Alimentaria - Day 2

25-Mar-10 - This was my day for the presentation, but first I was asked to give an interview to an agency journalist called Oscar García from the website www.efeagro.com, who has promised to send me the copy once it's published (I have looked in vain on the internet), and subsequently I was very pleased to be invited to a tasting of the wines of El Puntido. I may have mentioned in an earlier post that, at a blind tasting of Rioja Reserva 2005s I had picked out two wines at 19/20 and one at 18/20 which turned out all to have been made by Marcos Eguren at one of his Rioja Bodegas. The best known are Señorío de San Vicente and Sierra Cantabria, but Viñedos de Páganos is the most recent, situated in the village of the same name, and producing two wines - La Nieta and El Puntido. I visited the then-new winery in 2003 while I was researching The Wines of Rioja and was surprised to see that alongside the stainless steel were small oak tinas for pressing grapes from individual plots. Some of the wines are also still trodden by foot, in a marriage of traditional and modern techniques.

The Páganos barrel-cellar. Pic.: www.eguren.com

So, the opportunity to taste a vertical of El Puntido, six years on, was not to be missed, not to mention meeting once again the devastatingly attractive Valvanera Valero, who is Eguren's head of Communications. Marcos himself conducted the tasting, and we were presented with six vintages, from 2007 back to 2002. They were all 100% Tempranillo harvested from the single, 25ha vineyard, and with 16-18 months (according to vintage) in French oak, and at rather lower yields - typically 25-30 hl/ha - than the permitted maximum, which is about 41 hl/ha.

Interestingly, all six wines showed a very similar colour - 'vvdpu' in my notes which is shorthand for 'very very deep purple'. Even the 2002 was as dark as the 2007, which may say something about time spent in maceration for every vintage. Prices, where given are approximate retail in the UK or, failing that, in Spain as listed by www.wine-searcher.com.

2007 - big, deep, dark fruit and lots of it on the nose, big fruit and big tannins on the mid-palate, big structure and long, hot complex finish - 17/20 - €22

2006 - dark, tight, 'strawberry' fruit - more aromatic than the 2007; similar structure but there is notable development with fruit prominent - 17/20 - €32

2005 - spiky/brambly and yet subtle fruit on the nose; that big structure again, and considerable complexity. This needs time but is already splendid - 18/20 - £27.50

2004 - more depth and darker, richer fruit on the nose; big 'chewy' fruit on the palate with a lot of tannin but excellent balance and prominent fruit - 18/20 - £23.50

2003 - darker, richer, deeper fruit on the nose, and starting to show some maturity on the palate. Tannins still working well and a long, spicy finish - 17/20 - £40 - €30

2002 - big, concentrated fruit - almost 'Rowntrees Fruit Gum' strawberry intensity with a hint of wood-oil - very rich. On the palate lovely rich fruit, maturing well, hot spice on the mid-palate and richness on the finish - 18/20 - €32

I have visited all three of the Eguren Rioja bodegas and one thing all the wines share is this concentrated fruit intensity. These are very modern generico wines and, on this showing should continue to improve for many years.

The El Puntido Vineyard

Then it was time for the presentation 'Improving International Communication about Spanish Wines'. They had originally asked me to do it in Spanish, but when I sent Marta the first draft of the PowerPoint presentation she suggested diplomatically that I should do it in English and that they would provide simultaneous translation. There was a good turnout including several old acquaintances, including Manuel Duran, former boss of Freixenet (now retired), Stanley Moss, formerly of Torres and now with Bodegas Laus (DO Somontano) and Helen McEvoy, formerly of Sainsburys, now with Laithwaites, and a regular panellist on my team at the DECANTER World Wine Awards (coming up very shortly). The event was filmed for the internet, and is theoretically to be found on the website, but I haven't been able to get hold of it so far. It all went very well except for a glitch in the middle when the simultaneous translation broke down, and I soldiered on for the next few minutes in English and Spanish until it was fixed. They very kindly gave me a round of applause for my Spanish which, I think was more in sympathy than adulation. Whenever I'm presenting in Spanish or French many people in the audience seem to be smiling to themselves... And I don't think it's because of my brilliant wit - more likely because I sound to them like Manuel from Fawlty Towers sounds to us!

Anyway, more people to meet and wines to taste although, as ever at these events, I didn't get round to see everyone who'd invited me, so here's a random selection of what I did manage to do (only those marked 16 and above):


2009 Oro de Castilla Verdejo, Bodegas Hermanos del Villar, DO Rueda - lovely fresh Verdejo fruit on the nose, delicious, crisp fruit and lipsmacking acidity on the palate - 16/20 - €8

2008 Rejadorada Roble, DO Toro - nice ripe fruit aromas and good, tight, ripe fruit on the palate, with crisp tannins - needs a bit more time (fab value) - 17/20 - €7

Bodega del Jardín, VdlT Ribera del Queiles
A word of explanation here - this was formerly Guelbenzu but the Guelbenzu brand-name and most of the vineyards were sold to the Caja de Ahorros de Navarra group in October, 2009 . The family, however, retained the garden vineyard (hence Bodega del Jardin) and the winery, and now produce wines on a more 'boutique' scale. Ricardo Guelbenzu is still in charge of winemaking and he and his sister Inés were at the show. The wines are available in the UK at Moreno's in London, but no current prices seem to be available.

2007 1 Pulso - 70/30 Tempranillo/Garnacha - lovely fruit, fresh, crisp tannins and a spiky/spicy finish - delicious - 17/20 - €5.50

2007 2 Pulso - 40/40/20 Tempranillo/Merlot/Garnacha with 12 months' oak - another big spicy fruit style with working tannins and a bit of austerity on the finish; needs time - 16/20 - €11

2007 3 Pulso - 80/20 Tempranillo/Garnacha, 24 months' oak - rather closed on the nose but with hints of dark fruit, but very rich 'hard' fruit on the palate overlying some hard tannins - this really does need time to develop - 17/20 - €21.50

Abadía Retuerta - VdlT Castilla y León

2006 Pago Negralada - Tempranillo with 24 months in oak - spicy fruit on the noise, big spice, warmth and ripeness on the palate and a long finish - 17/20 - £21.50

 2006 Pago Garduña - Syrah with 24 months in oak - big spice and 'Fruit Gum' concentration on the nose and big, hot peppery fruit on the palate - 17/20 - €56

2005 Pago Valdebellón - Cabernet-Sauvignon with 24 months' oak - herbal 'green pepper' on the nose, great big fruit and spice, pepper, power and heat on the palate - 18/20 - €60

2006 Pago Valdebellón - do. - big soft, meaty-spicy richness on the nose, big power and fruit with lotsa tannin on the palate, warm, ripe length - 17/20

Verdict - great wines but yawn, yawn Syrah and Cabernet...

I made a last call at the stand of Bodegas César from Eivissa (Ibiza) more out of curiosity than anything. About three years ago I spoke at a wine conference in Mallorca and became interested in the wines of the Balearic Islands, and I learned that there are also a few wineries on Menorca and Eivissa and even Formentera. The best wines of Mallorca are world-class but in short supply and, frankly, too expensive for the international market. Since then I've chased up wines from the other islands at various wine shows to see how they're developing and, I have to say, usually with the note 'needs more work'.

Bodegas César was showing a Sauvignon/Chardonnay (nice and fresh, a bit off-dry but pleasant) and a red Cabernet-Sauvignon (a bit over-oaky) under the Tentación label (with a rather sexy label), and 'premium' reds Puig de Missa Cabernet-Sauvignon (decent fresh fruit, clean and pleasant) and Cabalonicum (soft fruit, nice grip, again a bit heavy on the oak). The winery produced its first vintage in 2007, and prices are very reasonable - €3-€4 retail on the island. I tried to get more information from their website but, as all too often happens, it's still 'under construction'. Verdict - needs more work and, yawn, yawn Cabernet and Chardonnay again.

And that was it - back to the hotel, shoes off, allow feet to stop smoking, a few large ones in the bar (heart-attack: the bill was €80! It's a very posh hotel) and room service again before zonking out.

Back to Barcelona airport the following morning, and the taxi-driver seemed to be taking the scenic route is we passed what used to be terminals A, B and C. I was to learn why. I asked at the check-in desk for a lift on the milk-float at Gatwick and the clerk asked me if I wanted a lift there and then. I said 'no', as I knew the airport well: up the escalator, right and right again, through security and you're in Module 3, quick sit-down to get breath back and then through passport control to Module 5, stagger into the Salvador Dalí lounge and pour a large one whilst waiting for the flight to be called. The clerk looked at me oddly, and I was about to find out why.

Since my last visit (July 2009) they have (a) opened an entire new terminal called terminal 1, and (b) extended the original terminal (now known as terminal 2) such that only marathon race-walkers can use it. I found myself in Module 0 after security with the prospect of... Well, let's say that it took me 40 minutes to get to Module 5. Most of the shop-units are still under construction and a good deal of the terminal appears to be a building site, but fortunately there are periodic seats and regular waste-bins which are just the right height to perch on for a quick breather. I eventually made it only to find that the Salvador Dalí lounge was closed and I had to pay retail for a coffee and brandy. The flight back was a pleasant contrast by comparison, and the milk-float at Gatwick took me all the way to the car park where my taxi was waiting. I shall know better next time (ho ho ho, Ed.).

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