Winery: Bodegas Ateca
Vintage: 2008
Location: Calatayud, Spain
Alcohol: 14%
Blend: Old Vines Garnacha (Grenache)
Tasting: Wednesday, April 14, 2010 - 4:00 - 7:00 p.m.

Map courtesy of vinisimo.com

When people think of exports from Spain, they think of Hollywood actors like Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz to name just a couple.  Well, let me tell you Spain has some incredible wine.   Let’s step back a little in time…

As with the history in many Mediterranean countries, the cultivation of wine grapes in Spain began with the Greeks and Phoenicians.  After the conquest of Spain by the Moors in 711 A.D. the wine industry took a huge hit.  The Moors forbid the drinking of alcohol, so land that was previously under vine was used for other crops.  In some areas, the Christians were allowed to keep some land under vine for their own use.  When the reconquest of Spain took place the wine industry came alive again due in part to the monasteries, as they needed sacramental wine for Communion.  In the 19^th Century Phylloxera hit a lot of Europe before it hit Spain.  When it devastated France, a number of French winemakers moved to Spain to not only work their art, but they also gave the Spanish priceless information on grape growing, and they also imparted their wisdom of more modern winemaking techniques, the effects of which are still felt in the country today.  When Phylloxera did come to Spain, the Spanish were better equipped to handle it.  They had learned that grafting the vines on root stock that was resistant to Phylloxera was going to be their saving grace.  The damage was not felt as hard as it was in a lot of Europe.  Fast forward to the 20^th Century…  many people around the world associate Spain with Sherry.  Yes, Sherry is made in Spain, but there is a wide range of wonderful wines from this country.  I hope this is the first of a number of articles we get to write on Spanish wine.

The wine we are sampling today, Atteca Old Vines 2008,  is from Northeastern Spain in an area called Calatayud.  This probably is not one of the best known regions of Spain.  Ribera del Duero, Rioja and Priorat are probably much better known on this side of the water.  Calatayud is an area of 5,600 hectacres of land in the Province of Zaragoza in Northeastern Spain.  The wine region is made up of 15 vineyards (Bodegas) which produce about 14 million liters of wine each year.

There are many different grape varieties grown in the Calatayud region including for the reds:  Garnacha Tinta, Tempranillo, Mazuela, Monastrell, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Merlot.   For the whites:  Macabeo, Malvasia, Moscatel de Alejandria, Garnacha Blanca and Chardonnay.   Unlike Germany and some other countries, Spain doesn’t usually have a problem with grapes not fully ripening due to cool temperatures.  The climate in Calatayud is mainly continental with warm to hot summers and cool to cold winters.  Most of the rain that falls comes between April and July.  The later part of the summer is very dry with only a scattered thunderstorm to leave a little rain for the vineyards.

This particular wine is made from 100% Old Vines Garnacha (otherwise known at Grenache).  The vines used to make this wine are between 80 to 120 years old.  Now when the vines get that old, they don’t produce a lot of fruit, but the fruit that you do get is amazing.  It is full of flavour and something just out of this world.   The vines were selected from hillside vineyards at 3000 feet above sea level.  These vineyards were planted in the last few decades of the 19^th Century and the first decade of the 20^th Century.

Richard and I sat down on Friday night to enjoy this wine with our dinner.  I had decanted it about 90 minutes prior.  Richard was enjoying a barbequed steak with various veggies and the like.  Being the rebel that I am, I had some chicken with a balsamic reduction and of course like a good girl, I had lots of veggies. The wine is a very deep ruby colour.  The aromas were awash with blackberries, black cherries and even some raspberries and a little vanilla.  In the mouth you could taste those berries along with some good acidity with a medium body feel.  On the finish, that is when you notice a wee bit of pepper spiciness.  We found it was about a medium finish.  The tannins are very noticeable, but not overbearing by any means.

Food Pairing:

Grilled/roasted beef and lamb; chorizo sausages (grilled or fried); veal; pork; Moroccan stew.  Or try grilled chicken with a balsamic reduction.

CSPC:     1025227
Price:

$23.99 (Minus Winesday 10% discount.)

*Price correct at time of printing.  Price subject to change without notice

Atteca photos courtesy of corksandcaftans

Richard and I are heading back across the pond to Chile next week.  As usual, I am running behind, so I better get my suitcase packed.  See you Wednesday!

2008 The Stump Jump Red

Winery: d’Arenberg
Vintage: 2008
Location: McLaren Vale, Australia
Alcohol: 14%
Blend: Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre
Tasting: Wednesday, March 3, 2010 - 4:00 - 7:00 p.m.

What a great name… The Stump Jump!  Of course you can’t have a name like that without there being a story to go along with it.  “The name ‘Stump Jump’ pays homage to a significant South Australian invention - the Stump Jump plough.”   This plough cleared the land around McLaren Vale.  It had the ability to “ride over stumps and gnarled roots”, which saved a lot of time and money.  Because of that, it was adopted worldwide in the late 19^th century.

In 1912 Joseph Osborn, who was a director of winemaker Thomas Hardy and Sons, purchased 25 hectares in what is now known as McLaren Vale.

Along came Joseph’s son Francis Ernest (‘Frank’) Osborn.  Frank had originally decided he wanted to be a doctor.  Well, that was not to be.  He left medical school, “choosing to forsake the scalpel for pruning shears.”  Not too long after he joined his dad, the size of the vineyard increased to 78 hectares. Up until their cellars were completed in 1928, the family sold their fruit to local wineries.

In 1943 Frank’s son Francis d’Arenberg Osborn (nicknamed d’Arry), was just 16 years old.  He came home from school to help his dad, who was ill at the time.  At the age of 30, d’Arry assumed full management.  A mere two years later in 1959 d’Arry decided he wanted to start his own label.  He named the winey d’Arenberg after his mom, Frances Helena d’Arenberg.

Fast forward through the 60’s and 70’s when d’Arenberg won the attention of many.  There were medals… many medals and the winery garnered attention not only nationally, but internationally as well.

As a young lad, Chester d’Arenberg Osborn, d’Arry’s son, would help in the vineyards and in the cellar every chance he got.  He was there during school breaks and Christmas holidays. Chester was very keen on “continuing his family’s winemaking tradition.”

Chester graduated from College with a Bachelor of Applied Sciences in Oenology and toured wine regions throughout Australia and Europe returning to d’Arenberg.  He took over as Chief Winemaker at d’Arenberg in 1984.  ”He immediately set about returning the family’s vineyards to their traditional grape growing practices of minimal inputs and no fertilization, cultivation and irrigation wherever possible, therefore achieving natural soil flavours with very low yields.”  Since Chester took over the wheel, the winery has won numerous awards and accolades.

“All grapes, red and white, are basket-pressed. The reds are still traditionally fermented with the grape skins (caps) submerged in open wax-lined concrete fermenters utilising the age-old technique of foot-treading.”  Yes that is exactly how it sounds.  They stomp the grapes with their feet.  Why would they do that when there are machineries that can do it?

Although technology has come a long way, it is tough to mimic the gentle pressure of walking on the grapes, you gently express the juice and extract colour and press the pips.  The pips (or seeds) don’t get pounded by the machines and therefore you don’t get that bitter taste that you can get sometimes from the seeds if they are over manipulated.  If you don’t know what that taste is like, the next time you have a grape with a seed in it, bite into the seed and see what happens.  If you haven’t peeled a red grape before, try that too.  Don’t just eat the pulp, however.  Eat the skin all on its own.  That drying feeling in your mouth is caused by the tannins in the skins and the seeds.  Tannins are a good thing.  The tannins and the acidity give the wine good balance and longevity.  You just want to make sure that they are extracted gently.

I digress.  Back to the d’Arenberg family…

“In June 2004 Chester’s dad, d’Arry was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for his contributions to the wine industry and to the McLaren Vale region.”  D’Arry has overseen over 65 consecutive vintages.  Since Chester took over the wheel, the winery has won numerous awards and accolades.

“If you travel to South Australia, visit d’Arry’s Verandah Restaurant, one of South Australia’s most loved and highly awarded restaurant, set on a picturesque hilltop with the Cellar Door tasting room adjoining.”

Talking about tasting… on to our wine.  Australian wines are known (what us wine nerds say) as being fruit forward.  What the heck does that mean?  Well, it is just as it sounds.  As soon as you smell the wine, even if you are new to wine, you will smell fruit right away.   In Stump Jump Red, there are nice ripe and juicy red fruit, red plums, dark cherries, rhubarb and even some cardamon spice.

The taste… fresh red berries (yum) a little pomegranate.  After you taste all that, just sit back and have another sip.  Hmmm… plum stone, star anise and a wee bit of cinnamon.  Okay, now I am hungry after talking about all those flavours.

Food Pairings:

Roasted Duck, Lamb Lolly Pops, Grilled Beef with mushrooms, Stew (I would even add a little of the wine to the stew beef).

CSPC: 1024961
Price:

$15.99* (Minus Winesday 10% discount)

*Price Correct at time of printing.  Price subject to change without notice.

Thanks for taking this journey with us.  See you on Wednesday

Next week we are off to the all time highest Gold Medal winning country of (drum roll please)… C A N A D A.