I had the pleasure of welcoming 50 members and guests to the beautiful setting of this hotel/restaurante in the centre of Denia.
The theme of this dinner was for our Wine Trip Team to present their favourite wines from the the trips they had been involved with.The wines were to be presented by current team members (Tim & Sandy Fawle and John & Shirley Sloggie) and past member Gaby Ferenczy.
Sadly Gaby is no longer with us but he had selected a wine to present and Netty Sayers presented it on his behalf. On a happier note John and Shirley had to rush back to the UK for the earlier than anticipated arrival of a grandson so Andrew and Kathy Johnston kindly stood in for them.
Sandy’s Choice – Blanc de Terrer 2018
Sandy started with a brief summary of how the Recce Team started, which was very interesting and amusing! She then went on to introduce her wine which she first tasted on the 2017 visit to Tarragona, Bodega Vinyes del Terrer. The wine was Blanc del Terrer, 100% Macabeo, produced from grape vines which are 40 years old. Thursday’s wine was harvested on 21st and 22nd September 2018, stored in stainless steel tanks until bottled on 25/26/27 April. It is soft bright yellow with green highlights. It has fruity and mineral notes, its richness cut by saline notes from the chalky soil.
Shirley’s Choice, Blanco Nieva Pie Franco 2018
Kathy presented Blanco Nieva Pie Franco, 2018 D.O. Rueda Segoviana The Verdejo grapes are grown in poor quality soil at sea level of 900 metres so has a large temperature variation between night and day, which produces a very good quality grape. They are harvested by hand. The wine is straw coloured with greenish reflections. An interesting and complex aroma being fruity with the minerality of the soil as well. There is a limited production of 25,000 bottles.
John’s Choice, Martue Syrah Syrah 2012
This wine is made with 100% Syrah grapes from the bodegas Campo Martuela and El Casar de La Guardia estates.
This is deep cherry red in colour with a powerful and spiced aroma. The wine is matured in French and American oak barrels over 15 months.There are many flavours including ripe black fruits, cherry or maraschino or cherry liquor with notes of cedar. This combination provides complex sensations once in the mouth, which lasts.
There are 11,571 bottles produced annually.
Tim’s Choice – Sio Negre 2017
This wine was discovered on a wine trip to Mallorca by the Society in 2012. Until the 1990’s most wine in Mallorca came from the mainland until some local progressive wine makers decided to invest in their businesses and they started by ensuring the quality standard was introduced for the islands and the DO classification was and is strictly enforced, to achieve high standards. The Sio Negre is produced by Bodegas Ribas, whose history goes back 300 years. They predominately grow Mantonegro and Prensal grapes.The grapes are harvested by hand to ensure optimum quality.This wine is made mainly with the old Mantonegro vines. Sio is an elegant, fruity and deep wine with a mineral base from the calcareous soils. The wine is barrel aged for 12 months and can be drunk up to 8-10 years old.
The wine is bright cherry red with a hint of purple. The nose is powerful, and the complex aroma is made up of black fruits, balsamic notes and spices. The wine is very representative of the Majorcan terroir, it pairs well with meats and cured cheeses.
Gaby’s Choice, El Regajal Selecion Especial 2016
As Netty said on Thursday, Gaby was a giant of a man and this was demonstrated to our members by the work he put in to the society over the years. To the extent that just weeks before he died, he wrote his wine tasting notes for the meeting!
The Vineyard is Bodegas Regajal, located south of Madrid in the Vinos de Madrid DO, just outside Aranjuez. The Society had its first trip to the vineyard in 2008. The vineyard is 500-600 metres above sea level and has its own micro-climate between the rivers Tagus and Jarama. This creates cold winters and hot dry summers.
This was the first wine launched by the bodega in 2001. It has achieved many awards and is one of the best Madrid wines. The wine is made of mainly Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes but is counterbalanced with Syrah, Merlot and Petit Verdot. It is aged for 15 months in French oak.
It is a garnet red in colour and has floral touches mixed with red fruits and touches of rosemary, oak, chocolate, tobacco and even liquorice. It has good acidity and a long finish to taste.
Maureen Holliday
President
