This was the first of the Theatre of Wine tastings I've been to, but I'll definitely be going back. Excellent tasting - very interesting wines and extremely knowledgeable speaker. So pleased to have such a good wine shop in the local area!
1. Castillo Perelada, Cava Brut Reserva NV
Very appley. Fine and restrained mousse. Fresh, fruity, reasonably intense flavour. Not bad.
Cost: £11.30
2. La Rosita Brut NV (375ml)
A pink sparkly apparently made by a scottish lady who has moved out to Spain. Made from Monastrelle/Matarro. Not bad. Ripe red fruit character. Nothing special.
Cost £10.00 (per half bottle)
3. Jose Pariente, Verdejo 2011, Rueda
Smells quite like a typical sauvignon blanc but tastes a lot more interesting. Some ripe, fleshy character. Almost peachy. Very nice. Surprisingly good.
Cost: £12.30
4. Equipo Navazos, La Bota de Manzanilla no.32
Great nutty intensity. Almond, salty, minerality. Real power and intensity. Lots of yeast autolysis character. Tastes of the ocean - seaweed/umami. Delicious.
Cost: £26.40
5. Equipo Navazos, La Bota de Amontillado no.31
Oxidized, smells a little like a dank cave. Lots of power. Nutty, caramel, almonds, cinnamon. A true "nut cluster bomb". Incredible length. Delicious, but very different to previous.
Cost £52.00
6. Anima Negra, 2008, Mallorca
Surprisingly pale given the smoky, meaty, BBQ nose. Soft and silky tannin. High acid. Something ethereal (reminiscent of a Burgundy). Violets, floral, licquorice. Rich and aromatic. Only negative is it's a little short.
Cost: £34.50
7. Capcanes, Lasendal, Garnatxa Barrica 2008, Montsant
Black fruit, cinnamon. Soft mouthfeel. A little short. Nice, but doesn't stand up to the tapas.
Cost: £9.00
8. Alemany i Corrio, Pas Curtei, 2004, Penedes
This was amazing, and a total bargain at £8.50. Inky, meaty and savoury, but with black fruit overtones. Perfect age - very good now. Violets, vanilla, tobacco. Soft and silky mouthfeel. Well balanced and complex. This is excellent.
Cost: a ludicrously good value £8.50
9. Celler del Pont, Lo Givot 2003, Priorat
Dark colour, but not as inky as the previous wine. High (searing) acidity, but soft tannins (there are plenty of tannins, but not as much as expected). A little out of balance. Quite good now, probably won't improve with age.
Cost: £20.00
10. Bodegas Bentomiz, Ariyanas Dulce, 2007, Malaga (500ml)
Classic muscat. Acidic and grapey.
Cost: 18.40
11. Dolc Mataro 2009, Alta Alella (500ml)
This is from the "mataro", aka mourvedre/monastrell grape. A nice, warm character. Floral notes come through on the palate, less so on the nose. Full bodied, spicy. Spft, ripe and enjoyable. This is good and interesting, but I probably wouldn't pay that price for it.
Cost: £22.30
1. Try brown bread with vintage champagne. He says it's a classic combination where the brown bread really enhances the flavours of the Champagne. I've never tried it, must do so soon.
2. Look out for dry Banyuls. I've never come across it before.
3. The salty flavour in sherry - current thinking is that it comes from glutamates (which presumably come from the flor?). Glutamate, like monosodium glutamate, hence umami/salty-seaweed flavour. Sounds possible. And interesting contrast to the salty flavour in Santorini wines (which apparently genuinely does come from the salty sea spray getting on the vines).
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