Last May saw an opportunity to get some education under my belt, not motivated by wine for its own sake nor the location, Vera de Estenas, but rather more because I have always instinctively felt corks are best for wine bottles.....here was an opportunity to learn more about the subject. As it turned out out a very small group met up on a thundery day, to meet with Adolfo Miravet Segarro. Adolfo is a fully qualified forestry operative who just happens to be responsible for Espadan Corks,  a company producing corks in the Sierra d´Espadan, in Castellon Province and which very shortly will become a DO Corchos de Valencia in its own right. I was a bit wary , will this be too technical and scientific ( not my best subject at school ) ? However the presentation by Adolfo, despite being his Doctoral Thesis turned out to be absolutely fascinating and educational! When I say I have instinctively felt cork is best for wine bottles it was based simply on the premise that conservatively I have pulled several thousand over the last 35 years, have only ever had two corked bottles in the house and over the same period can probably count on the fingers of two hands when I have complained a wine was corked! ( Yes I may have been lucky!) Yes old corks crumble but old wines need decanting anyway! Muslin solves that problem! I do not like plastic corks, tolerating them in wines expected to be drunk within the year, and hate screw top bottles. I have always understood that cork allowed wine to breathe, could be replaced after a few years for expensive , long aged wines including Claret and Champagne, and from an environmental  point of view the cork forests of Portugal were the summer residence of the robin.If cork production ceased and the trees were replaced by a new agriculture then there would be no more robins on spades in British  gardens looking over newly  turned ground and Xmas cards would become more obscure! On the other hand, plastic does not  allow wine to breathe, it is the ultimate stopper! Plastic also sits inside the metal screw-top  and even with my limited knowledge of chemistry alcohol dissolves plastic allowing horrible things into the wine. I was not quite prepared for the complete justifacation of cork which was about to emerge! As always when you visit Vera De Estenas it commences with a visit to the vineyards, this year  more than ever plagued  by rabbits, not the local variety but  one  which particularly likes the new green shoots!  This year had seen the vines bud early, the warmth and rain producing early leaves and pre-flowering bunches....and of course early thunderstorms with hail which has burnt this growth! Fortunately there was subsequent growth and to me this looked the most like the 2008 vintage, but with a long way to go. Back to the bodega and Adolfo commenced his presentation. The company are entirely dedicated to ecological and environmental aspects. The cork oak grows areas in very specific and not just Portugal. I was surprised to learn from the map of the Mediterrean that this includes Southern Spain, Extramadura as well as the Portuguese equivalent, Morroco, Cataluña, Southern France, parts of Italy, Sicily and Corsica.....and then Castellon! In the Sierra Espada, close to Segorbe and Almedijar the cork forests are quite extensive. They sit in a National Park and sustain all sorts of agriculture not least of which is corks, but also the acorns are fed to pigs, if the wild boar don´t get them first! Cattle also live here, but predominantly pigs are the principle beneficiarys of trees planted at a ratio of about 600 to the hectare. The trees need to be almost 100 years old to produce viable corks from the bark. At about 60 years old they are first stripped, then around 12 years later a second harvest is removed. But it is not for roughly another 12 years that the bark produces it´s third harvest with sufficient quality to be used in wine bottles and then there is another 12 year wait for the next harvest! Cork is cut by horizantal and vertical cuts to remove huge peices ( see photographs) from which corks can be later extracted.  

[caption id="attachment_1312" align="alignleft" width="116" caption="Young Tasters at Vera de Estenas."] [/caption]   The past weekend saw European Wine Tourism Day and in Utiel-Requena this was marked by a number of events both in the old centre of Requena where visitors could enjoy a glass of wine and a tapa ( not actually a local tradition) in the castle square.  On the Sunday visitors to a number of bodegas were able to check on the progress of the 2011 vintage wines. Due to previous engagements I did not get to the castle square but I certainly have managed to try a number of the new wines and some destined for blending and ageing over the next few months. I started at Dominio de la Vega where I had to call-in to buy some wine anyway. The bodega seemed to have a good number of visitors and having completed the purchase of some 2010 Bobal I was invited to try the new Bobal....which curiously had a label calling it `Primum Bobal 2011´. By all accounts the harvest of Bobal was a spectacular success with quality up, production down but acidity, fruit and concentration all that might be hoped for.   [caption id="attachment_1313" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Felix Martinez Leads the Tasting at Vera de Estenas."] [/caption] This particular bobal was still at the end of its malolactic fermentation and not ready for sale but clearly has a huge amount going for it! Deep purple with a violet-blue edge, not quite clear due to the ongoing malolactic activity, but with long legs. On the nose deep, very fruity with lots of boiled sweets, bubble gum. In the mouth youthful, deep, warm and fruity with lots of black fruits and liquorice. Good start! This is a young wine destined to be released as such.  Hopefully by Christmas we will see `Primum Bobal´, the wine being produced by Dani Esposito at the bodega, for the Primum Bobal Association of seven local bodegas dedicated to promoting the variety and improving its production and then in March the bodegas´own young bobal with oak ageing being released. 2011 clearly has more depth and concentration than 2010 and the time can´t fly by fast enough for me! Second visit of the morning was to Vera de Estenas where Felix Martinez had promised a tasting of cask or deposit samples of the headline grape varieties. We started here with the Chardonnay, destined for the Viña Lidon 2011. Harvested on the 2nd September and having been committed to barrel on the fourth of November this wine was also undergoing its malolactic fermentation. As a result it was still turbio ( or cloudy ) but on the nose the hint of ripe banana was balanced with fresh acidity in the mouth. To me this is reminiscent of the young 2010 which is widely recognised as the best vintage of this marque. Destined to be a lovely wine, which is very lucky given the unwanted attention of hailstorms and young rabbits both of which caused much damage in the vineyard this year.   [caption id="attachment_1314" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Autumn Patchwork in Requena´s Vineyards!"] [/caption] Second sample was the Malbec, which at 13.41% was also undergoing its malolactic fermentation in deposit. Also a youthful purple with long legs and slightly cloudy, the nose had lots of red fruit and clove, and grass and herbs. Harvested on the 20th September this wine is the most forward and will finish its `malo´this week, go to deposit to clear and then to barrica before eventual blending as the bodega´s second wine. Third was the Merlot which is the first red harvested at the Vera de Estenas and destined for the Martinez Bermell marque. At 13.1% ABV this has already had 15 days in barrel and was a medium cherry red with a very closed nose. At present this is light and fruity in the mouth. The short barrel ageing will round it out before its release in the Spring. Next up was the Tempranillo, at 13.13% ABV with just three days in barrel. A similar colour to the Merlot it has raspberry , red wood fruits and grass on the nose. In the mouth quite dry and this needs some time in barrel before eventual blending. Finally we tried the Bobal which Felix describes as the best yet, at least at this stage! 14.91% ABV this was just starting its malo and is a very deep cherry colour with the trademark blue edge. Destined for the flagship Casa Don Angel Bobal this wine allowed a little fruit to emerge with lots of aeration, and in the mouth had huge depth, potential and meaty body. Without a doubt 2011 will be a vintage to lay down for some time when it is finally released....in 2014! This was a really educational tasting for which, many thanks Felix. [caption id="attachment_1315" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Vineyards at Finca Ardal."] [/caption] We ended up at Finca Ardal for a tasting of wines from Luis Gil Orozco´s excellent range finishing with the Ocho Cuerdas Bobal, one of my favourites and the bodegas Primum Bobal wine. One of my favourites! Luis is President of the rutavino in Utiel-Requena and it is worth recording there were events also at Pago de Tharsys, La Madroñera, Chozas Carrascal, Torroja, Vegalfaro, Hoya de Cadenas, Pasiego, Aranleon, Utielanas, Torre Oria, Vereda Real, Emilio Clemente and Coviñas ( who had a wine and chocolate tasting) as well as several Hotels and restaurants in the region. When I say we ended up at Finca Ardal it was of course only relevant to the Sunday and if there is any opportunity to extend events it is a given that I will try to do it. So on the Monday ( yesterday) we paid a flying visit to Finca Collado  in Salinas ( DO Alicante) to see how the new wines we helped to pick ( or in my case watched being picked!) were progressing. Guillermo is positively fizzing over this years wines and having tasted the musts I wanted to try the wines at their next stage. We started with the rosado, a deep cherry red from pure Merlot which, subject to losing maybe a little colour in a light filtration could just as easily be marketed as a `joven tinto´given its deep colour. This was the result of picking and leaving the grapes for twenty-four hours before pressing. On the nose this wine has bags of boiled fruit sweets and in the mouth is fresh, light and fruity. A really easy drinker this should be ready hopefully in time for Xmas!   [caption id="attachment_1316" align="alignleft" width="112" caption="Harvest at Finca Collado."] [/caption] The moscatel by contrast is currently showing quite dry and fresh with lighter fruit than expected whilst the Chardonnay by contrast, currently undergoing barrel ageing was very fruity, elegant ripe banana and mango but with a lovely fresh acidity balancing the touch of oak. This is destined for the blend which makes up the Finca Collado Blanco which promises to be every bit as good as the 2010 award-winning wine! Hopefully there will be enough Chardonnay to produce a small amount as a monovarietal. So good progress here as well and an educational weekend overall. These events help everyone understand the evolution of wine and are very welcome! The one conclusion that flies out is that 2011 has indeed been a very good year for wine making here!          

[caption id="attachment_1126" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Figatells Lomo and Salcichon."] [/caption]   Nearly two years of blogging and the land-mark 100th blog has been reached! The last couple of years are full of happy memories, almost all of it centred on the world of wine and food. It seems to me that I am not the only one to think that it is a world full of surprises and huge satisfaction, there is nothing better than enjoying and sharing good wine and food with people who are like-minded and in the past couple of years I have been lucky enough to meet  so many people willing to share their wines, recipes and meals with me! [caption id="attachment_1128" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Arroz from La Safor."] [/caption] I have a book, Ten Vineyard Lunches, by American chef Richard Olney who describes his favourite meals as those improvised when friends turn up unexpectedly! I have enjoyed several of these here but my favourites are those at the vineyards where lunch is an opportunity to try their wines, some from the barrels,  the vintage bins or private reserves, to discuss them and also to try wines from elsewhere, always of course with typical food from the region and family recipes, variations on local themes. Somewhat luckily the last month has seen five of these vineyard lunches and this seems a good opportunity ( if self-indulgently) to share some of my experiences First lunch was  pre-harvest at Finca Collado with my adoptive Spanish family Mari-Carmen and Guillermo. It is always a pleasure to visit this property as readers will have discerned from previous posts. Finca Collado for me is one of the top properties in DO Alicante, emerging rapidly from the shadows and producing wines which are winning and will continue to win awards. This year the white has won both the Els Bodeguers silver medal for barrel fermented white wines and a bronze Baco .  The 2009 Merlot which is evolving beautifully in bottle but still needs decanting before drinking should win medals soon as should the tinto. The vineyard is an expression of its terroir, sitting in the valley above Salinas and with three distinct soil types in the same vineyard. This allows for separate vinification and a tasting from the barricas shows the effect the different soils have on the grape varieties, especially in the reds.   [caption id="attachment_1130" align="alignleft" width="145" caption="Testing the must!"] [/caption]   I sat and chatted with Guillermo who manages the vineyard and Joan the wine-maker over lunch and we discussed the way forward. Five plots have been cleared for new plantings of Monastrell  and some whites which will be initially experimental. These are likely to be Viognier which performs well in nearby DO Valencia, the boundary is very close and Roussane. I was joined that day also by fellow blogger Javi Prats and his family, Javi having been very impressed at the Turia wine-fair was making his first visit. Mari Carmen prepared lunch that day with Joan who comes from La Safor, and the food theme was based on his local cuisine. Mari Carmen had produced tortillas of red peppers and onion and plates of lomo, chorizo and jamon. Whist the main course was cooking we all sat and enjoyed the white and  rosado and then the Merlot with `Figatells´a small hamburger sized ball of pork liver and  shoulder minced roughly with parsley, thyme, rosemary and clove and wrapped in caul before cooking in the oven. Really tasty. Then with the main course of an arroz cooked with clams, squid and two types of prawns we enjoyed the tinto 2008 and a new wine still in the barrica which is largely Cabernet Sauvignon with a little Merlot from two different cuvees. This wine will replace the Merlot when it is ready early next year. Lunch was finished off with fresh fruit. Simple fare but with the right people and a wonderful atmosphere with expectations high of a good harvest!   [caption id="attachment_1132" align="alignright" width="112" caption="Tortilla of red pepper and Onion."] [/caption]   Just ten days later I was back again, this time with Val and Tony from the Vilamarxant wine club to observe the harvest of the Merlot for the 2011 Rosado vintage, the 2010 being one of the most popular wines in my house this summer! Mari Carmen learned to cook at her mother's side, her mother having cooked in a care home and I have described her as someone who instinctively can throw something together with great ease, very much in the Olney style! Her mothers cooking was influenced by the different parts of Spain in which they lived. Starters of cheese, sausage and jamon were followed by a green salad and then a simple arroz, almost an arroz abanda but oven cooked in a cazuela, , although the preparation of the fumet looked anything but simple and used loads of fresh small fish (moralla) which the cats enjoyed later! This was followed by chunky slices of roasted meat  from a large beef joint, served with its own juices and necessary to keep the grape pickers on their feet. This was a largely family affair with a couple of friends drafted in and , for the record, the Merlot juice was very sweet and fruity, already developing colour after just a couple of hours in the deposit! Can´t wait until this is  released!       [caption id="attachment_1134" align="alignleft" width="112" caption="Fideuà."] [/caption]   Just a couple of weeks before this Vincent Petré, son of Daniel Petré Champagne and his girlfriend Marine came to lunch here...hardly a vineyard I know but five vines just count I think, even with no grapes...birds! Daniel has been in Valencia for several months and we had met at several tastings and visited a bodega together. He was joined by Laura Weatherston a teacher who arrived in Valencia a year ago, threw herself into tasting and bodega visits , both local wines and food. Vincent is returning to France to do an MBA and Laura was moving on to Mexico City to teach for a year. Together with Javi Prats, his wife Elena and Miguel Angel Martin , a professional wine teacher and his artist partner Inma, we were joined by Adela Hernandez and Mariano Taberner of Bodegas Cueva and Tony and Val from the Vilamarxant wine club for a farewell meal.   [caption id="attachment_1136" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Farewell lunch."] [/caption] Once again the super fresh produce of Valencia provided the backdrop and we sat around the table outside on the terrace enjoying plates of humous, with peppers, carrots, pitta bread and celery, a tuna salad and an English contribution, home-made scotched eggs from our chickens. These were something new for the Spanish who took to them readily! Main course was a fidueà cooked by Javi and Laura and we finished with a lemon tart made by Tony from his own lemons....again something our Spanish friends are all chasing the recipe for! Lunch became supper and we enjoyed wines from Finca Collado and Mariano´s wines from Cueva including some of his experimental spirits, an orujo with horchata ( just like Baileys!) an orujo from ginger, his cava and the super-concentrated Macabeo, naturally fermented with 23.5% alcohol, just like a fino. As well as a Hermitage La Chapelle 1985 Jaboulet we finished with La Palera, a vi Negre Dulce from Vilafames. The following day we just de-camped to Bodegas Cueva and carried on!   [caption id="attachment_1141" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="At Bodegas Cueva with Adela and Felix and Vincent."] [/caption]     Here we were joined by Felix Garcia, formerly professor at the Requena wine school and behind natural products from Bobal, grape juice and a concentrated jelly which are very healthy! Adela is no mean cook either and had prepared salads, morro, bravas, home cured olives and  curious pickled baby plums, bottled before ripening and which were like large greek olives. Absolute winner on the day was her Gazpacho Jalancia! A version of Gazpacho Manchego from the Jalance valley the meat,( partridge and rabbit) is cut into chunks rather than shredded as is traditional elsewhere. Then for dessert we enjoyed the carne de bobal frozen with goats yoghurt ice cream and little cakes also made with grape juice. All of course washed down with wines from the bodega and a French wine brought by Javi and Vincents family champagnes.   [caption id="attachment_1143" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Felix, Yolanda, Elena and Javi."] [/caption] Finally  and by no means least was a surprise lunch on Saturday right in the middle of Ferevin. Javi and I and an English friend setting up as a wine-merchant in South London with a penchant for Valencian wines and Bobal in particular were invited by Felix Martinez of  Vera de Estenas. We started with an aperitif of the bodegas excellent cava down in the cellars. Together with his wife Yolanda and other family members and Andrés Alonso Pons a Valencian lawyer and Gourmet, we then sat down to starters of traditional Requenense food. Bollo ( the flat olive bread cooked with bacon and local sausages,) a quiche of tuna and tomato with the egg cooked on top, not mixed in, coca ( a sort of pizza or pisaladiere) empañadas of cheese and ham and pisto, cheese and a russian style salad. These were accompanied by Viña Lidon the excellent barrel fermented chardonnay, the rosado from Bobal and the merlot fermented in barrel, all chilled perfectly.   [caption id="attachment_1145" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Chocolate to Accompany Bobal, Including Chocolate with Morro!."] [/caption]   These were followed by an oven  roasted whole shoulder of Pork with baked apple and its own juices full of herbs, the first time I have seen pork served anything other than the size of a small chop! To finish we of course had to have bitter chocolate to go with the bodega´s Casa Don Angel Bobal, looking at the three vintages, 2005, 2006 and the recently bottled 2007. Once again a truly memorable lunch in fabulous surroundings with great company demonstrating the generosity and warmth of the Valencian people and the diversity of cooking across the region.   [caption id="attachment_1147" align="alignright" width="120" caption="Casa Don Angel Bobal, 2005,2006 and 2007."] [/caption] If the next year is half as good as the last two have been it will still be a wonderful experience enjoying genuine family based friendships and writing about the wine and gastronomy of Valencia! Who knows, there may be a separate cookery book in it!  

[caption id="attachment_931" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Inma Amo, Valencian Artist."] [/caption] May  got off to a slow start, and  with  visitors coming to stay it seemed there may not be much to report on! However in Valencia nothing is ever quiet for very long and a quick flurry of activity in the second half of the month put things back in order! Bodegas Vicente Gandia have been investing in art, not the first bodega to do so as the link between art and wine is quite vibrant here. They have set up a new space in their Hoya de Cadenas bodega near to Utiel, a `cultural´ space of some 400 square metres, which is effectively a museum. From the 16th it has been possible to visit and see an exhibition of decorated barrels which previously has been on display in the Modern Art Museum in Valencia and Feria ARCO. Some 21 barrels, individually decorated by Valencian artists have been collected together in the museum which can be visited as part of the tour of the bodega.  The barrels can be seen in four different areas which make up the museum and include some by artists who are currently excluded from social inclusion being residents of the Picassent penitenciary. One of the artists is Inma Amo, pictured here with her barrel decorated very much in the decorative arts style and for me reminiscent of the work of Bell and Grant at Charleston Farmhouse, home to the Bloomsbury set. The exhibition creates a perfect marriage between the world of art and that of wine, in a unique and original exhibition. It forms part of the tour for visitors to Hoya de Cadenas, one of the busier vineyard visits around Valencia. More Valencian wines have been winning awards at International fairs in the last month!  First award is from the University Politechnic  of Valencia who have awarded  Chozas Carrascal, owned by the Lopez family and  part of the Primum Bobal association, `Best Bodega of the Valencian Community´. [caption id="attachment_932" align="alignright" width="225" caption="Chardonnay, freshly pressed during the 2010 Harvest."] [/caption] Bodegas Finca Collado have been awarded a second prize in just over a month , this time a `baco de bronce´ for their white wine, by the UEC in Madrid in the category for white wines in oak. At the Brussels Concours Mondial, Utiel-Requena wines have again collected a hatful of awards! For the record these are:-

• Grand Gold Medal, Corolilla Bobal Reserva 2007 Murviedro

Gold medal, Corolilla Crianza Bobal 2008, Murviedro   Leer más

The Fira de Vi de Falset is held in the Old Castle above  the town, with its fantastic views towards the mountains which surround the town at a distance and the vineyards of DO Monsant and DO Priorat.  A gentle lie in after our late night in Capçanes and almuerzo in a local bar had us ready to start a marathon tasting which began at around 12am and finished at 10pm with a generous lunch break in-between!

[caption id="attachment_904" align="alignleft" width="269" caption="Phil, Miguel Angel, Tony and Jordi."] [/caption]

After a climb up through the town we arrived in the castle precinct with its rows of white tents containing a number of stands. The grounds were already busy but we decided to make a start at Clos Berenguer. A family bodega in DO Priorat dedicated to producing wines from it´s own vineyards. First release was 2000 which included wines with a year in oak and a year and a half in bottle. The vineyards are a mix of slate and chalk soils. Four wines from this producer were tried. The bodega is in an old mine.   Leer más

It seems strange to go wine-tasting at midnight but straight from the tasting in Porrera we made our way to the nearby village of Capçanes to the Cooperative where it seemed the whole village had gathered! [caption id="attachment_878" align="alignleft" width="225" caption="Celler de Capçanes."] [/caption] Founded in 1933 by five families, the Bodega came to  notice in 1995 when they produced a kosher wine for the Jewish community in Barcelona. Called Flor de Primavera this wine counts today as one of the best in Spain. When we arrived the party was in full swing! Actually this was the fifth Nit de les Garnatxes and the bodega had arranged various areas where different wines could be sampled. First of these was in the open air where the three house wines were available. This range, Mas Donis is the entry-level for the bodega and very good they are too! A new white Macabeo was full but fresh with a very long finish and lots of body. The Rosat, 80% Grenache with 10% each of Merlot and Syrah is also full-bodied with zippy strawberry and raspberry fruit with a glycerine sweetness and long satisfying finish. This is made without pressing the grapes and the depth is incredible! The red is 80% Grenache with 20% Syrah and both were fermented in stainless steel, with the finished Syrah spending a short time in French oak later before blending. Ruby red with violet highlights with a bouquet of cherries and Xmas cake. Nice sweet tannins in the mouth with fruit and a medium finish. At the table the caterers worked flat-out carving jamon to feed the hungry crowd.....a veritable masterclass! Mas Collet olive oils were also available to taste. [caption id="attachment_880" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Carving Jamon!"] [/caption] Inside the main bodega a huge art gallery had been created and it was here the individual grenache wines were to be found. Four wines from 2010 from old vines and from completely different soils were presented under the name Cabrida. The first Cabrida Panal was described as easy to drink and understand. produced on soils from dry hill-sides, wind-blown, and with arid sands with chalk below. The second wine Cabrida  Licorella is named after the schist which predominates, fine minerally slate which gives the wine its principle attribute. Third was Cabrida Argila, from zones where lakes have left their sediments from which the red colour, which oxidises quickly, comes. Finally Cabrida Calissa, from stony soils where water makes rivulets and scours the surface, slow steady rain only permeating to the roots, the wines reflect the more compact terrain. Also inside were the sweet reds produced by the bodega, Pansal del Calas 2008 and 1996, being served with chunks of rich almond cakes topped with chocolate....a veritable calorie free zone.....not! These are wines from 70% Grenache, the remainder being Carinyena. Traditional vinos de licor these wines are fermented and then stopped with the addition of alcohol which takes it to 16.5% ABV. The wines are then aged in French oak for fifteen months, the first six being in 2-5 year old oak, then racked and oaked again in new oak for nine months before being transferred to tank for a further three months before bottling. Concentrated wines with roasted damson scents, cherries, toasts, coffee, chocolate etc. Elegant , fresh and smooth in the mouth, this is a wine for chocolate! Guest wines were also available down in the cellars of the bodega.  L´Origan, the San Sadurni d´Anoia company were showing three of their cava range, the white from Xarel-lo, Macabeo and Chardonnay, the Rosat from 85% Pinot Noir with Chardonnay and Aire de l´Origan a blend of Macabeo, Xarel-lo, Parellada and Chardonnay. Part of the blends have had some oak ageing giving the wines finesse and depth. [caption id="attachment_882" align="alignleft" width="234" caption="Cava from L´Origan."] [/caption] Vila Viniteca, the Barcelona based wine shop were showing four wines, El Perro Verde a 2010  Rueda from the Verdejo grape variety, fresh and fruity, El Jardin de Lucia, 2009, and Albariño from the Rias Baixas in Galicia, also fresh but with good depth, a Schloss Golbelsberg Riesling Urgestein 2009 from Austria, lacking some of the acidity I would have expected, and finally Chateau-Fuisse, Bourgogne Blanc JJ Vincent 2009, a pure chardonnay from Burgundy, typically Burgundian with hints of wet wool on the nose and fresh acidity but again a little lighter than I like. Finally from DO Penedès Pardas were showing their Xarel-lo 2008 full with red fruit flavours, depth and nice acidity. The Pardas Rupestris 2009 a blend of Xarel-lo, Malvasia Macabeo and Xarel-lo Vermell is more interesting with its herb flavours, rosemary and ginebra  nose, and passion fruit flavours in the mouth with a nice fresh acidity. 14% ABV and four months on the lees, it sells for around 7€ the bottle! For the record, the following morning we were to visit the Falset Wine Fair where we met with Francesc Quintana Coll, head of sales at the Celler de Capçanes. He took us through the six wines produced by the bodega that had not been on offer the night before!

• Capçanes Lasandal, 2008 Garnatxa Barrica 14%ABV with 10% Syrah. A wine which sells well in the US this was a nice cherry colour, with long legs and medium density. On the nose quite light, and it passes easily across the palate with nice fruit and a soft long finish.
• Mas Collet 2008 a blend of Garnatxa, Cabernet Sauvignon, Tempranillo and Carinyena, the wine is a similar colour to the last and also quite light, in the mouth lighter still.
• Costers del Gravet 2007  14.5% ABV and a blend of 20% Garnatxa, 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Carinyena has had 12 months in oak barrels. This was a nice ruby-red, medium density, and long-legged. On the nose sweet, hints of meat,( roast beef )  but really nice in the mouth, vanilla, toasty oak flavours, soft tannins and nicely ripe fruit. Good length, really liked this!
• 2009 Peraj Haábib Flor de Primavera 14.5% ABV and the Kosher wine. A joven style wine from Carinyena, Garnatxa and Cabernet Sauvignon,  a nice deep cherry red with good long legs, nice cherry fruit on the nose jammy, and in the mouth lovely fruit balanced with tannin, it needs another year in the bottle to integrate properly.
• Cabrida 2008,15% ABV and 100% Garnatxa from 100-year-old vines. Nice intense deep cherry , on the nose cherry and blueberry, jammy fruit and peppery. In the mouth fruit, oak, alcohol and tannins are perfectly integrated.....a very nice wine which sells for about 40€ a bottle.
• And finally the sweet Vi de Licor, Pansal de Calas and 16% ABV. Intense deep cherry black, long slow legs with lots of glycerine. On the nose fresh red and black fruit, sweet and in the mouth fresh , sweet and concentrated! Sells at around 20€ a half-litre bottle.

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Given that there were no wine fairs in Valencia over the weekend and that a series of co-incidental offers made a visit to Cataluña and the Falset Wine Fair a real possibility a group of Vilamarxant´s Wine Club decided to take the plunge, drive 350 km North towards Tarragona and the river Ebro to visit the fair which celebrates the wines of DO Priorat and DO Monsant. I freely admit to knowing little of this area or it´s wines other than that they have a reputation for being `hard´ or tannic and expensive.   In fact the area itself  is absolutely beautiful with it´s mixture of hilltop villages and valleys full of neat vineyards trained on wires and by contrast villages buried deep in valleys under steep mountains where the vines cling to the steep rock face in goblet style and where the only way to reach them is by working harnessed to a rope! In contrast to Valencia the main wine fair is held in Falset but there are numerous other events with tastings held in the other villages which make up the two DO´s celebrations. Many of but not all the peripheral events are ticket only or by invitation. This report of the 2011 fair will cover the three main events we attended, the wines and olive oils and will be published in two or three parts covering as follows:-

• The Porrera Tasting of Carinyenes Caldos for future blending,
• The Tasting of Garnatxas at Celler de Capçanes and wines from the Co-operative, and
• Wines and Oils tasted at the Falset Fair together with a restaurant recommendation.

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