Don't worry, you haven't turned to one of those dodgy pages in a lesser newspaper. This is Cork Talk and it is the family orientated Costa Blanca News. The passion I'm talking about here is that of the winemaker whose fires are burning for the other love of his life, wine.
You may remember a recent article praising the movers and shakers in the wine world. This superior piece of journalism (?) was written in admiration of those involved, from the vineyard to the bottle, in the evolution, and in some cases the revolution, of winemaking. Those passionate people who want to improve skills, techniques, methods, and theory: in fact everything to do with the age-old production of nature's bounty - wine.
I hadn't met the friendly bear of a man, Miguel, then, but had I he would surely have figured prominently in that column. Miguel has a Spanish name, a charming Spanish wife and he's lived in Spain for 40 years, but he is in fact German, speaking his native tongue of course but also fluent Spanish and English.
Indeed his initial e-mail to me was in English whereas mine to him was in Spanish - I didn't want to be considered a Brit who hadn't bothered to try and learn the language and it was an opportunity to practice. Our subsequent communications both written and spoken have been in a mixture of both, though with a clear English bias as his is better than my Spanish - be fair though, I said goodbye in German.
Miguel is a friend of Pepe Mendoza, who with his brother, now holds the reins of their father's business, Bodegas Enrique Mendoza of Alfaz del Pi, that excellent example of a mover and shaker in Alicante Province that is proving to the area's many detractors that it is indeed possible to make classy wines in such a climate. It seems that the two were having a chat recently, no doubt over a copa of wine, and Pepe was advising Miguel that he should bring his recent and first ever wine to me to try - such is the pulling power of the CBN.
The resulting e-mail opened not a can of worms but a superb opportunity for me to try not only his excellent wines as well as those of his business partner in Utiel-Requena and those of a friend in Ontinyent. The wine writer's dream, three contacts with one stone, to coin a phrase.
I'd heard of Miguel's core business, Cuinare, which sets up wine appreciation courses throughout the Valencia Community and perhaps beyond too. Miguel is a sommelier and has used his splendid knowledge of wines in general and their tasting to good effect with his business and to the benefit of hundreds of 'students' who have taken, enjoyed and learned from his courses.
Indeed it is with this knowledge bank that is secured safely in his pony-tailed head that he has been musing for a number of years about the possibility of producing some wine himself. The years in this business have taught him what it is that people like to get out of their wines in this area - so why not make one that suits them? A couple of years ago he was discussing the possibility with his friend and colleague in a bodega in Utiel-Requena (more on him and his wines soon) and they decided to go for it - passion will out in the end.
The result is Bodegas Úvula - remember the name, this is a bodega that's going places and you read it here first folks.
Miguel terms himself a 'wine designer', a phrase new to me and one that I'm sure he's coined for the first time and one that may well become part of the folklore of winemaking. He knows what it is that he wants to make, but he is not the winemaker, enter his pal. Between them they make just the two wines under the Úvula banner, both of which are VdlT wines. The first is the Úvula Coupage 2004 with the distinctive orange foil, label and indeed box - Miguel knows how to merchandise too. The second, Úvula Selección 2004 has a sexy midnight blue foil and label with a touch of the orange to remind one that they are out of the same stable.
Miguel and I discussed our understanding of the word 'balance' when applied to wines - i.e. that the four supporting pillars of any wine, fruit, acidity, alcohol and tannin must all be in perfect balance in order for the wine to stand correctly. We found that like his wines, we were in harmony with our beliefs. I couldn't wait to try the wines.
I'm not sure if I was being tested or if it was a genuine belief of Miguel's that it is best to taste without too much knowledge, but having gleaned some information about the making of the wines I was asked to answer my own questions by tasting the wines and seeing for myself. I was up for the challenge and I'm glad to say I did quite well.
Úvula Coupage 2004 has been made with Tempranillo, the lion's share, and Monastrell having been fermented in temperature controlled stainless steel and left to repose for seven months in a mixture of French, Hungarian and American Oak barricas. It's drinking very well now but for me will improve over an 18-month period, perhaps being at its absolute best in nine months.
It has a lovely ruby red colour somewhere between red and black cherries, good legs and late forming tears (legs = the time the wine stays clinging onto the glass when you tip it to the side and then stand it upright again, and tears = the eventual gradual release of its hold) indicating quite high alcohol.
On the nose there is in-your-face fruit without the slightest hint of harshness as can sometimes follow an initially wonderfully fruity aroma. After a while I noticed a slightly medicinal, not at all unpleasant, perfume a bit like the medicines you had to have as a child, disguised with fruit flavours to help them go down. There were raspberries in there, cherries, and maybe Victoria plums stewing and waiting for custard.
Lovely nose and fist hit on the palate too. Although I'd tried to get the wines to the right temperature, gradually of course, I think they were a touch too cold to try at first and I was conscious of a slightly bitter finish - more bitter than the bitter chocolate flavours which often accompany red wines. However after the wine had been open for four hours and had warmed to room temperature this bitterness had completely gone - a salutary lesson for those like myself who are too impatient to try wines, let them attain the right temperature first if you want to taste them at their best.
It was particularly good when tasted with a variety of tapas and although perfectly good to drink alone for me it is very good with food.
The Úvula Selección 2004 is a slightly more complex wine. Made from a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Utiel-Requena's indigenous Bobal it is hardly surprising that this wine is a really dark colour in the glass as these grape varieties are known for their almost black skins. Again it has enjoyed the same mixture of oaks, all of which were in their second year and again, although the oak is in the mix in terms of the flavours in the glass the primary smell and taste is fruit, bags of dark forest fruits, bramble, blackcurrant, blackberry and an enticing layer of eucalyptus honey from the resin in the barricas. What a cracking nose to go with a fine violet and dark purple colour when poured into the glass. On the nose this wine is superb with weighty wafts of that superb quintessentially British dessert summer pudding.
It ain't bad on the palate either. The fruit is to the fore with the oak very understated but nevertheless adding to the overall pleasure. It's a juicy wine which has the necessary requirements (good fruit, acidity, alcohol at 14 per cent and tannin) to age for, Miguel reckons, two more years, but I'd say possibly a bit longer considering its youthful vitality now. But on the other hand when a wine is drinking so well now, why wait? I really enjoyed this wine, though the first was a close second, if you can work that out, and I'll be returning to Úvula wines again for sure.
Long may passion in winemaking live.
Úvula wines are very new on the market and the distribution network is still being finalised, I'd recommend calling 657 982 696 to find out where you can get hold of some - you won't be disappointed.