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Tasting Report June 2025
CBWS Tasting held on 19/06/25 at Puerto Blanco, Calpe and attended by 60 members and guests. The theme of this month’s wine tasting was food and wine pairing. It was designed to highlight the harmony between small plates and wines selected by David Reece, the sommelier at the historic favourite venue Restaurante Puerto Blanco in Calpe. Wine 1 Name and Vintage Bender Paulessen Trocken Riesling (Mosel, Germany)2023 Price per bottle €19.20 Wine 1 Description Colour: a clear, pale straw with faint green tinges. Nose: clean, medium intense with aromas of citrus fruits, green apples, peach and subtle hints of white blossom. There is a slight hint of petrol and an underlaying slate/mineral…
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Our Next Wine Trip – October 2025
Our October Wine Trip will be held on Tuesday 7th and Wednesday 8th October. This trip is still being planned and details will be available soon.
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Newsletter June 2025
Dear Members I am writing this newsletter in sunny Moraira, with temperatures around the mid 20s. It’s getting to the time of year to decide which wines go best with barbecued food, there is no wrong answer, it’s whichever you prefer. A couple of matters to update you on – I am delighted to announce that Sylvie Vande Pitte and Stewart Cusden have accepted our invitation to join the CBWS Committee. I am sure that they will be tremendous additions to your committee. – We now have 150 members. As this is the maximum number approved at our AGM, we have now commenced a waiting list for future applicants. In early…
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Trip Report May 2025
Our adventure took a group of new and seasoned CBWS members to the famous wine region of La Rioja. La Rioja is in the north of Spain, in the Ebro River Valley. It is sheltered to the north by the Sierra de Cantabria Mountains and there are 3 distinct wine zones: Rioja Alta, Rioja Oriental and Rioja Alavesa. Our visit was concentrated in the smallest zone of Rioja Alavesa, just north of the town of Logroño. Here vineyards are often found on small terraced plots of chalky/lime soils reaching into the foothills of the mountains. These mountains shield the vineyards from the north and help to create the drier climatic conditions for the grapes…
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Tasting report May 2025
Thursday 15th May 2025 at Maxims, Moraira, attended by 63 members and guests. A tasting, hosted by Patrick Harrild, of 5 of the sherry styles explaining history, the unusual production, fortification and maturation. Also, how producers contrive to create such a range of wines and styles within styles. Wine 1 Name and Vintage Manzanilla ‘Pipiola’ Bodega Barrera. D.O. Manzanilla Sanlucar de Barrameda. Abv 15%. 100% Palomino Price per bottle € 5.07 Wine 1 Description Colour: light yellow with clear rim. Nose: gentle citrus with some salinity. Palate: revealed again some gentle saline and a surprising subtle soft fruit. Finish: a moderate length, residual salinity which people increasingly began to notice when they sought it.…
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Newsletter May 2025
Dear members I hope that you had an enjoyable Easter and are now looking forward to the improved weather which those of us based on the Costa Blanca expect in late Spring and early Summer. We currently have 141 members. As usual, a small number of members were unable to renew their membership, mainly due to relocation and health reasons. This means that we are able to admit another 9 members to take us up to our capacity. So, if you have any friends or family who would like to benefit from being members of CBWS, please encourage them to fill in the application form soon. On 24 April, Tony…
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Tasting Report April 2025
CBWS Tasting held on 24/04/2025 at Club Nautico, Denia and attended by 61 members and guests An open tasting of five wines presented in a “Pour my Bluff” format where each TRUE wine was presented with two alternative BLUFF wines by a team of three presenters (Tony Salter, Gro Salter and Fergus Fitzpatrick) and the members needed to decide who was presenting the real wine. text Wine 1 Name and Vintage Can Sumoi – Serra de l’Home 2023 Price per bottle € 11.34 Wine 1 Description Very enjoyable still white from Penedes – Cava country.100% Garnaxa – 12.7% made from indigenous yeasts, organic & natural. No oak. Very low touch.With the white fruit…
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Newsletter April 2025
Dear members For those of you Spanish based members who have been travelling during late February and early March, well done on avoiding the cool wet weather. Those vineyard owners who have been hoping for rain may be questioning what they wished for. Vines, like humans, really don’t like standing in water. On 20 March, Tim and Sandy Fawle hosted the tasting at Los Amigos in Javea. Nicholas Hammeken presented a selection of his wines to 59 members and guests. For the detailed report click {here}. Our next tasting will be on 24 April ( please note that this is the fourth Thursday of month to avoid Easter) at Denia…
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Tasting Report March 2025
CBWS Tasting held on 20/03/2025 at Los Amigos, Javea attended by 58 members and 1 guest. Tasting Team members Sandy and Tim Fawle hosted the March Wine Tasting. Tim introduced Nicholas Hammeken Director of Innovation and Founder of Hammeken Cellars. This company has an interesting and innovative approach to the Spanish Wine industry and has 8 Winemakers working in 18 different DO’s, marketing their wines for the producers. They are based in Denia and have achieved very good points in the Spanish Peñin Wine Guide. Wine 1 Name and Vintage ALBADES Malvasía 2024 DO Valencia. Guia Peñin 88 Price per bottle €5.15 Wine 1 Description ALBADES Malvasía 2024 DO Valencia To the north of the…
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Tasting Report February 2025
CBWS Tasting held on 20 February 2025 at Javea Golf Club and attended by 64 members and guests The February Tasting, hosted by Neville and Sara was themed ‘ The Art of Wine Tasting’. Neville welcomed the members and guests and provided a brief introduction to our updated wine scoring sheet. A full explanation of our approach to scoring is given on the Wine Scoring Guidance page of our website. The evening was presented in informative and entertaining style by Steve Sanchis of Bodegas Leopoldo in Ondara. Steve used each of these very different wines to illustrate the methodology and techniques of wine tasting. Wine 1 Name and Vintage Malcorta…