Showing posts with label TASTING. Show all posts
Showing posts with label TASTING. Show all posts
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Tasted Wines in the 22nd Mostra in Valencia in two days
Although it is very difficult to remember all the wines I have tasted in the XXII Mostra held in Valencia these days, I'll list the ones I've tasted, with links to their site, I promise to comment in more detail each of them.
To thank those wineries that welcomed me with open arms and those who have given me some samples to make tasting notes at home with greater ease, because I assure you that the fifth wine and surrounded by so many people is impossible to concentrate on describe the flavors and sensations that wine conveys.
At some wineries I left a dossier that inlclude an interview published in the portal www.mundovino.net ,Beatriz is the driving wine blogger of this website. Also comment that the dossier of Desmonts International Market Development is an opportunity to make known the wine to more than 70 million consumers and worth trying.
Once again thank all the organizers and exhibitors the work you do and that I should go on to spread the culture of wine and traditional food with pleasure these days we have tasted.
List of wines tested in the XXII Mostra de Valencia.
To thank those wineries that welcomed me with open arms and those who have given me some samples to make tasting notes at home with greater ease, because I assure you that the fifth wine and surrounded by so many people is impossible to concentrate on describe the flavors and sensations that wine conveys.
At some wineries I left a dossier that inlclude an interview published in the portal www.mundovino.net ,Beatriz is the driving wine blogger of this website. Also comment that the dossier of Desmonts International Market Development is an opportunity to make known the wine to more than 70 million consumers and worth trying.
Once again thank all the organizers and exhibitors the work you do and that I should go on to spread the culture of wine and traditional food with pleasure these days we have tasted.
List of wines tested in the XXII Mostra de Valencia.
Red Wines
Entrepins 2007 (Bodegas Porsellanes)
Agulló 2007 (Bodegas Porsellanes)
Caraita (Bodegas Porsellanes)
Equinoccio (Ladrón de Lunas)
Los Pin0s% (Bodega Los Pinos)
Los Pinos Crianza 2004 (Bodega Los Pinos)Cabernet f (Chozas Carrascal)
Las dos ces (Chozas Carrascal)
Finca Collado 2005 (Bodegas Finca Collado)
Vega Infante 2009 (Bodegas Utielanas)
Rafael Cambra 2 (Bodegas Rafael Cambra)
Sucesion Bobal Rva. 2004 (Bodegas Covilor)
Casa Don Angel Malbec 5-6 (Vera de Estenas)
Mas de Bazan Bobal (Agro de Bazan S.A.)
Horma del Hoyo 2007 (Bodegas Cerro Gallina S.L.)
Cueva Selección de Finca 2006 (Bodegas Cueva)
Cueva Selección de Finca 2007 (Bodegas Cueva)
White Wines
Les Merines (Bodegas Porsellanes)
Blanco Turbio (Bodegas Cueva)
Liqueurs
La Sort (Bodegas Porsellanes)
And this has been what I have in two days of each other, but would not admit it taste more on my mouth , so I reserve the right to try other wines at any time and location and go directly to the wineries producer has to make a nice report and discuss with the developers themselves the qualities of wine tasting.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Heretat de Cesilia cellar
To the south of Valencia in the province of Alicante, lies the town of Novelda, famous for its marble industry and spices and seasonings of the mark Carmencita. There we found the winery Heretat de Cesilia, a modern winery, but charming built around the home of the Marques de La Romana to the early eighteenth century.
Access to the cellar is easy from the A-31 road towards Alicante or Madrid, always looking for the train station and an access road to the farm. Dispose farm 30 hectares of vineyards to produce wine, with varidades as Monastrell, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Petit Verdot, Chardonnay, Macabeo and Albariño among others. The rest of the farm produces table grapes, such as in Spain we usually consume each December 31 to the sound of 12 bells.
Access to the cellar is easy from the A-31 road towards Alicante or Madrid, always looking for the train station and an access road to the farm. Dispose farm 30 hectares of vineyards to produce wine, with varidades as Monastrell, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Petit Verdot, Chardonnay, Macabeo and Albariño among others. The rest of the farm produces table grapes, such as in Spain we usually consume each December 31 to the sound of 12 bells.
Upon arrival found a large door, surrounded by Frand chains that lead us to a modern style building, where the reception, tasting room and store its products. Once gathered in a meeting that begins a visit to the site. In this case we have been with Nuria and Patricia have taken us around the winery, making a brief and concise explanation of the important details and routine of running it.
We visited the house in 1707 the Marques de La Romana of the time, with the tools and the restoration of the same (say that the present owners, of Galician origin, live there), going to see a small garden with two precious jewels, a tractor of the early twentieth century and a sea anchor of a ship of the era brought there from the north of Spain.
We visited the house in 1707 the Marques de La Romana of the time, with the tools and the restoration of the same (say that the present owners, of Galician origin, live there), going to see a small garden with two precious jewels, a tractor of the early twentieth century and a sea anchor of a ship of the era brought there from the north of Spain.
The wine starts, after harvesting, with a manual selection of the best grape beans. The type of agriculture practiced is of organic origin, without pesticides thus attempting to create a parallel to the vineyard habitat for insects and using biological traps to prevent them from damaging the fruit or plant.
The selection of the fruit goes through a soft crushed to stainless steel tanks inside a building, these are so conical, with cold maceration prior. During the fermentation process and the passage between the upper deposits (15,000 lts. Each) is possible 'stirring and battonage' manuals and pumping to get extract the maximum flavor and color to red wine. The white and rosé (more rosé elected in 2008) are pressed to get the juice with their original colors of the variety itself, discarding the skin of the same.
A fermented is stored in these tanks and the best selection of grapes are aged in French oak barrels, American and Eastern Europe, each variety separately, and then make the 'blend' and is bottled for further bottle aging .
The visit ended with a tasting of 2 wines discussed by the 'summiller' of the house along with a tasting of dried beef and pork Galician awakened our senses. The first wine was Azal 2008, Macabeo, Chardonnay Albariño, with a bright yellow, oily and rich, with primary aromas to futas as pear or apricot, with the right acidity, a dry wine easy to drink and postnasal memories of pineapple and peaches in syrup.
Lizana, 2005, is a very rich red wine, a young but well preserved, without losing a bit of fruitiness, varieties such as Merlot (majority), Monastrell, Petit Verdot and Syrah, cherry color with ruby trim, evokes in nose currants, red plums, licorice and Mediterranean undergrowth, easy to drink in the mouth with a bitter mouth sensation typical of the predominant grape (Merlot) and evolution of licorice and leather, as well as ripe cherries.
At the end we have been delighted with the visit that we have completed with a visit to the castle and monastery of Santa Magdalena de Novelda, ending with a meal at a local restaurant and enjoy a day strawberries but sunny and pleasant.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Visiting Vera de Estenas Cellar (Utiel)
With the truce in this harsh winter we are having and a timid sun that appeared for no more than 30 minutes, we decided to put toward Utiel feet, about 85 km from Valencia city, to try to visit the cellar that produces Vera Estenas, Casa Don Angel or Martinez Bermell among others.
The winery is located in the municipality of Utiel and is accessed from the A-3 road and the old N-III road from exit 281, the Finca La Cabezuela, an extension of vineyards in the house in the middle and on top of a hill-type 'Château'.
The winery is located in the municipality of Utiel and is accessed from the A-3 road and the old N-III road from exit 281, the Finca La Cabezuela, an extension of vineyards in the house in the middle and on top of a hill-type 'Château'.
The farm has different soil types with clay composition in the lower zone, and the more we ascend in the field becomes more calcareous and stony. On arrival we were attended Felix Martinez, manager of the cellar, and who very kindly showed us the charms of this wine, very familiar and traditional.
The Malbec grape, originally from southwestern France, is perfectly suited to this arena, as we said Felix, and although associated with large Argentine wines, which is the most widely grown variety, it seems that in our land can be adapted perfectly, as in once was the Syrah. The wine made from this variety, on this farm is host to the DO Utiel-Requena, but not not go to a wine to try, today will notice a small bottle with a stew of Valencia to the marriage to appreciate this wine that we can bring to the traditional food of Valencia.
The rest of the visit was to tour the winery where they are deposits of maceration and fermentation, barrel room, the warehouse and the old house. The house is in the early twentieth century, with a house surrounded by a beautiful garden, in slope, where the spring should give a spectacular color and aromas. Accessed by stairs and iron porch after a modernist, entered the house, ceramic floors and walls, we saw the entry and stay, we visited the ancient cellar.
The old cellar is a place where they have used the old underground tanks for storing bottles of all this working winery, is especially beautiful and allows the wines rest in an atmosphere of gloom and constant temperature, ideal for studying the evolution of them.
The visit ended with a stay in a room where all the vintage sets compiled, decorative trim and a stunning collection of spirits that hold a special attraction for a tasting room.
The visit ended with a stay in a room where all the vintage sets compiled, decorative trim and a stunning collection of spirits that hold a special attraction for a tasting room.
We tasted Vera de Estenas 2006 Crianza, a red wine with more than 2 years aging between barrel and bottle, 4 varieties such as Cabernet, Merlot, Tempranillo and Bobal, a wine with a cherry red color (no good light to describe best color), to stop drink flavors reminiscent of ripe grapes, to evoke the hectic cup oak, ripe berries and some toasted note. Flavor a good step, but expressive tannins turn mild aftertaste of roasted vanilla and cedar. An excellent wine and successful.
After saying goodbye to Felix and part of his family who accompanied us on the visit because the direction of San Antonio (Requena) to enjoy a not inconsiderable sausage based dish of the area irrigated by a red tempranillo in the area that the landlord advised us and we delighted in eating, a day of cold weather truce but for what we advertised for this coming week.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
WINE TOURISM FORUM IN VALENCIA
On Friday I was lucky to come within the TCV event at Feria Valencia, a Wine Tourism Forum in Valencia. Lucky because I had the opportunity, in the tasting that followed the talk, to exchange views with people I admire the wine world, there was Pablo Calatayud, Miguel Velazquez, Joan Cascant, Felix Martinez and others, representatives of the most important wineries in the Community (Celler del Roure, Bodega Los Frailes, the Muntanya Celler, Vera Estenas, Aranleón, Torroja and Gandia Pla), all involved in projects of Wine Tourism.
The word Enoturismo not quite like me too, so I would call Wine Tourism. Each of these pioneering wineries and Gandia Pla with a fantastic program on his farm Hoya de Cadenas (see my post of May 2009), Los Frailes and Roure with a visit which may begin around the Iberian village of La Bastida (in Moixent), or site visits centenarian House Don Angel de Vera Estenas, or the old cellar Aranleón, and even a culinary tourism Bodegas Torroja, to a real tourism landscape of the Celler de la Muntanya .
The presentation of each of the representatives of the wineries was spectacular, but I think we need to create a brand of Wine Tourism in the Valencian Community, a brand that brings together these wineries offer (and I guess some more) we presented in this forum, a Wine Road, as in the Californian Napa Valley, or a mark as our neighbor Vitae Divinum Castilla La Mancha, so that through the Agency of Tourism of Comunitat Valenciana, is to chronicle this offer that the winemakers are debating today. We need more players and give the brand a program based on adventure activities, rural, culture, accommodations, transportation, restaurant ...
This mark, which could be Nostre Vi I saw (our wine) or Vitis Vinum et Mare Nostrum (VVetMN), with references to our Mediterranean climate, would bring together the entire supply, and could be structured by designations of origin, areas, regions, terroirs or state so that aggregate the supply today is individualized in each hold. With this brand and its content is an easy to offer to tourism in general and tour operators in particular.
In my humble opinion I think they should build on this image and put aside any disagreement business to get to work on this aspect and particularly involving the local, regional, national and European level to make this wine region where it should be and not where they are getting.
Ah! and tell them that the paper ended with a great tasting, where winemakers arranged their finest wine-making for the enjoyment of all who were there.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Wines of the week
This week I had the opportunity to taste 3 wines from different appellations from Spain. Such is the case that the first thing I took was of the DO Somontano, specifically Laguarres (Huesca), which for quite some time (since the boom of the Enate, Viñas del Vero, Montesierra ... that did not prove any of the area).This wine is marketed as a distributor, "la.marca.wines" based in Zaragoza and his name, certainly peculiar, is "Cojón de Gato", a name that comes from a popular type of grape upper Aragon, fat grain , long black that resembles its name, this grape is a very small proportion in the 'blend' (though the label says others). A varietal Syrah and Merlot, mainly, with little wood (6 months), cherry color with maroon piping live, high layer. The nose, very expressive, leaving berries, cherries, some cocoa, black pepper, very clear, and balmy, of course, in the background. The attack in mouth contradicts the visual phase and is light and warm. It goes to step muscular, and appear liquor and smoked. Is the end a youthful astringency and acidity, domable, swig.
Next on the list was a wine of the DO Utiel-Requena, Bodegas de Utiel, preparer of Nodus, a young red wine with low parenting called Actum Varietal, a "blend" of Cabernet Sauvignon Merloy, brightly colored purple pillory very bright, has an intense nose, which presents some highlights minerals, fresh with notes of sweet fruit on the bottom. In mouth has good attack, the pace is slightly drying, with little tannin and a sweet tooth in the path of long drink.
And the mountain of Alicante, Cocentaina specifically, we came the third wine, a Penya Cadiella 2005, a varietal Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Monastrell, Tempranillo and Giró (Red Grenache) from Vins del Comtat celler, with a 6-month aging in French oak and American a rest period of 6 months in bottle. A wine with an intense ruby color, with oranged touches. On the nose reminiscent of vanilla, cinnamon and other spices like. Good attack on the palate, with sweet tannins and brisk, slightly sweet and with a background in herbs such as thyme and lavender, very soothing.
And the mountain of Alicante, Cocentaina specifically, we came the third wine, a Penya Cadiella 2005, a varietal Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Monastrell, Tempranillo and Giró (Red Grenache) from Vins del Comtat celler, with a 6-month aging in French oak and American a rest period of 6 months in bottle. A wine with an intense ruby color, with oranged touches. On the nose reminiscent of vanilla, cinnamon and other spices like. Good attack on the palate, with sweet tannins and brisk, slightly sweet and with a background in herbs such as thyme and lavender, very soothing.
As expressed in these notes, three different zones and three different wines that have made us the shorter week and prepares the weekend in search of new wines that will surprise us on the palate and other senses.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Campos de Luz grenache 2007
The wines of this area have always been characterized by being distributed in bulk, but in the last decade, exports almost 70% of them to external markets and after my reading of a book on wine tourism in the area of Aragon and knowing the freshness and Grenache the fruit that gives the wines I decided to buy it.
It is a young wine of 2007 without aging with a label that evokes a carved fossil ammonites and highlights the word Light. Researching the net I discovered that this is a special edition Martin Esteban holds Alfamen (Zaragoza) commissioned by a specialized website called Vinergia.
It is a wine to enjoy a meal made with white meat some dry fruits such as raisins or plums (pork tenderloin stuffed with prunes, chicken stuffed with raisins and nuts, ...), and perfect to accompany a good paella valenciana.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Garnatxa del Montsant
On my first trip through the region of the Priorat (Catalonia) last year, before the Wine Show, on his way to the beautiful city of Siurana, located atop a cliff with a spectacular charm, I went through the Cooperative Cornudella del Montsant, with the intention of tasting a wine, then buy it. My surprise is that it was closed too soon, and I kept wanting to try the famous Garnatxa del Montsant. The Garnatxa of Montsant wine is a traditional liquor made from overripe grapes. After separatingthe stem and crushed, fermented dough to purchase a minimum natural alcoholic strength of 12 per 100 vol. Then it bleeds, press, filtered and wine alcohol leads to reach 15.5 per 100 vol. of an alcoholic strength by volume and up to 20 per 100 vol. It is aged in oak barrels.
A liqueur with very suggestive Appellation with not too pronounced sweetness and a light pink wine reminiscent of some family land, which in many peasant homes offer you your own, is doing great comes with eating walnuts, almonds and hazelnuts, as a dessert wine complements these nuts.
The nose is reminiscent of rosemary honey, with an aroma-impregnated wood alcohol. Flavor sweet, velvety, with a touch of acidity, which does not slobber. The aftertaste of oak, ripe strawberries and bush spices (rosemary and thyme) makes delicious to the palate and lasting.
By the way, he brought my brother in his new year trip through the lands of the Priorat and telepathy as if we call ourselves both at once without knowing me, that was about the land, and to ask him to dine and to visit . Certainly if you visit Siurana eat in the Venta del Pubill, before passing through Cornudella de Montsant and enjoy the homemade food and Montsant wine.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Red Wines: Venta del Puerto n º 12 and Les Alcusses
Venta del Puerto n º 12 and Les Alcusses are 2 wines from DO Valencia 'Alto Clariano' wines inside the province of Valencia. Quality wines and a 'blend' of carefully tended vineyards and thrilled by the winemakers of the area by placing the DO Valencia on the international scene of the wines.
The first of these, Venta del Puerto n º 12, is made in the Cooperative La Viña, de la Fuente de la Higuera, home of the famous Valencian painter Juan de Juanes. This is a 'blend' of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, tempranillo, syraz and old vines. This wine is clean and bright, dark cherry red color with touches of Cardinals.
The 12 months of aging in American oak give it a ripe black fruit aromas, raspberries and blackberries, sugary notes, to busy drink can notice a roasted flavor, chocolate and mineral somewhat notorious tone. In the mouth it has fleshy, sweet tones, pronounced tannin, with integrated acidity that highlights the presence of ripe fruit. Fruity aftertaste and long, powerful and very pleasant. A recommended wine with a price ranging between 8 and 9 euros.
Les Alcusses, the younger brother of Maduresa, fruit of the effort and work of Pablo Calatayud, the architect of the wines from Celler del Roure in Moixent, presents a fabulous assemblage of Monastrell, Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Tempranillo in a broth who, having grown about 4 months in barrels, after a second malolactic fermentation, does not detract from one of the highest notes in the wines of new generation.
We present a nearly opaque cherry color with aromas of ripe black fruit (currants, blackberries, plums, ...), with some aromas of charcoal and coffee. In the mouth has a good entry, with tasty, elegant, velvety, well balanced, good acidity and tannins well integrated. Long aftertaste, quite fruity and gourmand persistence.
We also talked about a price between EUR 8 and 9, same as above, but with the difference that a wine is young and adapted to the taste of our day, combining in perfect marriage to a dry rice, baked rice as a typical La Costera area in Valencia PROVINCE.
Saturday, December 19, 2009
THE SERVICE AND WINE TASTING
When w
e open a bottle of wine the capsule is cut below the neck (many people choose to remove the entire capsule) and uncork. For if the cork is typically used under conditions typical lever corkscrew (it's
more comfortable double lever), while if the cork is impaired often use the corkscrew slides. The case of sparkling wine, the cork is usually removed by hand, rolling the cork (NEVER the bottle) and avoiding the typical sound and the usual 'shedding' of wine. Then sniff the cork, be it of a soft smell of cork or wine, the aromas of wet cardboard strong or very strong cork is a bad sign.
e open a bottle of wine the capsule is cut below the neck (many people choose to remove the entire capsule) and uncork. For if the cork is typically used under conditions typical lever corkscrew (it's
more comfortable double lever), while if the cork is impaired often use the corkscrew slides. The case of sparkling wine, the cork is usually removed by hand, rolling the cork (NEVER the bottle) and avoiding the typical sound and the usual 'shedding' of wine. Then sniff the cork, be it of a soft smell of cork or wine, the aromas of wet cardboard strong or very strong cork is a bad sign.
If the first impression is positive, we will serve the wine. No more than one third of the cup (slightly more if it accompanies a meal). To prevent leaking, the sommelier gives a gentle twist of the wrist, but there are drip devices on the market that provide the service.
After that you take the glass by the stem or foot (never by the body) and inclined 45 degrees, preferably on a white surface. The wine must appear clean and bright. The 'piping' will give us an impression about the level of evolution of wine and the heart o 'meniscus' show us the color of it and, in the case of red wines, the layer (opacity) of the same.
Then, with
out shaking the cup, smells inside. This action is called smell 'cup stop' and with that first impressions are perceived. Be all right, they must perceive smells clean and pleasant, also appreciate the intensity of them. Then the cup is shaken, preferably in a circular motion (eg a flat). This will shed more molecules that provide flavor and thus perceive more clearly the primary bouquet (young wine) and also secondary and tertiary.
Came time to taste the wine. You should take a small sip and pass the wine around the mouth. This is seen in different areas of the tongue the four basic tastes, but also by heating the wine in the mouth and postnasal perceive more features through the most developed sense of smell. Not only that, at the mouth sensations are perceived beyond the known, the presence of carbon, the pungency, astringency and density, which are caused by chemical compounds containing the wine.
Source: Paco Higón
After that you take the glass by the stem or foot (never by the body) and inclined 45 degrees, preferably on a white surface. The wine must appear clean and bright. The 'piping' will give us an impression about the level of evolution of wine and the heart o 'meniscus' show us the color of it and, in the case of red wines, the layer (opacity) of the same.
Then, with
out shaking the cup, smells inside. This action is called smell 'cup stop' and with that first impressions are perceived. Be all right, they must perceive smells clean and pleasant, also appreciate the intensity of them. Then the cup is shaken, preferably in a circular motion (eg a flat). This will shed more molecules that provide flavor and thus perceive more clearly the primary bouquet (young wine) and also secondary and tertiary.
Came time to taste the wine. You should take a small sip and pass the wine around the mouth. This is seen in different areas of the tongue the four basic tastes, but also by heating the wine in the mouth and postnasal perceive more features through the most developed sense of smell. Not only that, at the mouth sensations are perceived beyond the known, the presence of carbon, the pungency, astringency and density, which are caused by chemical compounds containing the wine.
Source: Paco Higón
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