A Taste of Spanish Wine Tasting(2)
The First Tasting
I have to admit that there were some challenges involved in the first event.
Not only did I arrive late to the first-come, first-served seating arrangement,
but the hall had very poor acoustics. While I was immensely pleased that the
winemaker spoke at length about the three wines being sampled, I can’t claim to
have caught more than half of what he said. The old guys in the back preparing
the post-tasting snack with equal parts fastidious care and reckless disregard
for sound pollution didn’t make things easier.
The three wines were from Fuenteseca, in the Utiel-Requena DO; a white, a rosé
and a red. All three were interesting, though the rosé, made from Bobal and
Cabernet Sauvignon, was my least favourite. The nose was powerfully fruity to
the point of smelling of old-fashioned bubble gum. The white, made from Macabeo
and Sauvignon Blanc, was more pleasantly fruity with a slight resin on the
finish that made me think it would be best with food.
Curiously, they told us the prices of the wines as we sampled them, which is an
odd practice. When I tried the red, a Crianza made from Tempranillo, I knew that
it sold for about 3.5 Euros. I was impressed. That wine came on strong both with
tannins and acidity but somehow achieved a charming balance. My scrawled notes
include the words blueberry, vanilla, cherries, unripe plums and ‘cooler’ - no
idea what I was talking about there. (Plus there are a few things that I can’t
even make out; my handwriting is terrible.)
One Taste is Never Enough
So, even though I’m no wine expert, and less so in a Spanish speaking
environment, I was happy to hear about another event shortly afterwards. A very
different affair with more wines and, well, more charm.
It’s a story that will have to wait until next time. For now, just a taste of
Spanish wine tasting. After all, every wine tasting is a bit teasing isn’t it? I
invariably go out and get myself a full glass of something sumptuous right after
a few hours of analytical sipping just to remind myself that the beverage exists
to please us first and demand our scrutiny second… or third. ((Image courtesy of
Las Añadas de España)
Cheers!
Ivan Larcombe
