Spanish Wine Education Day 2

I don’t think I’ve ever tasted so many wines in my life. This morning alone we tasted 25 starting with Cava moving on to Rosé and finishing up with reds from Penedés and Castilla-La Mancha. I know what you’re thinking and it’s not all fun and games. There is real learning and research going on here. The afternoon took us to Levante, The Islands (yes, they make wine there too), Extremadura & Madrid and Rioja. It’s been quite a trip these past two days, and we haven’t even begun talking about Andalucía.

A few tasting highlights from day two include: a phenomenal Cava from Gramona. It was a Grand Reserva 2001 Brut with 70% Xarel-lo and 30% Macabeu. This Cava presented a autolysis, which in winemaking is undesirable, but some of the best sparkling wines use this component to create flavors and mouth feel. It creates a bakery or doughy feel and smell. I also thought this Cava showcased rich flavors of almonds and coffee and showed signs of aging. It was by far the best and most unique Cava I have ever tasted.

We also sampled three wines from the Priorat region. These wines typically show lots of red fruit leading to black fruits and fill up the mouth. I though the three examples were rather bold, powerful wines. They were from 2004 and 2005 and could age a few more years, leading to something spectacular. This is one specific region I will start to look for to age a few wines.

The day concluded with a big Rioja party. Rioja, along with Castilla y Leon, have been two of my favorite red wine regions in Spain. We were privileged to have a representative from the Dinastía Vivanco winery present information about the bodega and museo de la cultura del vino. Of course, then we sampled the wines. Dinastía Vivanco has been making wines for only four years, but already has quite a reputation and the wines to back it up. More tasting notes on those soon!