is catching up fast, especially for unoaked dry whites where freshness is a key virtue.

The assemblage of this wine isn’t given but I’d hazard a guess at 80% Sauvignon Blanc and 20% Semillon. It’s highly aromatic with grapefruit, gooseberry and grass on the nose (the 3 Gs of SB) along with some quince and stone fruit. The palate is fresh with tangy, succulent citrus fruit.

This is a well-made, inexpensive, everyday drinking wine. It’s the sort of wine that would be perfect with a salad at luncheon (especially with its modest 11.5% ABV), as an aperitif with nibbles or as an accompaniment to seafood.

ABV: 11.5%
RRP: €9.99
Source: sample
Stockists: Lidl Ireland stores

Conclusion

I was very taken with the Château Jourdan and it offers great value at a tenner, but the Bloom Rueda was even tastier in my opinion – and at a Euro less it should be snapped up.

Other wines included in the Lidl Ireland September Wine Cellar

Whites:

Les Caves Gilles Gobin Touraine Sauvignon 2019 (€9.99)
Nivei Rioja Blanco 2018 (€11.99)
Salneval Rías Baixas Albariño (€14.99)

Reds:

La Roche d’Argent Saint-Emilion (€11.99)
Dame de Clochevigne Vacqueyras 2019 (€12.99)
Rioja Reserva (€9.99)
Cepa Lebrel Rioja Gran Reserva 2011 (€12.99)
Entre Quintas Douro (€11.99)
Torre de Ferro Dão Reserva 2018 (€12.99)

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Wine Review: De Alberto Organic Verdejo and Pazo do Mar Treixadura

July 23, 2021 admin

For the next 12 days (until 2nd August) O’Briens are running a Spanish Wine Sale. As you might expect, Rioja and Rías Baixas are the key areas for reds and whites respectively out of a total of 69 wines. However, I thought I’d try a couple of whites from slightly less well-known – though far from obscure – Spanish regions: Rueda and Ribeiro. Here are my brief notes:

De Alberto Rueda Organic Verdejo 2019

Rueda has a claim to being one of Spain’s most consistent white wine regions; good value, approachable, fruity yet refreshing wines that are pleasant to sip on their own but can handle plenty of food pairings.

For a long time, Rueda’s whites were often Palomino based “Sherry style” wines, and that variety is still permitted, but Verdejo is the king now. Viura, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Viognier are also permitted for whites (I’ve seen 100% Sauvignon Blanc and Viura as a minor component in a blend, but I have yet to see the other two on a label. Much rarer red Rueda can be made from Tempranillo, Garnacha, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot.

To give them their full name, this wine is made by Bodegas Hijos de Alberto Gutiérrez, S.A., named after the founder of the family firm. In 1941 they took over a long standing farmhouse which had made wines since being established by the Dominican order in the 17th century, and this is their base today.

The nose is bright and fruity, with a slight saline tang, plus fennel, garden herbs and gentle stone fruit. These continue onto the tangy palate which adds plenty of grassiness to proceedings. The finish is fresh, nay FRESH! As a grape Verdejo is most often compared to Sauvignon Blanc, and tasted blind I would probably have guessed this to be a South African Sauvignon Blanc due to its body and alcohol while not tasting French nor Kiwi.

When it comes to food pairing this Rueda can swap in for a Sauvignon with a classic goats cheese or take on trays of shellfish with abandon.

ABV: 13.5%
RRP: €14.95 (currently down to €11.95)
Source: sample
Stockists: O’Briens stores and obrienswine.ie

Pazo do Mar Ribeiro Treixadura 2020

Ribeiro is one of the five wine regions of Galicia, along with the more famous Rías Baixas, Monterrei, Ribera Sacra and Valdeorras. Up until the 1700s it was best known for its sweet wines which were popular with passing pilgrims. Treixadura is the key white variety nowadays, though other permitted grapes are Torrontés*, Godello, Loureira, Albariño, Palomino, Albillo, and Macabeo. Among many synonyms, Treixadura is sometimes known as Trajadura or Trincadeira. It is rarely found outside Galicia or Vinho Verde and is often part of a blend.

The Pazo do Mar Group is a collection of three different wineries: Pazo do Mar itself in Ribeiro, Pazo das Tapias in Monterrei (mainly Mencía and Godello) and Veiga da Princesa in Rías Baixas (focussing on Albariño). Pazo do Mar offer four wines: Nerieda (Treixadura, Torrontés, Godello and Palomino), Pazo do Mar White (Treixadura, Torrontés and Godello), Pazo do Mar Red (Mencía and Tempranillo) plus the Treixadura-based (plus a dash of Albariño) Expression.

Expression is straw yellow in the glass with tints of green. The nose is instantly saline, accompanied by juicy citrus and hints of tropical fruits and spice. The palate immediately starts with those saline waves, and citrus and stone fruit in the background. Acidity is mouth-watering and demands another sip. The mid palate is broad and textured, making this a great foil for plenty of foods. If I have to be critical I’d say that there is perhaps a lack of flavour in the mid-palate, but this could even be by design: to leave space in the mix for food – think paella or lobster rolls.

ABV: 13.0%
RRP: €16.95 (currently down to €13.56)
Source: sample
Stockists: O’Briens stores and obrienswine.ie

Conclusion

If you’re already a fan of Albariño but rarely stray from that grape in Spain then you definitely need to give both of these a try. I think they are fairly priced at their regular price points so the reductions when on offer are a worthwhile saving. Of the two I’d narrowly choose the Treixadura…but I might change my mind when I try them again!

* Note this is not the same variety as Torrontés found in Argentina

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Make Mine A Double

Wine Review: Nivei Rioja Blanco and Encoastas de Caiz Vinho Verde from Lidl

July 10, 2021 admin

Limited edition wines from Spain and Portugal at Lidl Ireland

Once again a new batch of limited release wines are going to be released into Lidl Ireland stores. The majority are red, plus one sweet white and two dry whites reviewed here. The others are listed at the bottom of this article.

Nivei Rioja Blanco 2018

White Rioja is traditionally mainly Viura, the same grape known as Macabeo in Catalonia, but since 2007 it can be made with up to nine different varieties:

Traditional varieties: Viura, Malvasia and Garnacha Blanca
Newly allowed local varieties: Maturana Blanca, Tempranillo Blanco and Turruntés
New non-local varieties: Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Verdejo

In finest Countdown Numbers Game fashion, this wine is made with one from the top row, two from the middle row and three from the bottom row (all in blue), though percentages were not available.

I have to be honest and admit that I committed a schoolboy error tasting this wine; on a warm, muggy day I poured myself a big glass from the fridge and sipped away. Of course it was nicely chilled, but far too chilled for tasting – it showed very little on the nose or the palate, but it was pleasant enough so I just mentalled tagged it as an inexpensive, inoffensive white wine. However, as I’d left the bottle out of the fridge, when I poured another glass the wine had opened up considerably! Aromas of citrus and stone fruit held my attention, then those notes followed through as flavours on the palate, lovely and tangy. For €9 it’s well worth a try.

ABV: 13.0%
RRP: €8.99
Source: sample
Stockists: Lidl Ireland

Encostas de Caiz Vinho Verde 2019

Vinho Verde is the northern Portuguese wine region famous for its young (literally “green”) fresh whites. Around one in seven bottles is actually red, though they are seldom seen in Ireland or the UK. Vinho Verde has nine sub-regions, though it is rare to see their names on bottles apart from the most prestigious Monção e Melgaço.

The white grapes used in the region are classed as either “recommended” or “permitted” varieties:

Recommended white grapes: Alvarinho, Arinto, Avesso, Azal, Batoca, Loureiro, and Trajadura
Permitted white grapes: Branco-Escola, Cainho de Moreira, Cascal, Douradinha, Esganinho, Esganoso de Castelo de Paiva, Esganoso de Lima, Fernão Pires, Lameiro, Rabigato, S. Mamede and Semilão

This wine helpfully gives the single variety on the front label – Avesso – and states the sub-region on the back label – Amarante. Avesso is known for its ability to produce higher than average alcohol for Vinho Verde, substantial body yet with good acidity. This example is true to form, being clean and fresh yet with plenty of oomph behind its stone and citrus fruits. There’s also a nice mineral streak which makes this much more complex than many of the wines available at Lidl. This is a must try summer white.

ABV: 13.0%
RRP: €12.99
Source: sample
Stockists: Lidl Ireland

Other wines included in the event

Spain

Vespral Reserva Terra Alta 2016 €7.99
Fincas del Lebrel Rioja Reserva 2015 €12.99

Portugal

Cardal Tejo 2019 €7.99
Pinha do Ribeiro Santa Dão 2019 €9.99

France

Saumur Champigny 2019 €9.99
Château Calvimont Graves 2018 €11.99
Domaine Tournants Lirac 2019 €11.99

Other countries

How To Avoid Everything Western Cape Merlot €9.99 (South Africa)
Chloe California Pinot Noir 2019 €11.99 (USA)
Luna de Finca la Anita Grand Reserve Malbec €8.99 (Argentina)
Szamorodni Édes Tokaji 2018 €9.99 (Hungary) (Sweet white)

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Make Mine A Double

A Splash of Refreshing White in an Ocean of Red [Make Mine a Double #40]

February 7, 2019 admin

Although red wine is the king in northern Spain – especially going west / south west from Navarra, Rioja, Ribero del Duero, Cigales and Toro – there is an outlier: Rueda and its refreshing whites. Established as a Denominacíon de Origen (DO) as recently as 1980, Rueda is now established as an ultra-reliable source of easy-drinking white wines. There are four permitted white varieties:

Verdejo (indigenous to Rueda, not too dissimilar to Sauvignon Blanc in profile)
Sauvignon Blanc
Viura (the white grape of Rioja, aka Macabeo in Cava)
Palomino Fino (the main Sherry grape, also used for Sherry-style fortifieds in Rueda)

SuperValu Ireland recently won Best Supermarket Wine Outlet 2019 in the Sunday Business Post Gold Star Awards. Below are two contrasting Rueda wines which are on special promotion from 14th Feb to 6th Mar 2019.

Disclosure: both wines kindly supplied as samples, opinions remain my own

Blume Rueda Sauvignon Blanc 2017 (12.5%, RRP €11.99 down to €8.00 at SuperValu)

Blume Rueda Sauvignon Blanc

This is a very green style of Sauvignon – which is neither criticism or praise, simply an observation – with gooseberry, grapefruit, grass and green pepper notes. It has striking acidity which make it great for pouring at parties or acting as a foil for shellfish. Tasted blind it could be taken for a Loire Sauvignon such as a Touraine, so goat’s cheese would be another great pairing (I’m speaking hypothetically here as I don’t do cheese!)

Viña Albali Rueda Verdejo 2017 (13.0%, RRP €11.99 down to €8.00 at SuperValu)

Vina Albali Rueda Verdejo

From 100% Sauvignon Blanc to 100% Verdejo, the autochthonous grape of Rueda. The label shows the herons which famously nest in the area – another indigenous species. This is a clean, unoaked wine with a little more body than the Blume above, and is somewhat softer in nature – the acidity is less obvious and the fruits are more rounded – some juicy peach and pear in among the citrus. This would also be a great party wine but could partner well with a range of dishes, from salads or seafood to poultry.

Conclusion

Both these wines are inexpensive at their regular price and are fair value. They show two different sides to the Rueda region and so are interesting to try together. On a warm day (perhaps difficult to imagine in Ireland right now) I’d take the refreshing savvy, otherwise I’d chose the Verdejo.

And at the reduced price, they are both a steal!

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Tasting Events

Top 10 White Wine Bargains from O’Briens

May 9, 2017 admin

After another successful O’Briens Wine Fair, I find myself with the usual predicament of too many good wines to recommend. I have therefore picked my 10 favourite whites listed at €15.00 or under – before any promotional offers.

Examining the list shows that:

Several varieties are repeated: Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Colombard and (unoaked) Chardonnay
Several places are repeated: Chile, the Loire and Gascony

From which you could draw certain conclusions:

Obviously, there’s a link between variety and place!
Certain varieties are better for making good yet inexpensive wines
Oak is a significant cost so is seldom used for the least expensive wines

Here are the ten wines:

Domaine Duffour Côtes de Gascogne 2016 (12.0%, €11.45 or 2 for €20 during summer at O’Briens)

Duffour

From the land of d’Artagnan (and Dogtanian as well, for all I know) come probably the best value white wines of France – Côtes de Gascogne of south west France. Nicolas Duffour is a big fan of local star Colombard which gives ripe melon flavours; Ugni Blanc (more commonly distilled into Cognac or Armagnac) adds freshness while Gros Manseng (well-established in Jurançon) gives complexity. Summer in a glass!

Viña Chocálan Reserva Sauvignon Blanc 2016 (13.5%, €13.95 at O’Briens)

chocalan

This wine is so grassy that you might wonder if you have face-planted into a pile of mown grass. It’s fresh and linear, with a juicy citrus finish. Tasted blind I would probably have guessed it hailed from the Loire Valley, perhaps a Touraine, but this is actually from a family run winery in Chile’s Maipo Valley.

Famille Bougrier Les Hauts Lieux Chenin Blanc 2015 (12.0%, €13.95 down to €10.95 for May at O’Briens)

Bougrier-Chenin-Blanc

The Bougrier Family make several Loire wines (their Sauvignon Blanc was just 45 cents too much to make it into this article) labelled as Vin de France, giving them flexibility over grape sourcing and varietal labelling. I found the Chenin just off dry, emphasizing the ripe stone and pip fruit, with the acidity keeping it fresh. So drinkable!

Viña Leyda Chardonnay Reserva 2014 (14.0%, €14.95 at O’Briens)

Leyda-Chardonnay-Reserva

This Chardonnay is unoaked but is not a lean-Chablis like wine (the 14.0% alcohol might have been a clue). Viña Leyda are based in the Leyda Valley (no surprise there) and so are close enough to benefit from cooling coastal breezes – these help extend the growing season and help to increase intensity of flavour while maintaining aromatics. This is a great example of ripe but unoaked Chardonnay, full of tropical fruits and citrus.

Domaine Langlois-Château Saumur Blanc 2014 (12.0%, €14.95 at O’Briens)

Domaine-Langlois-Chateau-Saumur-Blanc

The Maison des Vins de Saumur is one of my favourite places to taste wine in France – it has close to a hundred wines of all types from the Anjou-Saumur sub-region of the Loire. The white wine of Saumur itself are unfairly overlooked in favour of Vouvray and other appellations for white and Saumur’s own reds and rosés. Of course this is Chenin Blanc and its perfect balance of acidity and fruit sweetness makes it a great drink to sip on a nice sunny day.

Los Vascos Sauvignon Blanc 2015 (13.0%, €14.95 at O’Briens)

Los-Vascos-Sauvignon-Blanc_1

Los Vascos is a project of the Lafite branch of the Rothschild family, sourcing wines from both Argentina and Chile. This Chilean Sauvignon is very racy and less exuberantly aromatic compared to many – it’s probably closer to a Touraine Sauvignon or even a Chablis than most Savvies (Marlborough it ain’t!) Appealing mineral notes would make it a great accompaniment for oysters or other shellfish.

Hijos de Alberto Gutiérrez Monasterio de Palazuelos Rueda Verdejo 2016 (13.0%, €13.95 down to €10.95 for May at O’Briens)

rueda

Rueda and its Verdejo is often overlooked in favour of Albariño and Godello from north west Spain. And that’s ok with me as Rueda wines are consistently good quality and good value for money. This one has lovely melon and citrus notes, so soft and approachable that you will be pouring a second glass quickly!

Boatshed Bay Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2016 (13.0%, €14.95 down to €11.95 for May at O’Briens)

Boat-Shed-Sauvignon-Blanc

Different Sauvignons from Marlborough offer flavours from a wide spectrum, but often concentrating on one part of it. This seems to have nearly all of them! There’s tropical and green fruit such as passionfruit, grapefruit, gooseberry and pineapple, but also green pepper and asparagus notes. Compared to – say – the Los Vascos Sauvignon, it’s probably the other end of the spectrum – a wine great for quaffing on its own.

Producteurs Plaimont Labyrinthe de Cassaigne Côtes de Gascogne 2015 (11.5%, €13.95 down to €9.95 for May at O’Briens)

labyrinthe

This is a single estate Côtes de Gascogne from the north of the area, close to Condom (make your own jokes please). Tropical fruit from Colombard and Gros Manseng make this a real Vin de Plaisir – and fairly light in alcohol at 11.5%. Good value for money at €14, great value at €10!

Los Vascos Chardonnay 2015 (14.0%, €14.95 at O’Briens)

Los-Vascos-Chardonnay

Like its sister Sauvignon above, this unoaked Chardonnay has a great deal of minerality which make it ideal for shellfish and other seafood. It does have more body, however; enough to almost give it the feel of an oaked wine, though not the flavour. The finish is zesty citrus and stays with you for quite some time.

Tasting Events

DNS Wine Club FUN Tasting

September 9, 2015 admin

After a show of hands at the previous meet, the theme of the most recent DNS Wine Club tasting was FUN! Wine can be a very technical and complicated subject, and as something of a geek that often appeals to me, but at the end of the day the main point of wine is pleasure.

So how do you make a tasting more fun? Play games! But which games? I divided the DNS gang into two teams, opened some fizz and gave them their first task.

{All the wines tasted over the evening are reviewed in the articles Le Tour de France and Around The World in Eighty Sips on TheTaste.ie}

ROUND 1 – Match the Critic

John Wilson, scholar and gentleman

I reviewed John Wilson’s book “Wilson On Wine 2015 – The Wines To Drink This Year” here and refer to it frequently. For each wine reviewed there are lots of details, especially on the background of the wine, along with a fairly short tasting note. As tasting is such a subjective thing (and taste too, but that’s for another day) I wondered how easy it would be to identify wines from their tasting note alone…

Each team was given a sheet with two columns; the first had ten wine names and the second had ten tasting notes taken from John’s book. Two wines were sparkling, four white and four red. Each column was in alphabetical order and the objective was to match the tasting notes to the correct wine.

	Wine Name		Tasting Note
1	Bernhard Ott Fass4 Grüner Veltliner 2013	A	A superb, light, elegant wine, with piquant dark cherry and blueberry fruits.
2	Champagne Larmandier-Bernier Latitude Extra Brut NV	B	Almond blossoms on the nose; light, elegant, sophisticated crisp green fruits with excellent Minerality. A perennial favourite.
3	Coca y Fito DO Terra Alta Jaspi Blanc 2012	C	An exuberant, fresh wine bursting with pineapples and tropical fruits.
4	Jeio Prosecco DOCG Valdobiadenne Spumante Brut NV	D	Bracing and herby with an inviting texture and a snappy dry finish.
5	Kasarí Zorah Areni Noir 2012	E	Delectably light and tangy but with rosehips and fresh, piquant red fruits. Great with food.
6	Moric Burgenland Blaufränkish 2012	F	Fresh pear and peach fruits with a good lively citrus edge
7	Pieropan Soave Classico 2013	G	Intriguing, lifted fragrant black cherries with good acidity and a light earthiness, finishing on a smooth note. Different and delicious wine.
8	Quinta Milú Ribera del Duero 2013	H	Pure piquant damson fruits, good acidity and a lightly tannic finish. Delicious.
9	Santa Rita Medalla Real Leyda Valley Chardonnay 2011	I	Restrained peach and apple fruits with subtle toasted nuts and a core of citrus acidity.
10	Thymiopolous Naoussa Xinomavro 2013	J	Succulent ripe fruits cut through with a delicious minerality and great length.

You might want to try this at home. Bear the following hints in mind that were given on the night:

As both columns are in alphabetical order it is possible that a wine may still be lined up opposite its true tasting note, though most aren’t.
The longest tasting note belongs to (probably) the most expensive white wine.
The Prosecco note should be very easy to identify as it nearly always tastes of one particular fruit.
One of the wines includes a colour in its name (though not in English) which is included in the corresponding tasting note (in English).

Yes, most of these hints are fairly esoteric / tenuous / difficult – but that’s how I roll!

ROUND 2 – Call My (Wine) Bluff

For those know aren’t familiar with it, Call My Bluff is a long-running UK game show where celebrity contestants on a team take it in turn to give three definitions of an obscure word, only one of which is correct. The other team then tries to choose the correct definition and discard the bluffs.

The wine version has a similar structure, but instead of word definitions the guessing team has to divine which of three tasting notes they are given match the wine in their glass and their mouth!

For five white wines and three red wines, these are the choices which were proffered:

White 1
(A) Famille Bougrier Les Hautes Lieux Vin de France Sauvignon Blanc 2013
(B) José Pareinte Rueda Verdejo 2014
(C) Marqués de Riscal Rueda Sauvignon Blanc 2013

White 2
(A) Jean-Paul Brun Terres Dorées Beaujolais Blanc Chardonnay 2012
(B) Les Auzines Fleur Blanches Vin de Pays d’Oc 2014
(C) Tahbilk Victoria Marsanne 2014

White 3
(A) Frantz Saumon Minérale+ Montlouis 2012
(B) Tahbilk Victoria Marsanne 2014
(C) Trimbach Cuvé Frédéric Emile Alsace Riesling 2004

White 4
(A) Dog Point Section 94 2008
(B) Gaia Assyrtiko Wild Ferment 2013
(C) Greywacke Marlborough Wild Sauvignon 2012

White 5
(A) Frantz Saumon Minérale+ Montlouis 2012
(B) Les Auzines Fleur Blanches Vin de Pays d’Oc 2014
(C) Marqués de Riscal Rueda Sauvignon Blanc 2013

Red 1
(A) Atlantico Sur Reserve Tannat 2011
(B) Château Bouscassé Madiran 2007
(C) El Castro de Valtuille Bierzo 2013

Red 2
(A) Aldi Lot 01 Uco Valley Malbec-Cabernet 2013
(B) Château Sainte-Marie Bordeaux Supérieur 2012
(C) Domaine La Sarabande Faugères 2011

Red 3
(A) Château Milhau-Lacugue “Les Truffières” Saint Chinian 2010
(B) Domaine La Sarabande Faugères 2011
(C) Taltarni Heathcote Shiraz 2008

For the guessing team, some of the choices were more difficult if there was a similarity between the choices, e.g. for White 1 there were 2 regions and 2 grapes over 3 wines.

It was actually easiest to bluff when the reader didn’t know if they were giving the note for the correct wine or not! I suppose it is good to know that most people aren’t good liars, even if it’s just for fun.

ROUND 3 – Match the Critic (Encore)

Now the kicker to see if everyone had been paying attention! A double list – similar to that handed out in Round 1 – was given to each team, this time with eight wine names and tasting notes. But these weren’t just any wines taken from John’s book – they were the eight that everyone had tasted in Round 2! So of course, this final round had double points awarded.

	Wine Name		Tasting Note
1	Atlantico Sur Reserve Tannat 2011	A	A delicious modern style of Bordeaux with light creamy cassis fruits and a smooth easy finish.
2	Château Sainte-Marie Bordeaux Supérieur 2012	B	A subtle and delectable blend of citrus and green fruits with a touch of honey
3	Domaine La Sarabande Faugères 2011	C	Exhilarating precise acidity with pristine green fruits. Inspiring, thrilling wine.
4	Gaia Assyrtiko Wild Ferment 2013	D	Fresh, tangy, lemon and grapefruit, balanced out by clean green fruits, and a dry finish.
5	Jean-Paul Brun Terres Dorées Beaujolais Blanc Chardonnay 2014	E	Good, deeply satisfying wine with firm, dark ripe fruits and a dry finish.
6	José Pareinte Rueda Verdejo 2013	F	Light toasted nut aromas, fresh textured pineapples fruits and excellent length. Great wine at a very reasonable price.
7	Les Auzines Fleurs Blanches	G	Lightly toasted notes combined with peaches, almonds and honey. Unusual and perfectly formed.
8	Tahbilk Victoria Marsanne 2014	H	Succulent and ripe, filled with dark cherry fruits dusted with spices

Conclusions

Blind tasting, even single blind, is difficult. Tasting notes are subjective, and, unsurprisingly, it’s much easier to understand someone else’s when you’re tasting the same wine they had. Context is very important so knowing the background to a wine can give you a lot of clues about why it tastes a certain way and where it’s headed.

Above all, it’s a fun journey!

Long

I Know What I Like – Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc – Part 3

April 28, 2014 admin

So, Marlborough lovers, we did a tour of New Zealand in part one and then cast the Sauvignon Blanc net further in part two. Now we can begin to look at the broader horizon of other grapes in a similar(ish) style. This could run to 20,000 words so I will highlight the main wines that a savvy Savvy lover should try (see what I did there?) and ones which are fairly widely available.

Spanish Whites

Some of you might be perplexed at seeing Spanish whites mentioned as an alternative to Marlborough Sauvignon, especially given some of the oxidised muck that got produced there in the past. But Spain is probably the most exciting European country for wine at the moment, reinventing itself and applying modern viticultural and wine-making techniques to traditional grapes and areas.

Many of these grapes are indigenous to Spain, and whereas some such as Garnacha and Cariñena were adopted elsewhere in the southern Mediterranean, lots of them remain rooted in España.

Rueda

So, to begin at the beginning; Rueda is a small principally white wine region between the rugged red regions of Toro and Ribero del Duero. For much of its history it was planted with Jerez’s Palomino Fino grape and a rustic sherry style was made there. A few dry whites were made here and there from the Verdejo grape, but this practice was substantially boosted by the Rioja house Marqués de Riscal and now this is the main output of the region.

I mention Rueda first as a Marlborough alternative for a couple of reasons: firstly, it can be made with Sauvignon Blanc, even as a single varietal (and is usually labelled thus). Secondly, even if made with no SB it can often show plenty of Sauvignon characteristics. Macebeo (aka Viura) is also permitted in the blend.

Which to try? Rueda is one of the most reliable wines around, but some stand out more than others. Telmo Rodroguez’s Basa was the first quality Rueda that turned my head and remains a firm favourite to this day. Marqués de Riscal produce both Sauvignon Blanc and Verdejo based wines here, so try both to compare and contrast. A more recent discovery for me in both restaurants and wine merchants was Protos Verdejo – a fine example at a very reasonable price.

Albariño

Some wines are more known by their appellation, but others (even in the Old World) are better known by their principal grape. Of course in Albariño’s case it could just be that the grape’s name is easier to pronounce for furriners than Rías Baixas, the main appellation in North West Spain where it is grown. For the record it’s pronounced something like ree-ash bye-shass.

And it’s still fairly trendy, which means it can be overpriced, but the good ones are worth it. And like Sauvignon Blanc, sometimes more complex examples are made with lees stirring and time in barrel. For the latter, try something like Pazo Señorans Selección de Añada, or for a more straightforward, younger, example try something by Brandal.

Godello

The homeland of this grape is also North West Spain, both in Valdeorras (in Galicia, above Portugal) and Bierzo (just slightly further east, into Castilla Y Leon). Again we have some pioneers to be thankful for.

Valdesil are the biggest vineyard owners and producers. They make four different quality levels, starting with the fresh and simple Montenovo from vines around the Valdeorras area, then the Valdesil Sobre Lias which is more concentrated and has creamy lees characteristics. Next up is Pezas da Portela which (as linguists may guess) is made from individually vinified selected plots of the slate-soiled Portela vineyard. Subtle oak tones add to the complexity. Finally, the Valdesil range topper is Pedrouzos which has their oldest vines (claimed to be three generations old).

Telmo Rodriguez turns up here again (what’s the opposite of a bad penny?) with his Gabo do Xil Godellos. This is and unoaked and refreshing example grown on granite and slate soils.

The King of Godello, if there were such a person, would probably be the quality fanatical Rafael Palacios. His entry level Bolo is made in stainless steel whereas the Louro de Bolo spends four months in tight grained Norman oak foudres – the size means there is little obvious oak flavour imparted to the wine, but subtle oxygenation makes for a smoother wine. Rafa’s top wine, reckoned by many to be the best white wine in Spain, is his As Sortes. Still 100% Godello, but with more concentration and a lick of oak, it will develop over several years.

This is my personal favourite Godello – it isn’t cheap, but it’s worth it!

What this space for more Marlborough Sauvignon alternatives!

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