April 2nd 2010: Spanish Reds & A White from the Canary Islands

When I select the themes for the tastings each month each weeks lineup is dictated by what’s in the market place. For instance, this weeks description was for reds from Spain & Portugal. Each week I taste loads of wines on Wednesday. When I taste a wine that I think is special I make a note in my little black book. Over the last month I’ve been looking for tasty reds from Spain & Portugal. There has been nothing from Portugal that has lit my fire so rather than pouring something that’s just OK the reds will all be from Spain this week. The quality of the wines that we pour for you on Fridays is of utmost importance and that is always the guiding force in the selections. So, no Portuguese this week. HOWEVER, when I taste something that I feel is extraordinary and fits somehow into the theme I’m gonna pour it for you. About two weeks ago I tasted a white wine from the Canary Islands…………….that’s right, the Canary Islands, and I was simply floored. First of all, I love unusual wines grown in areas you would never think of as wine growing regions. Second, when it’s got that going on and it happens to be delicious………..I’m in! And so it happened with this white from Bermejos Winery. The grape variety is Malvasia, not unknown but not grown everywhere (the other white grown there is DIEGO! Now that’s a new one on me). Everything about the Malvasia was cool. The taste, liquid minerals in a glass surrounded by rich flavors of stone fruits finished with beautiful balancing acidity. And then there’s the bottle. I can’t even describe it. You’ll just have to see it. Unique is the perfect word….just like the wine. The vines on the Islands are trained “bird nest” style, like on the Island of Santorini. It’s so dry and windy there and the soil is very sandy and water retention is a severe problem. So they plant the vines in the low lying areas inside of volcanos. The vines look like a birds nest and the grapes grow where the eggs would be in the nest. There they are protected from the fierce winds and water is retained because the wind doesn’t get to them and dry them out. Hey, whatever it takes! You’d be surprised at how many fine wine growing areas machine harvest. It’s really a terrible way to treat the vines and the machine doesn’t know a ripe grape from a rotten one. It picks EVERYTHING; leaves, bugs, rot etc. The vines of the Canary’s are located in such remote areas and the birds nest training makes it impossible to do anything but hand harvest. Many times people ask “why are such and such wines so expensive?” Well, here’s one example. And a noble one. Labor is expensive. Often times the answer is “they use a bunch of expensive French oak”, not always a noble one. Anyway, as you can see, I’m excited about this white and felt it would be educational, as well as just darn tasty, to include it this week. And so it is.

The Lineup

2007 Bermejos, Malvasia Secco/ Lanzarote/Canary Islands, Spain  $30

2006 O. Fournier, Urban Ribera “Tempranillo   Ribera Del Duero   $14

2007 Atteca, Garnacha “Old Vines”  Calatayud      $17

2006 Becquer, Rioja    Rioja     $21

2007 Numanthia, Termes    Toro     $28

Premium Pour ($3)
2206 Cesar Principe, Cuvee Cesar Principe     Cigales   $30

What fun,
Sandy