Variety
Flor de Pingus 2007
I’m in a real Ribera del Duero kind of mood of late, maybe to balance out the 05 Rioja I’ve been hoarding, whatever the reason Ribera and Italians have been getting high rotation on the tasting bench. I’ve had a look at this wine a couple of times now, and to be honest it was underwhelming on first taste, tasting a bit like Bordeaux from a cold, wet vintage (i.e. dilute and green with chunky tannins). Oh dear not good. Right time for a another bottle at home with some ribeye…
Bodegas Félix Callejo Cuatro Meses en Barrica 2006
When I first started buying Spanish wine it was very much like having some kind of collector’s fetish. Hunt around for the wines, hear something about a new import and spend weeks trying to find out where to get it Word of mouth was king. These day’s I’m almost falling over Spanish wines in booze shops, bars and restaurants, you can read about them in local papers and plenty of blogs and I have even heard people talking about Rioja on the train once. Things have definitely moved on. One big change has been in the supermarket chains. You can now find a decent range of wines from all over Spain (and Portugal too) in both Vintage Cellars and Dan Murhpy’s stores. The old token range of big house swill is mostly gone and you can find some quality wines at reasonable prices. And they have gone to some length to get it right: they’ve hired some very smart and experienced chaps to find the wines, either through established importers (as this wine is) or importing them direct. Of course, the supermarkets haven’t been the kindest to many wine brands over the years and there is still a big gap between the good independant retailers and the chain stores in terms of service and range (and price in many cases), but that’s not the point. The point is this: most Spanish and Portuguese wine is sold in restaurants and bars in Australia. What this does do is to bring these wines out of the wine geek’s realm and more into the mainstream wine drinker’s. This can only be a good thing.
Bierzo in a nutshell…(part 2)
So, I’ve finished traveling all around the place (I hope) and back into writing up my last trip to Spain….
La Vendimia 2008
After a fairly indulgent Christmas/New year period and start of a new year, I usually think it’s time for a couple of weeks of detox. Well not detox really, just a couple of weeks to a month of not drinking. Given I’ve got almost a month of eating and drinking in Spain coming up in a couple of weeks, it seems like the wise thing to do. So it will continue to be fairly quiet here at Tinto y Blanco for a couple of weeks…
Quinta do Ameal 2008
It’s 38 degrees in Melbourne today, so what to drink? The best idea is probably water, a bit boring for this time of year tho. A more enjoyable solution would be a nice bottle of manzailla or a beer, perhaps something sparkling. Or Vinho Verde, which is my choice tonight. There isn’t a lot of vinho verde getting around in Australia, so I feel quite comfortable in saying that this is the best around….
Telmo Rodriguez Gaba do Xil 2008
I am developing a bit of a soft spot for Godello. I have always liked it, but there have a been a few recent example that have really delivered, both in the interestingness and drinkability factors. Its one of the lesser known grape varieties from Spain, often over shadowed by Albariño and Verdejo. I find it more exciting than verdejo and more versatile than albariño in it’s ability to give a good refreshing drink while matching with a wide range of foods. It seems to go very well with Thai food and is excellent with goats cheese for some reason.
Toscar Rosado 2008
It is that time of year when a good rose is in order. Well, it is normally. We’ve been getting good rain here in Melbourne, which is odd for this time of year but more than welcome. This puppy is 100% monastrell from Alicante, and it confirms my thoughts that the best two grapes for rose from Spain are Monastrell and Garnarcha. Although a rosado made from Mencia that I tasted a couple of weeks ago was excellent as well…mor on that soon.
“My Favourite Spanish Wine” 2007
It is quite a cheeky name, but the value here is unmistakable. I’m sure google will have a field day with the title of this post too…So a similar blend to the 2005 I reviewed a while ago, Tempranillo and Monastrell from Alicante in all its fresh and rustic glory. And it’s in screwcap now [...]
Capcanes ‘Lasandal’ 2006
lasendal-2006I had a craving for grenache on the way home last Thursday, a quick stop in at City Wine Shop turned up this little gem. The flash new label really stands out, I like the textured paper with bold black ink. Packaging is all well and good, but who gives a toss? It’s all about the wine, and in this case it’s agarnarcha/syrah blend (85%/15% respectively) with a spell in older American oak.I’ve been following this wine for a while now, this is the best yet.
Adegas Galegas Dionisos 2008
dionisos-008Albariño season has reared its head a bit early this year, its been bloody hot for the last couple of days in Melbourne. Perfect for sitting in the yard with a bowl of clams after the sun goes down.Pitty I didn’t have any clams. I know I always go about shellfish with albariño, its only because its a perfect combination. If you haven’t already seen it, have a look at Spain on the Road again…. for an example of what happens in Galicia. However, if you do watch it, have the remote handy. Mario Batali must be one of the most boring and annoying people on TV, and there is plenty of him waffling on about crap in each episode he’s in…he should stay in the kitchen.
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