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most notable white wines from around the rest of Spain
come from Cataluña and Navarra, both of which
produce the best Chardonnays in Spain. Miguel
Torres top-of-the-line Milmanda Chardonnay
from Conca de Barberà in the uplands of Tarragona
province is world-class, as is Julían
Chivite's entry level and upscale Colección
125 Chardonnays. Both the Milmanda and Colección
125 have ministered the oak-fermented lash with relative
restraint. In Penedès, where Miguel Torres is
based, in addition to his well-known Torres Gran Viña
Sol (85% chardonnay, 15% parellada), Torres-owned Jean
León Chardonnay (a charming, lightly oaked wine
called Petit Chardonnay in Spain) and Terrasola blends,
others worthy of attention are the "coteaux champenoise"
equivalents of several Cava producers.
These usually crisp white wines made from the three
cava grapes, parellada, macabeu and xarel-lo, sometimes
monovarietal, sometimes with chardonnay in the blend.
Try Huguet Can Feixes Selecciò, Segura Viudas
Creu de Lavit, Juvé y Camps Ermita d'Espiells
and Miranda d'Espiells (chardonnay), and Raventos i
Blanc's Preludi. Parxet, an excellent Cava producer
based in tiny Alella north of Barcelona makes the delicious,
inexpensive Marqués de Alella, an unoaked pansa
blanca (local version of xarel-lo) can't-stop-drinking-it
blanco that my friends and I drink by the magnum at
Quim Marqués's Suquet de L' Almirall
in La Barceloneta.
The mountainous areas of Navarra, because of the climate
and altitude of its temperate zone vineyards, produces
some of the most promising Chardonnays in Spain. In
addition to Chivite's entry level Chardonnay, Castillo
de Monjardìn also makes a good one that
is somewhat reminiscent of a Macôn, both of which
show the delicious potential of Navarra chardonnay when
without oak dominance.
Great Rosados: Navarra, probably the
most versatile quality table wine region in Spain, produces
not only interesting Chardonnays, but some superb well-balanced
red wines from foreign varieties and delicious dessert
wines made from grano menudo (small berry) moscatel,
as well as some of the greatest rosados in the world,
most of them garnacha based.
Indeed, these brilliantly hued Spanish jewels, run
the spectrum from the palest salmon to strawberry pink
to deep ruby to a rusty onion-skin. They have fresh,
clean, charming red fruit aromas (cherry, strawberry
or raspberry). On the palate, they exhibit juicy acidity,
are deliciously fruity (but not really sweet), and have
long, lingering, dry finishes often with mineral tones.
The best Spanish rosados do not show the pronounced
candy and bubble-gum scents that characterize many modern
rosés. Some, especially Navarra garnacha-based
rosados, even exhibit a sense of terruño, or
terroir. Many better Spanish rosados are made from yema
(free-run) must or from musts obtained by a light first
pressing. The best are made by the sangrado
method, which literally means that a must has been "bled"
from the grapes, a traditional term for the process
that yields free-run juice. The process results in clean,
fresh, fruity wines with enough tannins to allow them
to age for a year or more.
The lion's share of critically acclaimed rosados are
the predominantly garnacha-based wines from Navarra
and the garnacha-tempranillo and/or garnacha-viura blends
from La Rioja.
Navarra's Garnacha rosados often drink as well or better
in the second year as they do in the first. Among the
100 percent garnacha versions, look for the Julián
Chivite Gran Feudo, Señorio
de Sarria Viñedo #5 (one of the best
rosé wines in the world, Viña Aliaga,
Las Campanas and Malon de Echaide. Less typical is Ochoa's
Rosado Lágrima (50 percent garnacha/50 percent
cabernet sauvignon) and Castillo de Monjardín's
Merlot Rosado. In La Rioja, first-rate rosados are made
by CUNE (100 percent garnacha), Marqués
de Cáceres (80 percent tempranillo/20
percent garnacha), and Martínez Bujanda
Valdemar (100 percent garnacha), but Muga's
superb, ethereal, salmon-colored rosado (60 percent
garnacha/30 percent viura/10 percent tempranillo) may
be the best of the bunch. Also noteworthy is the remarkable,
if quite controversial, R. López de Heredia
Viña Tondonia Rosado de Crianza, an
exotic blend of tempranillo, garnacha and viura is aged
for two years in oak (used) and released after ten years!
And, now for the red wines: Shall
I list the reds that the mere mention of which sends
new-wave Spanish wine aficionados (those with shares
in Berkshire Hathaway) into a feeding frenzy: L'Ermita,
Clos Erasmus, Dominio de Pingus, Numanthia, Mustiguillo,
Allende, Roda Cirsion, Torre Muga, Mauro Vendimia Seleccionada,
Dominio de Valdepusa's Syrah, Alto P.S.?
My readers can pursue those Valhalla reds in a couple
of well-known newsletters and consumer publications.
There are also some delicious, well-made wines up there
in the stratosphere, wines like Vega Sicilia, Contino's
El Olivo, CUNE's Real de Asúa, Pérez Pascuas
Gran Selección, Pesquera's Janus and Condado
de Haza's Alenza, Dominio de Valdepusa's Petit Verdot,
Cims de Porrera, Benjamín Romeo's Contador, Enrique
Mendoza Santa Rosa, Julián Chivite Pagos de Arínzano,
Pago de los Capellanes and the single vineyard Corullón
Bierzo wines from Descendientes de J. Palacios, to name
some of the best. Some of these latter wines are also
very appealing to the new-wave aficionados, but, like
all truly great wines, they also have the essential
balance, acid, fruit, and reasonable amounts of oak
and alcohol that more classic palates can enjoy. Even
though I have tasted all of these wines, I will confine
my recommendations to an assortment of drinkable, generally
affordable personal favorites from around Spain.
The majority of my red wine recommendations highlight
the kinds of wines that can be featured on most wine
lists and are likely to elicit repeat business and make
happy customers out of those just getting their introduction
to Spanish wines.
The red wines include my favorite un-oaked or lightly
oaked (avoid most wines labeled joven roble,
most of which are used to break in barrels) young red
wines such as Dominio de Tares Albares, Luna Beberide
and Palacios Pétalos from Bierzo; several reservas
such as Rioja classics Bodegas Riojanas Viña
Albina, Monte Real and CUNE Imperial; Pérez Pascuas
and Condada de Haza from Ribera del Duero; wines such
as Palacios always reliable Les Terrasses from Priorat;
and a few of my favorite big-time stars such as La Rioja's
Contino El Olivo, Contador, and Bodegas Riojanas Monte
Real Gran Reservas; Priorat's Clos Mogador and Martinet
Bru; Miguel Torres Grans Muralles; and, a couple of
exceptions to rule, such as Dominio de Valdepusa's Petit
Verdot.
Dessert and fortified wines: A new
genre of Spanish wines is rapidly becoming worthy of
a serious spot on the world stage. In addition to some
spectacular sherries–both dry and sweet–
which have never been better, there are a plethora of
superb late harvest and mistela moscatels emerging from
Valencia, Alicante, Navarra and Málaga; Fondillóns,
a compelling ancient Mediterranean style of rancio wine;
excellent Pedro Ximénez-based solera wines from
Montilla-Moriles; amazing sweet malvasias
from the Canary Islands;
a Pinot Noir dessert cava; an "ice" wine from
Cataluña; several Mediterranean
late harvest and Port-like reds made from garnacha,
cariñena or monastrell; and an amazing Navarra
moscatel aged in glass garafas in the sun.
Not all of my readers will agree with my personal selections,
but, chances are, most of those who try these user-friendly
wines will enjoy them.
Gerry Dawes is a New York-based wine and food writer-photographer-public
speaker, specializing in Spain. In 2003, he was awarded
Spain's top culinary prize, the Spanish National Gastronomy
Awarrd. His weblog on Spain can be found at :
ww.gerrydawesspain.blogspot.com
. The wines recommended by him are his personal choices.
He is a regular contributor to the delWine.
About the author
 Gerry Dawes was awarded Spain's prestigious Premio Nacional de Gastronomía (National Gastronomy Award) in 2003. He writes and speaks frequently on Spanish wine and gastronomy and leads gastronomy, wine and cultural tours to Spain. He was a finalist for the 2001 James Beard Foundation's Journalism Award for Best Magazine Writing on Wine.
Mr. Dawes is currently working on a reality television series on wine, gastronomy, culture and travel in Spain.
Gerry Dawes can be reached at gerrydawes@aol.com Alternate e-mails (use only if your e-mail to AOL is rejected): gerrydawes@optonline.net or gerrydawes@hotmail.com
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