A Spanish Red You Can't Miss

 

 

Located in the Northwest of Spain, Bierzo is a grape-growing region that we guarantee you will be hearing more about in coming years. As of now, it's under the radar to all but the biggest wine geeks. Get in on it before it gets really expensive! We've got a superb example of the region for you to try.

 

Palacios "Petalos" $20 (each), or $18 (each) for 3 or more bottles

 

Can we discuss passion? We like it. We like wines that have it. Why buy a $20 bottle of wine made in a factory by a corporation, when you can buy a $20 bottle made by a person whose livelihood depends on the quality of what's in the bottle?

 

The production of this wine exemplifies pure passion for making the best wine possible. Having helped rejuvinate and "flip" a little region called Priorat, Alvaro Palacios and his nephew, Ricardo Perez, looked to the opposite side of the country for their next project.  The Bierzo region was (and still largely is) quite isolated, and many of its ancient vineyards neglected. The main grape of the region is a virtual unknown; called Mencia, it's thought to have been brought to Spain from France in medeival times. They're not sure exactly what its relatives are, but some guesses include Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir or Syrah. So you've got a little-known grape, and an unknown region with very difficult terrain (dramatic slopes that come close to 90 degrees in grade, and must be hand-and-mule harvested). Only the truly passionate would tackle this.

 

But they did tackle it, and their passion shows in the fantastic wines they are producing there. The wines have the power and richness of the best wines of Ribera del Duero and Priorato. Yet their distinctive, velvety textures and their mineral-infused red fruit flavors are unique, bearing a closer resemblance to top Burgundy or Côte Rôtie.

 

The 2005 is filled with spicy black and blue berries. It has a big mouth presence, dynamic acidity, and a long, dry finish. It's one of those wonderful wines that has perfectly married elegance with power and impact. Drink it now, or see what a few years in the cellar will yield (we think it will yield very wonderful things!).

 

These vineyards have never seen the use of any pesticides, and are farmed using all-natural methods.

And as an added bonus, they slapped one of the most beautiful labels we've seen on the bottle.

 

Austrian Invasion

Although we have been invaded by Austrian wines, tasting them and looking at photos of Austria makes us want to invade Austria. Here are some of the peaceful invaders: 

 

 

Reds

 

Fred - $14

From the relentless Fred Loimer who crafts a dizzying array of amazing wines. Zwiegelt is the grape here and it is easy going, yet intense like Fred's personality. Juicy blue and blackberries team up with a bit of pepper to bring much joy to your tastebuds. No hard edges here, just a new friend whose name is easy to remember and who would love to join you for some BBQ.

 

Heinrich Red -$15

Heinrich's state of the art, gravity-flow winery is a marvel in itself. Beyond that they continue to amaze us with the quality to price ratio of their wines. "Red" is a blend of the most prominent Austrian red grapes, Blaufrankish/ Zwiegelt/ St. Laurent. Akin, flavor-wise, to a Zinfandel but more subdued plus finesse to spare. Nice red and black fruit, a little earth, along with a touch of toasty oak and long lingering finish. Big enough to stand up to richer dishes yet balanced and soft enough to enjoy on its own.

 

Schellmann, An Der Sudbahn - $22

"X" is the only letter missing from this incredibly cool looking label. Alright, no "J" either, but there sure are lots of other letters on there. More compelling than the label is the wine hidden beneath the darkly tinted glass. A blend of Pinot Noir/ Zwiegelt/ St.Laurent. A velvety mouthfull of up-front fruit backed by the perfect amount of complementary oak. Chalky soils impart a nice mineral facet. Superb poise and balance make this wine approachable now but with the promise of more to those who wait. This winery has been at it for more than 300 years and wines like this secure their place in the distant future to come.

 

Whites

 

Loimer Gruner Veltliner "Kamptal" - $18

Spicy, peppery, and even exotic notes like grapefruit and pineapple. The very clear, juicy fruit and beautiful acidity make this a very animated, pleasurable wine to drink. Because of its structure and lengthy mineral palate, this is a wine of depth - even with its medium body. A wonderful representative Veltliner from the Kamptal.

 

Loimer Riesling "Kamptal" - $18

A subtle Riesling with aromas of lime, green apple, apricot and undertones of fresh blossoms. The palate reveals delicate, juicy fruitiness. A distinct play between sweetness (slight botrytis) and acidity lends finesse and lightness to the wine. A classic, refreshing Riesling. Thai for dinner? Curry what?

Grab this Loimer.

 

Brundlmayer Gruner Veltliner - $25

"Generally considered Austria's best winery, based on steadily outstanding wines across the entire range. Remarkable attention to detail for a large (by my standards at 60 hectares) winery. The wines are quite unlike any wines I know, not in their actual flavors, but rather the way flavors are presented to the palate. They are, it might be said, the Stradivarius of wines, distinguishable (and made precious) by the beauty of their tones. Indeed, I always seem to think in sonorous terms for Willi's wines: "THE ACOUSTICS of the fruit are perfect," I wrote at one point. You taste class immediately. Stuart Pigott described them as "silky." I find them either lovably impressive or impressively lovable or who knows? Both." -Terry Theise (more about him in a second!)

 

Words from the Wine Wise

 

There are some lesser-known wine writers out there whose words truly inspire us.  So we thought we'd share some little articles with you from time to time!

 

We start with perhaps the ultimate, Mr. Terry Theise. Expect to hear from him (via us) often! He imports wines from Champagne, Austria and Germany (including the Brundlmayer Gruner Veltliner, featured above), and his writing is hilarious, touching, and most importantly, incredibly readable, even for those who are new to wine. He doesn't mince words, and we love him for it. If you'd like to read more of Terry's writing, check it out here: http://www.skurnikwines.com/msw/theise_catalogs.html

 

 

"Tasting Versus Drinking" 

 

By Terry Theise

 

I once got invited to one of those mammoth vertical tastings of some Bordeaux, I think it was Las Cases. Fifty vintages, back to the Punic wars. Me! I never get invited to those things.

It took me all of five seconds to reply; no, I wouldn’t be attending. “Oh, that’s too bad. Is there a scheduling conflict?” “No,” I replied, “I don’t choose to attend. But I hope everybody else has a great time!”

I really do not enjoy sitting in some chillingly well-lighted room in a row with many other people as if we were taking the written segment of a driver’s test, with ten glasses in geometric patterns on the table in front of me, little bitty bits of wine in each glass, sippin’ and spittin’ and combing my mind for adjectives. I don’t enjoy it because I think it’s a waste of wine, and even worse it is a sin against the spirit of wine, and I would just as soon not participate.

Give me any one or two of those mature vintages, along with a mellow evening, a rack of lamb, and the company of people I’m fond of, and I am a very happy man. A great old wine is such a gift of providence that it begs to be savored, to soak into your heart. Sitting in some creepy banquet room and “tasting” fifty old wines not only dilutes the aesthetic experience, it’s a macho snub of the nose to the angels.

Apart from which I respect the hard work of the vintner. If he knew his/her wine would end up, fifty years later, being opened in a “tasting” alongside forty nine other wines for a bunch of earnestly scribbling geeks, he’d probably hurl a grenade at the winery and run away sobbing.

I have enough on my poor conscience without contributing to that.