NOTA DE PRENSA
PAZO DA BOUCIÑA SE HACE CON LA MEDALLA DE ORO DE LA XXIII CATA CONCURSO RÍAS BAIXAS ALBARIÑO DE CAMBADOS
8 de agosto de 2011.- Después de catar 60 marcas de Rías Baixas en dos días, los profesionales que integraron el panel de cata de la XXIII Cata Concurso Rías Baixas Albariño decidieron que los premios de esta edición recayesen la medalla de oro en la marca Pazo de Bouciña, de la adega Arousa de Bebidas; la medalla de plata en el Rías Baixas Albariño de Esencia Divina, Bodegas Gran Vinum y; la medalla de bronce en Bouza de Carril, de la bodega Bodega Bouza de Carril.
I was honoured to be one of the above 25 panelists (in fact the only foreign wine critic invited!) in this major wine tasting event where the best three Albariño wines of the 2010 vintage were determined!
Sitting on the panel as an equal with such luminaries as: Antonio Palacios (master wine maker, President of the Federacion Española de Asocianes de Enologos, and a member of the Palacios family, the most famous winemaking dynasty in Spain);
His young daughter Barbara, a fine winemaker in her own right, whose fledgling Barbarot Bodega, with its excellent Vino de Autor Rioja wine, would surely be voted Best Newcomer, if there was such a title in La Rioja;
Jesús Flores, doyen of Spanish wine writers and tasters, author of several acknowledged wine books and guides, in fact the Spanish equivalent of Hugh Johnson;
Pablo Amate, renowned national wine and food critic on radio and in various newspapers and magazines;
Cristino Álvarez, famed wine critic and writer who has attended over 20 of these catas over the last decades;
Plus many more, was of course a memorable experience, to say the least!
Thus, as a panelist, I played a part in deciding which Albariño wines were the best three of the 2010 vintage:
1st Place – Pazo de Bouciña, Gold Medal
2nd Place – Esencia Divina, Silver Medal
3rd Place – Bouza de Carril
The owners of the bodegas making these wines were delighted when the announcement was made in front of TV Cameras and hundreds of invitees including dignitries, politicians, celebrities and of course the judging panel!
My congratulations to the winners of course but also to all the others who make the excellent Albariño wines of Denominación de Origen Rias Baixas, Galicia.