Showing posts with label Wines. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wines. Show all posts
Monday, June 28, 2010
Visit winery Pago de Tharsys
In my tour of the wineries in the region Utiel-Requena, I must stress that this small winery, located on the outskirts of Requena near the N-III, I had never gone unnoticed in most specialty stores and shops delicacies of the city of Valencia, there was always a major gap in the shelves of its flagship product, Cava Brut Nature Pago de Tharsys, being peculiar to the product label is a twisted ceramic tile with an image of a woman with a big eye and a tousled hair painted in cobalt blue and subjected to the neck of the bottle with a satin ribbon black.
However, it is not fair to qualify for this winery that image, apart from the spectacular wine cellar that has in it in the mouth and was named best sparkling wine from Spain in 2005, but by the variety of products that the winery produces winemaking, product know-how of the family led by Vicente Garcia and Ana Suria, dedicated to this task of making wines and cavas from the mid-twentieth century.
The winery is located in the form of pago, surrounded by vineyards and winemaking complex is formed by the house of the nineteenth century, which has commercial installations, the bottler, the barrel room, a basement, building on the house had trulli , with desks and raising cava bottles and abroad stainless steel tanks less than 10,000 liters. There is also a much larger ship, which is where older deposits, hopper, pneumatic press and other equipment for winemaking. There is another ship that came to visit I guess it will be the warehouse of the winery produces cava and so if you visit are the stills that are used to produce distilled from pomace wine-making and sparkling wine. The complex dispose a Rural Hotel, next to a lake with bird life and can be enjoyed with a visit to the winery for a weekend.
The name Pago de Tharsys, according to the guide that accompanied us from the word "pago" in the world of wine is associated with the winery is surrounded by its own vineyards which supply grapes for wine making (for French château) and Tharsys, referring to the first civilization in the Iberian peninsula, the Tartessos, believed the current farm Requena by traces found in excavations.
As a curious comment that in the 12 acres adjacent Godello and Albariño grown varieties Atlantic difficult to grow in this area, but that his care and attention results in a wine, with their vintage night in early September with a fresh good acidity in the presence of tropical fruit aromas and a very balanced in the mouth. Cabernet Franc are also grown, variety used in the 'coupages' from other varieties such as Bobal (which is made a sparkling white, Pago de Tharsys Unico), Merlot, Chardonnay, Macabeo, among others and as a foreign variety is Bronx, with which it is a sweet and aromatic wine grapes to gain soloing sugars for fermentation.
It is certainly that was a very instructive visit, where we find a variety of products in small quantities, but of excellent quality and above all innovation in design and originality.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Covilor, the cooperative of grape Bobal
Following my tour of the Utiel-Requena region this time played visiting a cooperative, in this case we move to the village of Las Cuevas, about 7 km. Utiel, where we hoped Beatriz Requena, our host, who accompanied us and showed how to live the wine in this area.
La Cooperativa Virgen de Loreto, Covilor, dates from 1955 and has about 500 members, the cooperative was a pioneer in the area include stainless steel tanks and modern winemaking equipment, as we know it today, during the 60s. The building is of face brick and amenities include concrete tanks and still retain and use the 'trulli' or underground reservoirs to produce wine.
Adjacent to the winery and in a wide area, are the farms and plots, the different partners that belong to the cooperative, cultivated grape varieties that give the wine, dominate over the range 70% Bobal, queen and mistress of these parts, and which provides the highest level of splendor once the harvest begins in late August and September.
The area where fields are located chalky-clay land and are situated in a vast plain within the Utiel flat, bordering Camporrobles, Sinarcas and Utiel, and tucked into the northeast by the Sierra del Negrete and southwest on Bicuerca saw. The land lies inside a large bag of groundwater, which has been used to dig wells and take water for use in the vineyard in the hot summers of the site.
We were visiting a vineyard foot plots near the cellar with Cabernet Sauvignon, Macabeo, Tempranillo and Bobal lot. These varieties are planted in glass, the oldest that some are over 60 years and the most modern trellis in time, the grape harvest is done by hand or machine depending on the parcel and if the owner has it or not.
La Cooperativa Virgen de Loreto, Covilor, dates from 1955 and has about 500 members, the cooperative was a pioneer in the area include stainless steel tanks and modern winemaking equipment, as we know it today, during the 60s. The building is of face brick and amenities include concrete tanks and still retain and use the 'trulli' or underground reservoirs to produce wine.
Adjacent to the winery and in a wide area, are the farms and plots, the different partners that belong to the cooperative, cultivated grape varieties that give the wine, dominate over the range 70% Bobal, queen and mistress of these parts, and which provides the highest level of splendor once the harvest begins in late August and September.
The area where fields are located chalky-clay land and are situated in a vast plain within the Utiel flat, bordering Camporrobles, Sinarcas and Utiel, and tucked into the northeast by the Sierra del Negrete and southwest on Bicuerca saw. The land lies inside a large bag of groundwater, which has been used to dig wells and take water for use in the vineyard in the hot summers of the site.
We were visiting a vineyard foot plots near the cellar with Cabernet Sauvignon, Macabeo, Tempranillo and Bobal lot. These varieties are planted in glass, the oldest that some are over 60 years and the most modern trellis in time, the grape harvest is done by hand or machine depending on the parcel and if the owner has it or not.
In the field engineers work and advise the owners to prepare the stocks and the health status of the grape harvest and distribution of it is controlled. Each collection is sent to the Cooperative, the hub of the area, which is downloaded classified for fermentation in the vats and 'trulli'.
In Covilor produce about 3 million liters of wine, all are intended mostly in bulk so that the amount of bottled or 'bag in box' that the winery produces is for members and for sale in the area. We had the opportunity to taste two wines (although we have some more to enjoy at home and with friends), a 100% Macabeo white and a 'blend' of Bobal, Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon with 12 months in the barrel.
The Alto Cuevas 2009 blanco, made with a 100% Macabeo is a greenish-yellow wine, bright, fresh and fruity, with a touch of natural carbonic fermentation itself, very easy to drink and appropriate for this summer we entered. The red, Alto Cuevas Crianza 2007, is a cherry red wine, well structured, with aromas of vanilla and ripe black fruit, sweet tannin, very pleasant to the palate, aged in French oak and American freshmen, and an extraordinary value for money.
The rest of the range wines Alto Cuevas also accompany all tastes, so we have a rosé Bobal is spectacular, very fruity and reminiscent of ripe strawberries all with a touch of acidity balanced and highly recommended to accompany rice and pasta . The young red Tempranillo is light enough, yet tannic, a daily wine aromas remind us of wild fruit.
At high expression wines I recommend 100% Bobal Sucession range, marketing the hold a reserve aged for two years in French oak barrels, a powerful wine of broad tannins, great structure and color, especially red to accompany stews prepared meals A treat for the taste of the variety Bobal has evolved dramatically in the development of this cooperative and enjoy the occasion as noteworthy.
The visit ended with lunch in the restaurant Genaro, in the town of Fuenterrobles near Las Cuevas de Utiel with a special gourmet menu, well presented and delicious, highly recommended if you go to visit the wineries of the region of Utiel- Requena.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Vegalfaro Winery, wine strain
The visit last Saturday, which I mentioned in the previous post was in Requena, had a second winery to go, just opposite the location of the former, and in the village of El Derramador, it is Vegalfaro Winery, a winery more modern, established in early 1980 and coming from a family that devoted their efforts to the farming world.
This family decided to convert their crops and winemakers from the crowd of studying the 'terroir' and seeking ways of producing high quality wines. This will seek the best parcels of their property and planted the best species, looking for the 'clonning' which best suit the environment and conditions of each of their lands. The concept of 'Vino de Pago' and 'Vino de Finca' was coined in the development of these by their owners.
Vegalfaro aims to develop the wine directly in the field, studying, controlling and improving all aspects of the physiology of the plant, so that gives the best grapes on the vine sensory capacity, it helps the process is solely to produce what the earth provides and prevents subsequent corrections fermented mash.
Vegalfaro aims to develop the wine directly in the field, studying, controlling and improving all aspects of the physiology of the plant, so that gives the best grapes on the vine sensory capacity, it helps the process is solely to produce what the earth provides and prevents subsequent corrections fermented mash.
On our visit we attended Andrés Valiente, owner of the winery said we want quality wines and knowledge position at the top by merit. From the care of the plant to its harvest, the process is thorough, so that in passing into the hopper, we can say that wine is almost made. The cellar is well adapted to this philosophy, to reap the grain at its optimal time and produce a wine with controlled maceration and fermentation, to go to the cellar stored before bottling or for young wines and cava.
All in a perfect state of cleanliness and well-differentiated each process and place of the winery to produce wines and cava that today are achieving higher scores quota competitions and tastings where they occur.
The wines we could not taste in the warehouse, but kindly gave us a couple of bottles, Vegalfaro Crianza 2006 (Tempranillo, Merlot and Syrah) and Pasamonte Blanco 2008 (Chardonnay and 15% white Grenache), the latter belonging to the DO Valencia by the location of the property. Other wines as Pago de los Balagueses Merlot and Vegalfaro Cosecha 2009 had already tried it at home accompanied by friends and we were excellent, with a personality that reminded us of wines of high expression of northwest Spain.
Finally a very informative visit, though with little time, but more quietly and hope to repeat that this time with us Rodolfo, winemaker and son of the owner to go deeper into this philosophy of doing things and starting looking for Callide field .
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Emilio Clemente Cellar; wines and nature
Near from Requena (Valencia) I could enjoy the silence and nature, and a winery equipped with the most advanced winemaking technology and an rural modernist building surprising and very carefully and tastefully decorated.
Cristina treated me kindly, the winemaker, I was showing and explaining each of the elements of the holds as well as the site where it is located. To begin the estate is on the hill called San Blas, next to the Magro river and viewing the valley that forms its course.
The first impression you get when you visit this winery is silence and peace, like you just cross the border into a new world created to awaken all your senses. The views are spectacular at any time anything breaks the feeling of tranquility. Surrounded by trees, including pigeons and squirrels, the decor is perfect to focus on the visit and enjoy the ride as I experienced.
After viewing the exterior hopper descend a level and passed a door perfectly restored, it must have been a warehouse at the beginning of last century, a modern warehouse carrying hidden inside stainless steel tanks, the air presser , traced peristaltic pump, rotating horizontal wine tanks, water cooling circuits, ... and all controlled by an industrial panel.
The warehouse has a second level at which gravity are passed red musts fermented beverages to malolactic fermentation. There are other stores where you store musts press dedicated to other tasks, especially for distillates.
One of the areas in the cellar with more explosion of sensations is to visit the barrel room, a room equipped to maintain constant temperature and humidity, of 400 French oak barrels, Bordeaux size of different coopers, with a length of no more than four years, lie the wines that are destined for aging. The aromatic sensations are no easy to describe, but I assure you that drunk in a way that would not want to leave the warehouse for its luxurious smell.
The rest of the winery has its bottler, bottle storage room and barrel room for cleanning.
The charm of this wine is to visit the rural modernist type building which houses within it a careful restoration, combining period decor with a new and modern style without harsh contrasts, which gives a hint of good taste and modernity the rooms in the house. The rooms are varied, with bed rooms and toilets, meeting room, dining room, offices, ... all seamlessly integrated with the design of the house and giving it a cozy and charming.
The rest of the house has two playgrouds, an original and a restored, the top is a private residence. We have been in the shop and tasting room, also very original and decorated in the barrels, and a collection of corkscrews in the windows also great.
Regarding wines remains to say that tasting, not wanting to further lengthen the visit and I have three at home to taste them and write about them more calmly. I have to confess that one and I've tried before to visit, but as soon as they acclimatise and resting after the shaking of the trip, I will give a good account of themselves.
A pleasure for my senses on this visit and if it goes with you a great expert and knowledgeable about wine as Cristina, the enjoyment is even greater.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Organic wines: Bodegas Porsellanes
In the municipality of Benissa (Alicante) are sales offices and warehouses of the SAT Juan Porsellanes, makers of wine and oil completely organic agriculture. The 300 ha. the company owns in the heart of the mountains of Alicante, in particular Travadell Valley, near towns and cities of Muro de Alcoy , Gorga, Benillup. etc, here in this valley that is surrounded by a Mediterranean flora, pine trees, olive trees and undergrowth are the farms where it is grown, organically, the vines and olive trees on this farm.
The vines are planted with a substrate of organic fertilizer and animal and plant varieties like grenache, tempranillo, the syrah, the great merlot, cabernet sauvignon and as the white varioedades, the Malvasia, Muscat, chardonnay .... The company also produces a liqueur wine muscat that farm this variety in the municipality of Teulada, particularly in vineyards that are located within 500 meters from Moraira beach, in the Mediterranean.
Practiced organic farming includes various quality controls to not add any kind of chemical in the crop or in the process of winemaking and oils, these products being recognized at European level with the seals that ensure the highest levels of control . The winery is hosting the DO of Alicante.
Regarding the red wines bottled noted that three brands that are commercially Mas de Carita, Entrepins and Agulló, a white wine and wine La Merina and a liqueur muscat La Sort, winner of last exhibition BioFach in Germany as the best organic wine Muscat.
Red wines produced have a distinctly Mediterranean, with the common note in all seamless integration of the varieties with the Alicante mountains.
Thus we find Mas de Caraita 2007, a half aged wine, with three months in American oak, with a 'blend' of grenache, syrah and tempranillo, has a cherry red color with shades of brown in their trim, tears dense and greedy, the nose alcohol noticeable aromas integrated with typical Mediterranean maquis (thyme, rosemary, etc.) and reminiscent of poppies, the acidity in the mouth just in the first attack, pleasant on the palate with hints of freshly torn roots, wet limestone and fruity aftertaste the forest.
Thus we find Mas de Caraita 2007, a half aged wine, with three months in American oak, with a 'blend' of grenache, syrah and tempranillo, has a cherry red color with shades of brown in their trim, tears dense and greedy, the nose alcohol noticeable aromas integrated with typical Mediterranean maquis (thyme, rosemary, etc.) and reminiscent of poppies, the acidity in the mouth just in the first attack, pleasant on the palate with hints of freshly torn roots, wet limestone and fruity aftertaste the forest.
Entrepins 2007 with 12 months in American oak barrels, we found a spectacular 'blend' of Merlot (82%) and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon, has a cherry red color with violet tones in their trim, alcoholic nose is reminiscent of fresh baked dough , cedar wood and caramel aromas, tannins on the palate, hints of Mediterranean pine resin, very easy to drink, toasted aromas, earthy nutty moist forest.
Agulló 2007, a 'blend' of Tempranillo (80%) and Cabernet Sauvignon, with a cherry red with orange tones on the rim, has a more floral nose, reminding the mountain flowers mixed with orange blossoms in the mouth is strong wine of serious demeanor with a sense astringent and somewhat bitter, reminiscent of last drink mosses, roots, liquorice and notes some vegetables.
For dessert we made a liquor wine Moscatel La Sort, Roman Muscat grapes overripe on the ground, which paints a very bright golden color with aromas of honey, dried fruits (apricots, prunes, dates, ...) In the mouth, just sweetness, not being cloying, with hints of orange, pine resin and unnoticed just alcohol in your finish.
We find that these wines, whose distribution is still mainly in European markets, integrated perfectly the traditional Mediterranean and into the mountains of Alicante and its coastline, in turn are perfect for food pairing in the area, such as rice, the blue fish, grilled vegetables and meat dishes with red and white.
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 17, 2010
22nd Exhibition of wines, champagnes, liqueurs and traditional foods
Last Wednesday was inaugurated XXII Mostra de Vins, Caves, Licors i XX d'Aliments Tradicionals de la Comunitat Valenciana (Exhibition of wines, champagnes, liqueurs and traditional foods), and I tried the best of our land and had the opportunity to meet many people and to see old acquaintances. Until I was in the position of Bodegas Porsellanes (DO Alicante) as a commentator on its wines.
Well I leave the pictures in the morning, the late-night did not do any and devoted myself to taste the wines that interested me most, which will give account in the next post.
Well I leave the pictures in the morning, the late-night did not do any and devoted myself to taste the wines that interested me most, which will give account in the next post.
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