This week I 'ave been mostly drinking...
Russell Wallace, General Manager
This
week I ‘ave been mostly drinking Spanish wines from outside Rioja. When
it comes to Spanish wine I am always surprised at the level to which there
appears to be a feeling (almost like the 'Anything But Chardonnay' mentality)
that if it is not Rioja then it is not Spanish and I will not like it. Well, over the last few years I have fallen deeper and deeper in love with
Spanish wines. The negative part of me believes that it is because you can get such a bargain from there these days. Meanwhile, the positive side of
me has come to understand the versatility of this country when it comes to making
wines in a small scale hand-crafted fashion.
Combine
the two, however, and you come up with a rather formidable reason to get to
know the wines of España better. For me, outside of Rioja my favourite
place is Castilla. First word of warning is to be careful there are 2
sides of Castilla, the first is mass production free from the constraints and
rules of Rioja. Bland, characterless wines that are exploited due to
their price alone by the usual suspects. There is, however another side
of this wonderful area, one that allows the masters of Rioja to expand their
production in a more economical region and experiment with new varietals and
blends that the rest of the country would frown upon. In Castilla, for me
at least, there is only one name to remember and that is the wines of Eguren Ugarte a serious up and comer in the world of Spanish brand wines, but one
that, again for me, has a real right to become a household name. The
Ugarte side of this family business refers to the Heredad Ugarte wines of Rioja,
top quality Tempranillo heavy wines at a surprisingly affordable price relative
their 90+ ratings. The Eguren side of this name though refers to the
underdog side of the business the great wines of Castilla from the Mercedes Eguren range (they are currently renaming to Mercedes Egunon).
These
wines span a crisp fresh Sauvignon Blanc, a surprise in a Cabernet based Rose
that is rich and satisfying, and my personal star of the show, the Blend of
Tempranillo and Shiraz. Before this wine I had never heard of the blend
of Shiraz and Tempranillo, but it is an inspired choice. The Tempranillo
lends a soft but complex flavour, whilst the Shiraz brings up the rear with a
good dose of what I believe they call backbone! This is a wine that
regularly attains 89-90 points from Wine Spectator which is impressive for a
wine under £9.
No comments:
Post a Comment