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 Last week saw the King of Spain Juan Carlos abdicate his throne after 36 years of reign, Spain lose to Chile in the World Cup 2014 in Brazil and a Spanish Winemaker showcase his wines from Mallorca in Delhi for the second time in a year. The winemaker and partner was Miquel Àngel Cerdà of the Ànima Negra on the south-eastern part of Mallorca, one of the 4 islands off the coast of Spain, merely 20 minutes away by air from Barcelona. Wines from this area are as Mediterranean as it gets with the winery being very close to the sea.
I have been a member for several years of Wine Century Club, a non-profit organization that enrolls wine lovers who affirm to have tasted over a hundred grape varieties (not as easy as it sounds!). I have been fortunate to have tasted enough wines with different grapes since to be eligible for an upgrade to the ‘Quattro’ (over 400 grapes) category but haven’t had time to compile and send them the revised list. If I were to do so, I would have had the opportunity to add 5 more new varieties - Callet, Premsal, Muscat-giro, Manto Negre and Fogoneu, after this tasting at the Grand.
These grapes were the protagonists used in the 5 wines tasted with Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon in the supporting roles. Bla Bla Bla and Quibia were the whites while Muac, AN/2 and AN were the reds. Their weirdly funny names notwithstanding the wines were very interesting and worth the visit interrupting a quiet Sunday evening.
Bla Bla Bla has the label name to underscore it as a fun wine-and fun wine it is! Premsal is the indigenous variety used to make this light bodied white wine which for some reason reminded me of Parellada wines that are so popular in Barcelona with paella and other seafood dishes. I thought this would be a perfect party wine on a beach in Mallorca. You can drink it and go Bla Bla Bla for hours.
The wine that was truly impressive was the following white wine, Quibia. It uses the most widely used red grape Callet (50%), the balance being Premsal. The wine was absolutely delicious with buttery texture, fuller body, touch of minerals and lots of orange rind and citrus flavours. Very vivacious wine that made your mouth salivate and ask for more. Full on the mouth-feel with persistence on the back palate and reasonable after-taste as well made it certainly my favourite of the two. Miquel took pains to explain that the wine was kept on the lees for 3 months and developed a lot of its nuances. He was also candid enough to admit that it took them 5 years to reach the present state after experimentation and was optimistic that they would be able to make it even better in the vintages to come. It is really marvelous to see a white and red grape blend in equal proportions and somehow deliver such a delicious wine.
 It is very important for the viticulture in Mallorca to have other fruit trees, like apricots, in the same vineyards for the soil to yield interesting fruit, said Miguel whose winery also includes several fruit trees within the vineyards.
Muac was also tasted before dinner as an aperitif wine. It is a blend of Callet (35%), Manto Negre (35%) supported by Cabernet Sauvignon (30%). Vines have an average age of 20 years. Typically Mediterranean wine with lighter cherry red limpid color that is brilliant. Subtle fruity aromas with a hint of spices, quite elegant taste and overall balance. I would drink it at cooler temperatures between 13-15˚C. Nice with the Tapas and again a party drink one can enjoy on the beach perhaps at even 12˚C since tannins are soft and ripe.
AN/2 is a blend of Callet, Manto Negre, Fogoneu and Syrah. Nice aromas with shades of minerality and sweet spices. Medium-bodied dry wine with nice acidity and alcohol and medium tannins. Raspberries, cherries and plums abound in the flavours. As Miquel pointed out, people tend to compare it with Pinot Noir which is not fair.
AN was the last wine to be served and was decidedly the best wine of the evening-though the firm tannins cry out for food with this wine. A true expression of the Callet grape variety (95%) with a shade of Mantonegre and Fogoneu, this is the flagship wine of the 20-year old winery using grapes from the oldest vines. After fermentation, the wine spends seventeen months aging in French oak followed by one year in the bottle before release. It is a dark ruby coloured, medium to full bodied wine. The aromas of berries and spices get more pronounced in the glass. Full on the palate with persistent flavour of red berry fruits and long after taste, AN has fairly good structure and balance too.
 Miguel is quite optimistic about the Indian market. When Magan said most of people might not see him again, he was quite clear that he was coming back and soon. That would be good news for the budding connoisseurs as such wines can don the status of an exotic wine because of their uniqueness due to the indigenous grapes growing only in a particular area like Mallorca.
A word about the serving team of Caraways-each was a star player in the team like a FIFA footballer. But seemingly the captain was not in the field or playing with another team. Poor air-conditioning was perhaps a result of ‘save electricity campaign’ by the hotel. But the food service was far from seamless as may be expected from a Grand hotel. Each person of the wait staff was extremely polite and sometimes only with eye contact knew instantly if you wanted that glass of water or a hot roti. But the dishes were being served practically ‘on demand’ basis- you asked for it, you got it. If it weren’t for the unbearable heat in most areas within Caraways, it would have been a rather amusing situation. Mercifully, the wines were at the right temperature and in adequate supply.
For more details on the wines, please visit www.animanegra.com
Subhash Arora
Tags: Miquel Àngel Cerdà, Ànima Negra Winery, Mallorca, Callet, Premsal, Muscat-giro, Fogoneu, Manto Negre |