A bottle of Sainsbury’s Rioja in late seventies England sparked an enthusiasm which turned into an obsession. Moving to Australia only made it worse. At least I know I’m not alone.
An incredible bargain from the shelves of Dan Murphy’s ethanol barns. Normally about $AU40 reduced to a members’ offer for $AU21, a whole 750ml bottle too, not a half. I’ve already banged on about how Barbadillo are doing great things for the quality of their sizeable bit of El Marco, but really, this is delicious. What is old is new again in a sense as this is a revival of the first Manzanilla ever bottled in 1827 as the back label says. Reading the excellent sherrynotes.com website it seems this is taken from the vast Solear solera as a six year old and moved in barrels to the La Pastora bodega a street away for a further three years for the flor to abate, pasada. This shows in a deeper yellow than the standard Solear. It’s beautifully rounded in smell and taste with yeast mixed down into salty sea smells, dry chamomile and mellow yellow apple and apricot fruit. A long rich and clean end spiked with a tang of salty bitterness. History and renewal of a special wine place. Hankering for a return visit.
15% alcohol. Cork. $21 ludicrous.
95 points.
A 2024 bottling was just a good even if it took a while to unfurl. Bit more definition in the flavour department, great yellow apple and clingstone peach, a shimmer of almond paste and over brewed chamomile tea. Great consistency over bottles.
Vinomofo, for good or bad. I must admit having a trawl now and then since I realised they direct imported the excellent Julien Schaal Rieslings. For most of us price is more than important, the business model less so. When this turned up for about $20 a bottle, my love of Grenache couldn’t resist. All the things that make a near to Priorat version so appealing. Deep but finely tailored cherry and other red fruits, nuts and a rocky cut. Fragrant with dry Mediterranean herbs too. Medium weight, fine skin tannins and refreshing acid bite. The only caveat being a twist of bitter sulphide, sadly so common in Spanish Grenache as it gains a year or so in the bottle. It did subside having been open for a day but..I must admit I always seem to like most Grenache when it’s youthful and booming with just picked succulence anyway. Some of S C Pannell’s McLaren Vale versions have persuaded me otherwise though. With the Rhone it’s more difficult as there’s blending and I can’t afford Rayas these days. The cause of the sulphide bitterness seems to be lack of YAN or yeast available nitrogen according to friendly winemakers. There’s also a much deeper scientific dive into types of sulphur compounds that affect wine and is well beyond my basic chemistry. I still can’t help wondering what makes wine tick though, so excuse me. In short this is probably one to drink at a nice cool temperature, like most young red wine demands, and soon. Nice lightweight bottle too.
14.5% alcohol. Diam. $20.
92 points notwithstanding a marginal fault that probably only bugs my precious taste anyway.
Despite a love for things Spanish and there being a bit of fuss about Canary Islands’ wine, I’m pretty sure this is my first island bottle. Sort of another in a theme, as the last long look at a region was Etna and this comes from an island volcano too, albeit a bit less active. Reading about the islands, it seems the indigenous vine Listán Negro doesn’t crop up anywhere else now, it may have originated in Castilla or not depending on the source. There’s some considerable history as the Canaries have avoided phylloxera and vines are planted on original roots. Shakespeare’s Sir Toby Belch suggests someone is in need of a cup of canary in Twelfth Night. I’m a bit late catching up. A Jancis article says these vines are amongst the highest altitude in Europe although the latitude puts the islands closer to Africa. All intriguing really and so to the cup of canary itself. Initially a bit pongy with sulphidic edges and a bit of a natty waft. Just medium to light in extract. Settling down into reductive cherry, woody stem spice, leather and a very ashy, crushed rock landslide. Same in the mouth, the red fruits a bit compacted by stem, reduction and really dry stonewall tannin. Not sure it’s all pleasure. There’s some argument amongst wine lovers suggesting great wine is better without complicated cooking or any food at all. In this case, this ungainly cup took off with a bowl of sweetly tomato laden pasta sauced with pesto Trapanese. Happily a food enhancing structure and a mouthwatering savour took over and cleared the way for some fragrant red fruits and dusty savour. All the doubtful bits dropped away. After a bit of uncertainty about winemaking and enjoyment, three quarters of the bottle disappeared in the time it takes two people to eat dinner. There’s always a new wine adventure without leaving the table.
12.5% alcohol. Diam I think? $? no idea as it was part of a swap for some of the yearly Wendouree delivery. I always seem to do so well and end up with delicious things I wouldn’t normally go for.
94 or 95 points with food, hard to say without. It’s me not you, dear wine.
Probably one of the best buys from Dan’s direct imports and surprisingly the stock turns over fast enough to put splendidly fresh bottles like this on the shelves. L23 equals bottled this year. Yes, Barbadillo are one of the biggest producers in the Sherry triangle but they’re extraordinarily good too. If you’re lucky enough to find yourself in downtown Sanlucar de Barrameda, a pilgrimage to the Taberna der Guerrita is obligatory. The list is chosen by a son of the business who also works as major influence in the wine making at Barbadillo. Another of those talented young people rescuing Sherry from its past. The Taberna has a great shop attached where the only non Marco de Jerez white was a Jura Vin Jaune, bit of a flor theme? If you want to see how good modern Fino can be, try this. Classic but clean smells of flor, estuary breezes, savoury olive brine and dried chamomile. Gentle but strong in the mouth, starting with chiselled flor, middling and ending with bruised apple and yellow peaches, floating on great acidity. All the good clean bits of good Fino. A bargain.
For us those of us into good local food and wine that tastes like it suits the place, Spain is a good value adventure. Though there is some distance to travel across dry, high planes, it’s a joy to watch it pass by from a comfortable train seat and a picnic for lunch. If you’re headed to Spain, some of what follows may help, I hope so.
Tarragona.
A comfortable hour long bus from El Prat Barcelona airport to a lovely old town perched above the Mediterranean. There’s a pretty beach ten minutes away, La Arrabasada, roll those rs.
Best restaurants – El Llagut in the old town and El Posit down in El Serrallo, the old port area. Both serving good pans of rice and sea creatures. Wine prices were as reasonably Spanish as you like.
Best wine shop – Perhaps one of the best I stumbled into the whole trip, VinoVi is in a modern square just off the seaside end of La Rambla. A much less fraught promenade than the one in Barcelona. Owned by a lovely couple of worldly wise fluent English speakers. They really know Priorat and its surrounding DOPs and have great contacts thereabouts.
Best wine trip without a car – Take the train from Tarragona to Marça Falset. From there a taxi to Gratallops, downtown Priorat. If you stay at Hotel Cal Llop, there’s not much choice, they will organise the taxi. Great breakfast too. If you have trade contacts or a good retail relationship for an introduction, then a visit to Clos Mogador is one of the best ever. Great Priorat from one of the originals. Celler Cecilio in town offered a warm welcome and balanced, not too showy and delicious wine. Wandering the winding back lanes, the retired Viking who runs Sao del Coster offered an unexpected and thoughtful taste of his carefully made Priorat. Wouldn’t accept the usual tasting fee, due to my enthusiasm, or as he suggested we didn’t eat enough of the really good cheese he offered. Sadly I didn’t manage a visit as vintage was in full flood, but Meritxell Pallejà would make a good stop too. There’s always Álvaro Palacios just across the valley if you’re there outside vintage and have influence in the industry. I do worry about the effects of a warming planet on Priorat. Visiting in September 2023, it seemed it hadn’t rained properly in two years. The river Siurana had completely dried up. The vineyards all dust and brown cover crops that crumbled to dust in my hand. What effect will this have on the naturally bright freshness of Priorat? The photo at least shows just how resilient those old Carignan vines are.
Best food shopping – Crusteau and Forn Andreu for bread. Casa Amatller, a quality small supermarket, and the Mercat Central pictured below for everything else.
Valencia
An easy train ride along the coast from Tarragona to a major food city and a lot less tourists than Barcelona. El Cabanyal is a fascinating beachside suburb, saved from demolition with old streets of nineteenth century tiled facades. Still feels local with a smattering of digital nomads ensuring good coffee. The old city centre is a few kms away linked by a good tram service. If you stay in the old town, try to find somewhere near the Torres del Serrans. It’s nearer the tram stops to the beach. The tram’s a lot quicker than the bus.
Best restaurants – Ca Pepico in Roca Cúiper, a short train trip from Valencia. One of the best run places ever. Exemplary rice dishes, even better than the one we tried in El Palmar near the Albufera marshes where they grow the stuff. An incredible wine list, even extending to Ghislaine Barthod, star of Chambolle. Relaxed conviviality Ca Pepico style captured below.
A special mention for Ca Xoret in Roca, just north of the train station. We only stopped for a late morning snack, it is Spain, but the warm hospitality when they were trying to set up for lunch was lovely. The wine list looked a buff’s joy too. What is it with this village? Back in El Cabanyal, Bodega Montaña is an institution. A characterful old bar serving good food and wine with modern slant, now run to cope with great popularity. Book.
Also in El Cabayal, more relaxed and great for a copa and lunch is La Batisfera. Taska La Reina is good too. In the old town, it’s nice just to wander and browse menus. Bodega Olivi was a favourite stop for an aperitif and snack but it’s tiny. Go early. Best value lunch was 64 Restaurant in the Quart hostel. Pretty room, friendly and a tasty lunch for €11! Generally the standard of cooking in Valencia is incredibly good. Michelin stars abound with good reason.
Best wine shop – Bodegas Baviera in the old town have a good selection. Like a lot of Spanish wine shops the aircon wasn’t impressive, in fact it was pretty hot in there. Maybe stick to recent vintages. The Mercado Central, a cathedral to food, has a good couple of stalls specifically for wine too. I must admit to not really warming to Valencia’s own local grape Bobal. After a few recommendations, it seems it’s just a bit too big and bossy. Grainy green tannins and rough acidity that even gentle whole berry brewing cannot tame. There is a producer we see in Australia, Celler Roure, making finer things from Garnacha (Tintorera, I think?) and the local Mando. Available all over Valencia and a frequent default. Of the local whites, Merseguera, seemed promising. Richer and rounder version of Verdejo maybe with nice cool acidity and lower alcohol. Some choices by the glass were perhaps a bit dilute.
Best wine visit without a car – didn’t do one but it seems there’s trains to Utiel Requena. Looks like there’s a few producers walking distance from the train station but going that far for Bobal didn’t appeal.
Best food shopping- you really don’t have to go much further than the Mercado Central. Enormous and beautiful. Maybe getting a bit touristy for some locals but still great quality to be found. If you’re a Insta fan, a famous local Michelin star has a counter serving market produce food with a queue. El Cabanyal market is still very local, good value and fresh produce. The precooked caramelised pumpkins are delicious. Good sourdough bread is hard to find. My favourite was Panem Unique, a tiny shopfront near the Mercado Central, pictured below.
That’s it for Catalonia and Valencia which seems to be Catalan in terms of language and food to the casual traveller but maybe not to the Valencians. Adventures in Leon and Salamanca to follow….
More Spaniards in the glass and a Moristel revisit from a new vintage. From up in the Pyrenees foothills near the lovely town of Huesca. One of those obscure grapes that seems to produce seriously drinkable wine. Perhaps richer and riper than the 2019. Crunchy red fruit, something darker and earthier underneath. Medium body, purple in its freshness. Lots of furry skin tannin. Despite leaving the bottle to rest for a few months, it still felt clenched in the middle. To such an extent that the last third of the bottle was at its most delicious after being sloshed around in the car on a winding two hour drive. Lots of less robust wines would have collapsed into oxidation. This just bounced back to be at its best. Another example of Barbadillo, one of Spain’s larger producers, just getting better and better.
12.5% alcohol but seems warmer hearted. Diam? $31 RRP.
From Alfarràs, a village to the north of Lleida, which reminds me of a favourite film of recent years set in the village of Alcarràs, not so far away up on the Catalan plateau. It seems it’s a blend of Garnacha Tinta and Cabernet Sauvignon which may mean it’s outside the rules for the Costers del Segre DOP or the producer doesn’t seek certification? It is certified biodynamic, clean, bottle evolved and delicious. Looks like Garnacha or Garnatxa as the Catalans would probably insist. Lots of bright red fruit, peanuts, a touch of floral spicing and a just mid weight texture of chalky tannin and melting acidity. Would have never thought Cabernet if google hadn’t suggested it’s in there. Great Garnacha country. If you travel north west, there’s the Campo de Borja. South west there’s Priorat and the rest. Alcarràs the film deals with the changes, often economically enforced, in the farming communities around Lleida. Turning an old quarry area into a biodynamic vineyard seems a change for the better.
13.5% alcohol. Diam. $30. A Langtons direct import which means a Dan Murphy import too.
Another wine from Spain that happily revives Covid damaged senses. A perfect Spanish wine geek’s bottle inasmuch as the grape and the place take a bit unpicking. In short Lugar de Valbuxan seems to be an ancient cellar and vineyard where lots of time and money have been invested. The Mencia and bits of other old local varieties like Brancellao, Sousón, Merenzao and Garnacha Tintorera are from around a village maybe called O Bolo? Lexitimo means something like authentic in Gallego. And really, this is the real thing, Mencia that tastes like nothing else, except it always brings to mind the best of the Northern Rhone, but don’t mind me. Flowers, sort of violet, dying fire embers, raspberries and complications of all sorts of red fruits. Lots of that indescribable rocky mineral thing. Exquisitely ripe and poised. Head full of fruit and perfume. Hangs around on the softest cushion of acid caress and perfect skin tannin. Medium of body and fine. This is the mid level village vineyard blend in the maker’s Valdeorras range. How good must the expensive single vineyard versions be? Spain does ballet as well as foot thumping flamenco.
After a long break in posts and a similar amount of time fretting about a damaged sense of smell thanks to another unhappy encounter with that pandemic virus, this rattled the senses beautifully. After a happy couple of weeks in Andalucia including sea moist walks along the Sanlucar river, opening this brought back those salty estuary smells. So good as it gained air, deep yellow fruit and chamomile, saline flickers from a brush with flor, freshened with a squeeze of citrus. Muesli and cereals. Richness and volume cut into shape by firm, reviving acidity. Safe to say El Marco de Jerez is without comparison in the wine world. So good to see it gaining confidence and reborn pride in its special soil, grape and place on the edge of a big ocean. The label proudly references soil and place. Three great wine towns and a delicious glass for not much.
13.5% alcohol. Cork. €12. $45 or so in Australia but worth it.
I thought I had posted this in August before setting off to Spain. WordPress says otherwise. So glad to visit Sherry land again. Hospitable bars, great snacks and the best value wine by the glass. If you show a bit of interest in place, grape and what slumbers in those vast rows of ancient black barrels, the bodegas will reward you with great tastings.
For over twenty years now The Spanish Acquisition have been importing some of the Sherry Triangle’s best. In the last few years there’s been a noticeable freshening in flavours and interest in these challenging savoury drinks. The amount of detail in Scott’s passionate explanation of rediscovered traditions has been a strong guiding hand to my elbow of interest in Andalusia’s great grape. This 500mls of profound joy maybe represents the best of his efforts? This saca or “withdrawal” is from an old solera owned by Delgado Zuleta. The back label says it’s from just one barrel or bota, bottled without filtration or en rama in accordance with the phases of the moon. Well, the moon tide has bought some spectacularly rich flavours. Marine breezes, bitters and chamomile cut into very ripe yellow stone fruit and sweet dry hay. Explosive through the mid palate, like chewing the very pith of summer. A contrast of fresh and very fine mineral acidity sweeps in and makes another sip inevitable. Nowhere else makes stuff like this. Andalusia here I come.
