Tasting April 2023
CBWS Tasting held on 20/04/2023 The Food and Lounge Bar in Denia Marina and attended by 51 members and guests
This wine tasting was designed to pair 5 small food dishes to 5 specific wines. As a result of the positive feedback we received last year when hosting a similar format, at this same venue, we decided to repeat this style once again, but with different wines and food pairings. The evening was prepared and presented by Gordon and Caryl Sellars
Again in response to some members feedback, we presented lighter wines and they comprised 3 whites, a red and an interesting sherry to accompany the desert course.
Raimat Chardonnay Ecological. From €6.50
Our first wine will be an ideal accompaniment to the carpaccio of tuna which we have as our first dish. Bodega Raimat was the dream of a visionary family over 100 years ago. Above the entrance to their castle in Costers de Segre in Cataluna, is their coat of arms on which you will find a bunch of grapes and an upturned hand. From this coat of arms we get the origen of the brand … Raim … grapes in Catalan and Ma … a hand … hence Raimat. Traditionally all of the Raimat wines show this escudo some were on the label.
Raimat has a markedly continental climate with hot days followed by cold nights. This phenomenon tends tends to give more character and intensity to the grapes.
With this wine they commemorate the origins of the brand which they say will endure with the fortitude of the walls of the castle.It is 100% Chardonnay, brilliant and intense with slight green reflections.
On the nose you may note peaches and lichees with a touch of citrus.
On the palate we have a well rounded wine with good equilibrium between volume ,acidity and length. The citric notes give freshness to the wine.
Vol D’anima de Raimat -Pinot Noir Chardonnay – DO Costers de Segre. €7.50
This is yet another of the Raimat family of 8 white wines utilising Chardonnay, Xarel-lo, Albarino and White Garnacha, some mono- varietal and some blended, but all interesting.Vol d’Anima loosely translated from Catalan means “ Go for it “ and is a new wine from Raimat to commemorate their 100 years of existence and comes in white, rose and red formats, which have been designed to appeal to modern style drinking tendencies. The tiles on the label can be seen within the Castle of Raimat from when it was reformed by the architect Rafael Maso.
On the nose you will encounter nectarine, pears and Melon
On the palate – yellow fruits with a medium finish of lemon freshness.
Vina Pomal Blanco – Malvasia,Viura – DO Rioja. €7.50
This course is grilled salmon, pumpkin and Gorgonzola cream with which we have paired our next white wine – Vina Pomal blanco DO Rioja – a stunning lift to the delicious food. Vina Pomal displays the best viticultural tradition of the Rioja Alta with great freshness and balance. Made from Malvasia and Viura it matches perfectly with fish and sea-food. The appearance is pale yellow with slight greyish steel hughes. On the nose it shows rich aromatic boutique notes of white fruit, citrus and fennel with a light toastiness from aging in oak which cuts across the richness of the salmon.
Friendly and fresh on the palate , this wine shows the balance of the fruit with light, salty notes. Its good length and volume display the fineness of a single area where the bodega grows this strain of white wine. This is Bodega Bilbainas founded in 1901 in the town of Haro. Vina Pomal is its flagship brand. After de stemming, the skins are lightly macerated for 6 hours before pressing. The must is fermented in new barrels of American and French oak and left 4 months in contact with the lees. This contributes to developing the complexity of the wine. Vina Pomal has an exceptional finish and more than deserves its description as a delicious Riojan wine.
Fruto Noble Roble Francisco Gomez Monastrell Syra DO Alicante €6.50
The dish we served was Pork Loin Wellington with shallots and potato puree. The wine is Fruto Noble tinto from D.O. Alicante – our own local region. The grape varieties are a blend of Monastrell and Syrah which produces a red wine high in colour, clean and shiny with vivid ruby hues. The nose is interesting with aniseed aromas, ripe fruit fragrances and toffee and vanilla notes.This all sounds delicious, so how does it perform on the palate. We can find red berries and licorice aromas. Looking further we find spiced notes and rich fleshy flavours.
Some of this strength on the palate can be due to the 4 months aging in new American oak barrels.
The founder of the bodega, Francisco Gomez, saw in this countryside the very thing he had been seeking for many years – the perfect site to establish modern wineries in which high quality and concern for the natural environment could be given top priority. This wine delivers the sweetness and overwhelming pleasantness that those ambitions demand. This is a big wine with complex and deep flavours – perfect for those days when you want to drink something large and welcoming.
Canasta Sherry, Williams & Humbert, Palomino Fino,Pedro Jimenez.DO Jerez. €7.75
Our dessert was chocolate brownie, Matcha tea,Baileys syrup on a bed of almond crumble and we are serving an Olorosa sherry which although you may find a little unusual, we think you will enjoy. It is Canasta Jerez from Williams and Humbert. This is an Oloroso sherry best served cold as an aperitivo or to accompany deserts. It is made from a blend of Palomino and Pedro Jimenez grapes and has an alcohol content of 19.5 %.
Many of you will be familiar with the Solera system for production of sherry but some may not so I will give a brief description of it.The Palomina grapes are fermented as per normal wines then the resultant wine is fortified up to 17 -18 %, which kills the yeast.Then begins the solera system in which the wine goes through an oxidative process (in contact with air) and enters an array of usually 600 litre barrels which are arranged in an hierarchical system in which young wine part replaces older wines which are in turn used to replace even older wines further along the process.
This particular wine has spent minimum 6 years within the process. When the wine comes out of the solera system, the Saca, it is filtered, may be further fortified and/ or blended.
This particular wine has been blended with a small amount of Pedro Jimenez win. It is then bottled and ready for consumption.
On the nose you will find dried fruits and walnut and on the palate it is velvety and rich with toasted sugar and raisins leaving a pleasant and persistent finish.
The evening was brought to a close by Tim Fawle with a warm vote of thanks to Gordon and Carly for their hard work ink preparing such an enjoyable and informative evening.
Copy Gordon Sellars
