Month: August 2018

You really should have listened in those Maths lessons!

MATHS – THE PART IT PLAYS IN

SPARKLING WINE APPRECIATION!

Perfect info here, easy sums too!

I recently spent a good half-hour, probably more, in a very well stocked, dedicated wine shop in Teulada, Alicante. My mission – to select some cava for a wine appreciating friend’s birthday. I was grateful to the maths teacher of my second year in secondary school, Southport, Lancashire – all those years ago, for helping me choose!

 

Why? Well, when choosing any sparkling wine it helps to have a grasp of what was called, Mental Arithmetic, in those less than halcyon days (it was a dreadful school!). However, it could all be made easier, if the sparkling wine producers played their part. Some do, but many don’t!

 

Sparkling wine has a shelf-life, which starts from the moment it is disgorged – that is the time when the bottle (talking Traditional Method here) is taken from the cellars where it has been resting upside-down, for at least the minimum amount of time prescribed by the authorities, and the restraining cap is removed.

 

The ice cube (the neck of the bottle and its contents are frozen at this point) that contains the lees (the sediment, the dead yeast), is jettisoned by the pressure inside the bottle, which is then topped up and resealed with the distinctive cork. It’s now that the clock starts ticking!

 

The sparkling wine is ready for consumption and will be for a length of time still – but how long? It’s here that producers can help consumers with their maths, but, for commercial reasons, many choose not to.

 

Clearly, we cannot even have an anything like educated guess at how long the bottle we select from the shelves will have at its optimum time for drinking, if we don’t know the date when disgorgement took place. Sparkling wine is at its peak for a certain time after disgorgement, determined by the length of time it has spent on its lees – the less time, the fewer months it will be at its best.

The lees resting in a bottle of Cava – it will be inverted over a period of time so that the sediment falls to the neck.

Unfortunately it’s not an exact science – there’s no definite equation, but there’s a general ‘rule’, providing some guidance, at least. For example a young cava which has spent the minimum 9 months ‘en rima’ (upside-down on its lees) will happily last for probably a year, perhaps a few months longer, after it has been disgorged. There are other factors involved, e.g. the age of the vines whose grapes were used to make the cava, but as a general guideline, the above is useful.

 

Carrying on with cava – a Reserva, which has to have had a minimum of 15 months en rima, will last longer still – certainly two years, often longer. And, a 30 month minimum, Gran Reserva – well longer still; and in all cases when the minimum time en rima is exceeded, as it often is, the cava’s longevity will increase proportionately.

 

But, without knowing the date of disgorgement, we are popping in the dark!

Looks inviting doesn’t it? But is it at its best?

However, if other information is available, those in the know, and with a certain mathematical aptitude, can make some educated guesses. And so it was for me, when making my choice the other week.

 

Some of the cavas I considered did have the important date on the back label. However, I decided that I wanted a Magnum – none displayed the date of disgorgement. One, apparently, had some sort of code, which, if the consumer goes to the website, will reveal the date. But come on, who has the time to do this? How can it be done at point of sale? Who can be bothered? It’s clearly just a sop to informed consumers, a get-out clause where the producer can avoid any criticism for withholding information!

One magnum advised that the wine had enjoyed 40 months en rima, so, a Gran Reserva, with extended lees contact – but no further information. A help, when allied also to the fact that it is a magnum. Magnums hold the equivalent of two bottles worth of wine, but have the same sized neck as bottles. This means that the tiny amount of oxygen that passes through the cork, as a part of a wine’s aging process, is the same, but influences twice the amount of wine – thus allowing greater longevity. However, there is still guesswork needed here.

 

Another magnum of cava had its vintage date on the label and proudly stated that it was a Gran Reserva. So, I knew that I could add on at least 30 months to the date of the vintage, not far off three years, and see how close that took me to 2018, again bearing in mind the size of the bottle. But this took me only to 2014 – it would probably be good still, the more so if the minimum en rima time had been exceeded (I’ve tasted Gran Reserva cavas which have aged thus for five years and more!).

 

But, it’s still guess work, no matter how good is one’s maths!

 

My thanks for contributions from: @Wine_Cuentista, @VictordelaSerna, @SorchaHolloway, @ADHalliwell

An unrelated couple, for summer!

A ROSÉ FIZZ & A CHARDONNAY FOR SUMMER+

I wouldn’t say I was inundated, but it is true that I receive a large number of solicited and unsolicited wines during the year. I’m not complaining of course – it gives me the opportunity to further promote the wines of my adoptive country. And, yes, I admit it, I’m quite partial to a drop of fine Spanish wine myself!

Usually, the wines I receive all come from the same bodega. I have been asked occasionally over the years why it is that practically all of my articles are positive about the wines therein. I can understand the worry – am I being compromised by feeling that I have to write ‘nicely’ about wines that I have received gratis? And, if this is the case, am I therefore not giving readers wholly truthful advice?

Well, don’t worry, please, the comments I make in my reviews and wine notes are honest and truthful. The fact that those which you read are almost all positive is because, if there are wines that I receive that are poor examples (I tasted one recently for example that was undrinkable) I simply leave them out of the article – often advising the producer exactly why.

This week, rather that writing about a certain bodega’s full portfolio of wines, Cork Talk is going to feature just two wines, each from different areas of production, albeit that the Denominaciónes de Origen are adjacent to each – which is about the only connection between them!

I’m starting with a sparkling wine, as I’m wont to do at the tastings I present as well as prior to dinner, either here at home or in a restaurant. Is there a better way to start an evening (and a wine article?!).

The sparkler to which I refer is a rosado made with one of the black grape varieties approved for making Cava, but it’s not Cava. This Monastrell Sparkling Wine is made in DO Jumilla – and it’s a delight!

I love fine Cava, but as the title of one of my articles, of several years ago, stated, all that sparkles in Spain is not necessarily Cava; and yet it is often of the same quality, and occasionally better! This certainly goes for Bodegas Alceño’s Brut Nature rosé Monastrell – which I loved! (http://alceno.com/en/)

The bottle with its sparkly pink foil and it’s pretty pink flowers does not flatter to deceive – the wine, when poured is also a pretty pink in the glass, and, more importantly it has aroma, flavour and presence too! There are darker pink rose petals on the nose with strawberry as well as raspberry and faint rhubarb notes as well. On the palate there is elegance as well a mouthfeel and it has a medium length too.

A lovely aperitif, of course, but also pair this wine with rice dishes and Oriental/Asian cuisine, where its Brut Nature style retains the acidity to cut through any over sweetness in the food, and its structure balances the food/wine combination, practically perfectly.

I wrote fairly recently about a Jumilla wine made by Bodegas Rodríguez de Vera (www.rodriguezdevera.com/), which actually majors in DO Almansa where its winery is actually situated. I said at the time that I’d be interested in tasting one of their DO Almansa wines, as it would be more from their natural home – having been impressed with their Jumilla effort.

I love the Flamingo decked label on their Chardonnay Fermentado en Barrica – a wine that will, I think, convince even the most ardent ABC Club card holder (Anything But Chardonnay) that it is now safe to come out of hiding! Yes, it’s been fermented in oak, aged too, but only for a month. It therefore has a little oak influence, but in no way does this mask the fruit.

 

The single vineyard wine, whose grapes were harvested by hand, has also been aged for three months on its lees, with weekly stirring, away from the oak, and this adds a creamy dimension to the finished wine which complements, and in turn is complemented by, the oak barrels. Crucial is the acidity, which is tight and lean despite the fullness of the wine.

You’ll find some white stoned fruit on the palate, white peaches particularly, but also fresh, slightly under ripe yellow peaches, with a brief reference to banana skin and a little pineapple acidity. It’s all wrapped up nicely in a quilt of creaminess with a dash of vanilla!

Contact colin: colin@colinharknessonwine.com Facebook Colin Harkness Twitter @colinonwine Youtube Colin Harkness On Wine

Date of Disgorgement!

MATHS – THE PART IT PLAYS IN

SPARKLING WINE APPRECIATION!

It’s transparency of information we need on our sparkling wines bottles and here’s a great example!

I recently spent a good half-hour, probably more, in a very well stocked, dedicated wine shop in Teulada, Alicante. My mission – to select some cava for a wine appreciating friend’s birthday. I was grateful to the maths teacher of my second year in secondary school, Southport, Lancashire – all those years ago, for helping me choose!

 

Why? Well, when choosing any sparkling wine it helps to have a grasp of what was called, Mental Arithmetic, in those less than halcyon days (it was a dreadful school!). However, it could all me made easier, if the sparkling wine producers played their part. Some do, but many don’t!

 

Sparkling wine has a shelf-life, which starts from the moment it is disgorged – that is the time when the bottle (talking Traditional Method here) is taken from the cellars where it has been resting upside-down, for at least the minimum amount of time prescribed by the authorities, and the restraining cap is removed.

 

The ice cube (the neck of the bottle and its contents are frozen at this point) that contains the lees (the sediment, the dead yeast), is jettisoned by the pressure inside the bottle, which is then topped up and resealed with the distinctive cork. It’s now that the clock starts ticking!

 

The sparkling wine is ready for consumption and will be for a length of time still – but how long? It’s here that producers can help consumers with their maths, but, for commercial reasons, many choose not to.

 

Clearly, we cannot even have an anything like educated guess at how long the bottle we select from the shelves will have at its optimum time for drinking, if we don’t know the date when disgorgement took place. Sparkling wine is at its peak for a certain time after disgorgement, determined by the length of time it has spent on its lees – the less time, the fewer months it will be at its best.

 

Unfortunately it’s not an exact science – there’s no definite equation, but there’s a general ‘rule’, providing some guidance, at least. For example a young cava which has spent the minimum 9 months ‘en rima’ (upside-down on its lees) will happily last for probably a year, perhaps a few months longer, after it has been disgorged. There are other factors involved, e.g. the age of the vines whose grapes were used to make the cava, but as a general guideline, the above is useful.

 

Carrying on with cava – a Reserva, which has to have had a minimum of 15 months en rima, will last longer still – certainly two years, often longer. And, a 30 month minimum, Gran Reserva – well longer still; and in all cases when the minimum time en rima is exceeded, as it often is, the cava’s longevity will increase proportionately.

 

But, without knowing the date of disgorgement, we are popping in the dark!

 

However, if other information is available, those in the know, and with a certain mathematical aptitude, can make some educated guesses. And so it was for me, when making my choice the other week.

 

Some of the cavas I considered did have the important date on the back label. However, I decided that I wanted a Magnum – none displayed the date of disgorgement. One, apparently, had some sort of code, which, if the consumer goes to the website, will reveal the date. But come on, who has the time to do this? How can it be done at point of sale? Who can be bothered? It’s clearly just a sop to informed consumers, a get-out clause where the producer can avoid any criticism for withholding information!

 

One magnum advised that the wine had enjoyed 40 months en rima, so, a Gran Reserva, with extended lees contact – but no further information. A help, when allied also to the fact that it is a magnum. Magnums hold the equivalent of two bottles worth of wine, but have the same sized neck as bottles. This means that the tiny amount of oxygen that passes through the cork, as a part of a wine’s aging process, is the same, but influences twice the amount of wine – thus allowing greater longevity. However, there is still guesswork needed here.

 

Another magnum of cava had its vintage date on the label and proudly stated that it was a Gran Reserva. So, I knew that I could add on at least 30 months to the date of the vintage, not far off three years, and see how close that took me to 2018, again bearing in mind the size of the bottle. But this took me only to 2014 – it would probably be good still, the more so if the minimum en rima time had been exceeded (I’ve tasted Gran Reserva cavas which have aged thus for five years and more!).

 

But, it’s still guess work, no matter how good is one’s maths!

 

My thanks for contributions from: @Wine_Cuentista, @VictordelaSerna, @SorchaHolloway, @ADHalliwell @anthonycswift

The misappropriation of Monastrell?

MONASTRELL

 

My first contact with Bodegas Monastrell of Denominación de Origen Bullas (DO Bullas) was a little confusing.

 

In this part of southern Spain, Monastrell is the darling grape variety – as a monovarietal, in a blend, it’s used in probably 90% of all red wines of the zone, and to very good effect as well. So, I could understand a winery wanting to take ownership of the name – but, surely all others would have a similar claim?

 

However, on talking to Alejandro and Alfonso, it was clear that their naming the winery Bodegas Monastrell, is in no way an attempt to misappropriate the name of the variety. Rather, it’s an example of paying homage to this wonderful grape. And, when you taste the wines they make with it – well, it’s clear they also pay homage through their craft!

 

However, of the wines they recently sent me to taste for Cork Talk, only one was made using Monastrell. The rest are from a new portfolio of wines under the banner of ‘Salto del Usero’, the name of a small area of natural beauty in Bullas, which boasts and inland ‘beach’ alongside the small lake.

 

Personally, in the now daily heat, with temperatures set to go even higher, I find myself reaching for white wines and rosados, before reds. That is until later in the evening, perhaps over a late dinner, or simply drinking with friends, when it’s cooled down enough for some full red wines, that don’t need to have been chilled! And in the latter case, you can’t gro wrong by sticking with the same bodega enjoying their outstanding Valché, or their Chaveo, or indeed the Almudì I was sent.

 

However, speaking of ‘reaching’, well, I’m not sure what happened but when I did just that, into my full, 40+ bottle wine chiller to retrieve the Salto del Usero Blanco Macabeo, it fell! Tragically, this was onto tiles, and – well you know how unforgiving they can be! All was lost – of that bottle, which is a shame, as I certainly enjoyed its elder sister, Salto del Usero Blanco Fementado en Barrica.

 

This latter wine is a very limited production Macabeo fermented in just two separate French oak barrels of 300 litre capacity. It’s quite a remarkable wine, whose aromas on opening started with passion fruit and papaya notes combined, a little later, with a certain smokiness.

There’s also a faint note of yogurt and crème fraîche on the nose with a little vanilla thrown in, coming, probably from the wine’s 200 days in oak, resting on its lees, with regular batonnage (stirring).

 

I tasted the 2017 vintage of this wine, in fact its first vintage as it’s a new line and whilst it is in perfect balance, and drinking, I’m sure as the wine maker would want, I believe it will also develop in the bottle (providing it’s kept under the correct conditions, of course) taking on different, more mature aromas. In truth I’m quite enamoured with this wine, and I’m predicting that it may well be elevated to the flagship white wine, of this, a predominately red wine DO – though good whites are also made here.

 

Unfortunately, I can’t comment on the un-oaked version of this wine, as you know, from the heartbreaking occurrence detailed above. Neither can I comment on the red wine that is in the same range, as it wasn’t included in the case, though it was mean to be so. Never mind, there was one red, as mentioned above.

An organic wine made with Monastrell, claro, there is also a little Tempranillo and Petit Verdot in the blend. My bottle had Almudì 2016 written by hand in white, above a DO Bullas ticket signed and passed by the Consejo Regulador. A collector’s item – except that I’d rather drink it!

After temperature controlled fermentation the wine was placed in nearly new French oak 300 litre barrels for about six months. The resulting wine has good fruit on the nose and palate – think plums and dark cherries, with a little minty note too. It has sufficient complexity and depth for it to be paired with meat dishes, which we did, but it’s also a lovely wine to simply sip with friends.

 

Plus, the aforementioned, now depleted, wine chiller keeps red wines, chilled (the whites colder) and I first tasted the wine when it was cool – ideal in summer! http://www.bodegamonastrell.com

 

Contact Colin: colin@colinharknessonwine.com; Facebook Colin Harkness; Twitter @colinonwine; www.colinharknessonwine.com