Spanish Treasures

I returned to the Lower Falls Wine Co. this evening to attend their special Spanish wine tasting.

Prior to the tasting, I searched their wine racks, seeking new and interesting wines. First, I was able to find more of the Sutton Cellars Carignane, one of my new favorite wines. I also picked up a bottle of the Sutton Cellars Zinfandel Port, which I have not tasted yet. In addition, I found the 1995 Robert Pecota Cabernet Sauvignon Kara's Vineyard. I ended up with a case of wine.

As for the tasting, it was excellent! The tasting was hosted by European Cellars, an importer of wines primarily from Spain, Portugal and France. Two members of European Cellars were present, Baron Ziegler and Lucas Paya. Lucas previously worked as the wine director at the renowned El Bulli restaurant for the past five years. They were personable and interesting hosts, explaining much about their wines. The wines included seven Spanish wines and one from South Africa.

The first wine was the 1997 Gramona Cellar Battle Brut Cava ($87). This is from the Penedes region and is a rare and special Cava. Gramona is one of the last family-owned Cava wineries in Penedes. This Cava is made of 70% Xarello and 30% Macabeo. It is aged on the cork for 6-8 years and is even hand riddled. It is considered one of the top Cavas in Spain. This Cava is far more similar to a French Champagne. It has more of a yeasty flavor though it is not overpowering. It is a creamy wine, with much complexity. This could well compete with some of the top French Champagnes, and you would probably never guess it was from Spain.

The next wine was the 2006 Pazo Senorans Albarino ($25). This wine is from the Rias Baixas D.O. and made from 100% Albarino. This is a superb wine, with a fruity nose though you can detect some minerality as well. There are citrus notes on the palate with a nice crispness. It is a well balanced wine which would go well with seafood, especially shellfish. One of the finest Albarinos I have ever had.

The third wine was the 2005 Conreria d'Scala Dei, Les Brugueres Blanco ($28). This Priorat wine is made of white Garnacha, and is one of the few white wines made in this region. Priorate is far more famous for their fine red wines. The grapes for this wine come from old vines, over 100 years old. The wine sees no oak. This is a very interesting wine, with strong citrus fruits on the front palate and a more minerally finish. It has nice concentrated flavors and definitely should please.

For our fourth wine, we took a little respite from Spain and moved on to South Africa. The 2004 Sadie Family Palladius ($53) is from the Swartland region. This is the only South African wine in the European Cellars portfolio. The Sadie Family though does produce a fine Priorat wine as well. The Palladius is made primarily of Grenache Blanc, Viognier, Chenin Blanc and Chardonnay. This is a biodynamic wine and is aged for over two years in oak. Only 300 cases of this wine were produced. Another intriguing wine. Despite the oak, the wine lacks an oaky taste. It is far more subtle and you might not even realize any oak was used. Minerality, complexity, balance. So much to love about this wine. It is a unique white wine that will seem familiar in some respects but will also feel like nothing else you have tasted before. Expensive but worth it for a special occasion.

Then we go back to Spain for the 2004 Capcanes Mas Donis ($12) from the Montsant region. This is one of Spain's value wines from the less known but excellent D.O. of Montsant. The Mas Donis is 80% old vine Garnacha and 20% Syrah. It is mostly aged in American oak. I thought this was a little powerhouse of a wine, packing a lot in flavor and spice. There was vanilla tones and a decent finish. A great value for this price.

The sixth wine was the 2005 Celler Tomas Cusine Geol ($28) from the Costers del Segre D.O. This wine is a blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon and is aged in French oak. The wine has strong berry flavors with a bit of prune notes. I was not overjoyed with this wine. It was interesting but just not my type of wine.

But we moved onto a wine that is far more what I like, the 2004 El Seque ($36) from Alicante. This wine is 100% Monastrell, from very old vines, and is aged in French oak. This wine is everything I love about Monastrell wines. It nice dark berry flavors, a bit of earthiness, spicy notes and a long finish. It is a well balanced wine with some tannins though they do not overwhelm. This wine would be great with wild game. An excellent wine!

Lastly, we tasted the 2003 Bodegas Aalto, Aalto ($56) from the Ribera del Deuro. This wine is 100% Tinto Fino from 60 year old vines and aged in French oak. I have actually tasted this wine before. And the first time I tasted it, it wowed me. This time was no different. This is a superb wine, just a phenomenal example of the best of Spain. The perfect balance of fruit and spice. Such a smooth wine with a very long and satisfying finish. Pure bliss. If you are looking for something special, find this wine!

Overall, this was an exceptional tasting with many interesting and unique wines. European Cellars has an excellent portfolio of wines. Check out their website to see what other wines they import. Special tastings like these are also one reason to sign up for the Lower Falls Wine Co. mailing list.

Lower Falls Wine Co.
2366 Washington Street (Rt. 16)
Newton Lower Falls, MA
Phone: (617) 332-3000

Few Wine Binge Drinkers

CNN had an interesting article on Binge Drinking. The article discussed some findings in two studies by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

For 75% of adult binge drinkers, their drink of choice is beer. 17% choose hard liquor and only 9% chose wine. For binge drinking teenagers, hard liquor was the drink of choice.

A binge drinker was defined as a person who had 5 or more alcoholic drinks on at least one occasion in the last 30 days. About 15% of the U.S. population are considered binge drinkers and most are men.

I think that definition may be a bit too broad. Having five glasses of wine at a gourmet dinner or wine party certainly does not seem out of the ordinary or improper. Even five beers in one night does not seem too extreme. Maybe it needs to be more than just once a month, but multiple times.

Beer may be the drink of choice because it is inexpensive and readily available at almost all liquor stores. Hard liquor may be more popular for teenagers as they can more readily get their parent's hard liquor.

The studies do show that wine is certainly not a drink that is abused that often. There are still some that do abuse wine, but other drinks are certainly more dangerous.

Wine Education Class: Italian Reds

After a fascinating wine class on White Wines Off the Beaten Track, we have organized another Wine Education class. This time, the topic will be Italian Red Wines.

The class will focus on some unique, exceptional red wines from all over Italy. We'll be taking a look at a handful of different regions and showcasing the red wines of that region: i.e. Piedmont, Sicily, Tuscany, the Veneto, Puglia, to name a few.

This class is another collaboration with OurGlass Wine Co. Brian, one of the owners, was a personable and interesting speaker and will head this class as well. This is a great opportunity to taste some new and different wines and meet other local wine lovers in the area.

The class will be held on Saturday, August 18, at 3:00pm. It will last about two hours. The cost is $25 per person, which includes cheese and breads as well as special Tasting discounts.

You must call OurGlass to book your reservation. Please do so ASAP as space is very limited. Don't miss it!

OurGlass Wine Co.
124A Broadway (Rt. 1 N)
Saugus, MA
Phone: 781-941-8068

2004 Canopy Tres Patas

It is fun to explore new and different wine regions, even within a country of which I am generally familiar. The 2004 Canopy Tres Patas (which translates as "three legs") is from the Mentrida D.O. of Spain. I have never had any wines from this region before so was intrigued to taste it and see what this region could deliver.

The Méntrida D.O. covers a small part of the Madrid province and a larger part of the province of Toledo. It is generally divided into three distinct areas: Talavera, Torrijos, and Sagra-Toledo. Most of the vineyards are in the Torrijos area. Wine has been produced here since at least the 16th century. Mentrida acquired its D.O. status on 1976. The region consists of about 24 bodegas.

The climate is continental with extreme temperature variations over the course of the year. Its soils are generally sandy-clay with an average loose consistency. The vineyards are primarily at an altitude of 400 to 600 meters with a few vineyards as high as 800 meters. Their vines are commonly planted mainly as low bushes (en vaso) though some of the newer vineyards have been planted on trellises.

Méntrida produces mostly red wines and 85% of their vineyards are planted with Garnacha. The rest of the vineyards have Cencibel (another name for Tempranillo), Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah. There is also a very small quantity of white varietals such as Albillo, Macabeo, Verdejo, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay.

The 2004 Canopy Tres Patas ($25) is made from 80% Garnacha (0ld vines) and 20% Syrah. Canopy is a new winery, begun in 2004. The wine is a light red in color, reminding me of some light Pinot Noirs. It had bit of a harsh nose at first, though once it was allowed to breath a bit it mellowed. For such a light colored wine, this was a powerful wine. It had intense berry flavors, including some dark cherry. There are some oaky tones and strong tannins which benefited from a pairing with a big steak. It had a fairly long finish with some pepper spices. There was a uniqueness to its overall taste on the palate that set it apart from similar Rhone style wines. Maybe a bit of earthiness.

I enjoyed this wine. It definitely needs to breath for a time before you drink it. Plus, with its strong tannins, you should pair this with food, such as beef or wild game. It is definitely a Drink & Buy.

Stoneham Sun: My Newspaper Column

I have begun a new endeavor this week, an extension of my passion for food and wine. "A Passionate Foodie" can now be found in the Stoneham Sun newspaper. The Stoneham Sun is a weekly free newspaper. I will be writing a weekly column that will concentrate on reviews of local restaurants. The column may also touch on a few other food and wine topics as well.

My first column will be published tomorrow though it is available now online. The column contains introductory information as well as a list of some of my favorite Stoneham restaurants and stores.

If you have any questions or comments about my column, feel free to add them here.

Next week, my column will consist of a single restaurant review.

I hope you enjoy!