A Wine Day Around Spain

Being a part of the wine trade means being invited to wine events. Okay, well maybe not invited, but I heard about the event and showed up :-) No worries though, I was welcome! The Spanish wine region of Ribeiro and Navarra were in town to promote their wines from the DC International Food & Wine Festival. Hosted by Deussen Communications and Jose Andres, I attended the Ribeiro event first at Jaleo first. Not to be confused with Ribera del Duero, the Ribeiro region in the NW province of Galicia is known mainly for their white wines. The treixadura grape is the star of the region with its fruity and floral notes. Other varietals indigenous to this region are torrontes, loureira, and godello. GQ Chef of the Year, Jose Andres hope to bring wines from where he grew up to Spanish wine aficionados in America. YAY for us in DC!

There were 7 tables, 18 wines...and I tasted them all. That's the only way to get the full experience of the region, right?! My favs from the tasting all contained treixadura, and of course aren't yet distributed in this area. I really do need to become an importer!

Arman Barrica 2007
100% Treixadura
Hints of toast, bacon, and smoke. Slight minerality on finish

Val de Nairoa 2009
80% Treixadura, 10% Albarino, 10% Lado
Great fruit blast of apple, citrus, and lemon. Crisp acidity

Vina do Campo 2008
70% Treixadura, 30% Torrontes
Creamy mouthfeel with refreshing florals and citrus fruits in the nose and on the palate

Next up, Navarra. So glad they had actual walk around appetizers at this event, I was starving! Citrus shrimp, cold tomato soup shooters, foie gras...Taberna del Alabadero.

Navarra, located in the North of Spain has a long rich history of wine, food, and tradition. Monks established the vineyards in the area in the 13th century and their winemaking techniques were influenced by the French. The bodegas of Navarra are known for their blends of traditional grape varieties like tempranillo, garnacha with imported varieties. Spanish rosado, strawberry in color, is also held in high regard in this region.

I slowed down with my tasting here. Of the 16 tables, I only made it to 7. But a great 7 they were! The standouts of Navarra are:

Bodegas Artajona Crianza 2006
Cabernet Sauvignon & Tempranillo
Aged 12 mos in oak, this wine had flavors of bright red fruits and a soft mouthfeel

Ochoa Moscatel 2008
Moscatel a petit grain
A sweet dessert style, this wine had flavors of honey, peach, melon and honeysuckle

Casita Mami semiCrianza 2004
60% Garnacha, 40% Graciano
Spent 6 mos in American oak, tasted of oak, clove and sweet red fruits

Not So Common Cava

I search the internet quite often looking around for wine articles, books, hot topics in wine and such. Through a search I came across the book, The Bubbly Bar - Champagne & Sparkling Wine Cocktails. How cool! Not too many books out there about the topic, and you usually have to get a general cocktail book to find the 3 recipes they have for champagne. The book was written by The Bubbly Girl, Maria Hunt who has a blog and website of the same name. And her book has taken off! She's been on various tv and radio shows promoting the book and was on a book tour, which stopped by DC. Clearly I had to attend.

The event was sponsored by the American Institute of Wine & Food's (AIWF) DC Chapter and was a tasting of Spanish Cavas at Commonwealth in Columbia Heights, DC. Maria greeted me soon after I walked in, and I realized that her title of Bubbly Girl didn't just refer to her love of champagnes. She thanked me for attending her event and gave me a quick overview of what we'd be tasting that evening. 9 cavas!! Then she made her way around the room to greet guests and chat before the wines were poured.

Tasting notes were provided for all the wines from the tasting, but of course I took my own and will give you my 3 faves below.

Paul Chenau Cava Brut

Very complex in flavor with great acidity, this wine also showed melon and citrus on the palate. Great honey finish. Super cool label.

Juve y Camps Pinot Noir Rose

I didn't have big hopes for this one at first, I'm not the biggest rose fan. This was one of the few cavas of the evening where I got pronounced fruit aromas. Scents of strawberry and raspberry and the chalky minerality on the palate made me find favor with this rose.

Castilla Perelada Cava Brut Rosado Cuvee Especial 2007

Big Red is what I thought when I first put my nose in the glass. Ripe flavors of raspberry on the palate along with a slight hint of spice. A bit of residual sugar in this one balanced the crisp acidity. I think I found my New Year's sparkler!