Great new wine discoveries at Madrid Fusion

The Madrid Fusion Gastronomic Summit 2017 was a huge success and I was very fortunate to be able to attend and be part of this huge 15th anniversary milestone. For an oenophile like me, roughly 65% of my time was spent at the third floor of the Palacio de Congresos Juan Carlos I where Enofusion (the wine part of Madrid Fusion) was located.

At the section of Enofusion called Enobar — where over 200 wines were available for tasting — I short-listed my top 14 favorites. While there were a handful of non- Spanish wines featured, I opted to stick with an all- Spanish lineup since the event was being held in Madrid.

My tasting notes in order of tasting sequence, and not on scores, over a three-day period:

WHITES/VINO BLANCOS

1. Mar de Frades Brut Nature NV, Rias Baixas DO — made from 100% albariño grapes; this is the first ever sparkling wine I have seen from this Galician region; “the wine has lovely tiny effervescence, notes of tropical fruits, almonds, pistachios, bread dough, excellent acid structure, creamy, mediumbodied, and long dry, minerally finish.” An excellent unique bubbly, and best of all, this brand ( but not this wine yet) is available in the Philippines through BestWorld Beverage Brands, so it will be a matter of time before we see this wonderful sparkling wine come our way.

2. Pazo de San Mauro 2015, Rias Baixas DO — made from 100% albariño grapes; “the wine is very fresh, nicely fragrant, lots of citrus fruits, green mango, clean, stoney and flinty on the palate, with lovely citrus tinge, mineral, long and concentrated on the finish.”

3. Campo Anhelo Riesling 2014, Vino dela Tierra de Castilla — made from 100% riesling grapes and barrel fermented; “fresh green apple, vegetative, capsicum, soft acids, good texture, sweet pears in the mid-palate, and some nice complexity in a very flavorful end.”

4. Torres Fransola Sauvignon Blanc 2015, Penedes DO — made from 100% sauvignon blanc grapes and one of my all-time favorite whites coming from Spain; “big nose with succulent longan and passion fruit, white pepper, subtle cedary notes, racy acids balanced well with good weight, a long delicious round finish.” Always consistent based on my experience with at least four of its last six vintages; locally available through Future Trade, Inc., but check on their available vintage.

5. V Malcorta 2015, Rueda DO — made from 100% verdejo grapes from Bodega Javier Sanz; “nice orange orchard nose, fresh and leafy, on the palate the wine is quite rich with tangy lime taste, and ends with a delicious off-dry lingering finish.”

6. Campo Alegre 2015, Rueda DO — made from 100% verdejo grapes; “green vegetables, lime, big on citrus elements, minerally on the palate, racy acids, and nice spiced nutmeg on the finish.”

7. Astobiza Vendimia Tardia 2014, DO Txakoli de Alava — made from 100% gros manseng grapes (a grape varietal most popular in South West France in the wine regions of Jurancon and Gascony); a dessert wine done during late harvest (the translation of vendimia tardia); “voluptuously aromatic, concentrated orange peel, honey, creamy, very viscous, powerful on the palate, but has good acid backbone [so as] to not be cloying, chewy on the palate, and long very ripe fig-like finish.”

8. V Dulce de Invierno NV, Rueda DO — made from 80% verdejo and 20% gorda de Moldavia (a grape varietal from Romania) grapes; another wine from Bodega Javier Sanz; literally means “Sweet from Winter” ( invierno); a unique combination of varietal mix; “aromas are like pure honey, ripe passion fruit, with ample acid structure, relentless sweet notes, chewy ripeness, thick and luscious all the way.”

REDS/VINO TINTOS

Spain is, without a doubt, the best wine country for value-for-money wines. The 14 wines I short-listed range from €8.50/bottle (winery price) for the Campo Anhelo Riesling 2014, to a high of €25/bottle for the Cinema Paraiso 2011 wine. These prices are hard to beat.

9. Quinta de Quercus 2013, Vinos de Ucles DO — made from 100% tempranillo grapes; “the wine has a huge concentrated nose, mocha, cocoa beans, lots of dark fruits, wood spices, supple on the palate, rich and flavorful, long and super delectable on the finish.”

10. Corimbo 2012, Ribera del Duero DO — made from 100% tempranillo grapes; from Bodegas La Horra; “forest nose, good balance of wood and fruits, vanilla, ripe black cherries, nutmeg, peppercorn, supple texture, very round, direct and full-flavored on the finish.”

11. Vina Pomal 106 Barricas Reserva 2012, Rioja DOC — made from 90% tempranillo, 5% garnacha and 5% graciano grapes; belongs to the giant Gruppo Codorniu conglomerate; “so much happening on the nose, red fruits, cedar, violets, leafinesss, and some buttered toast notes, very complex, medium bodied, fresh acids, long peppery and grainy finish.” Vina Pomal wines are available locally through AWC Philippines.

12. Haragan 2012, Ribera del Guadiana DO — made from 100% tempranillo grapes; from Pago de los Balancines; “fresh nose, white pepper, thyme, flinty, pepper, meaty on the palate, full-bodied, with leather, prunes and tobacco flavors, and very long on a bold hefty finish.”

13. Cinema Paraiso 2011, Ribera del Duero DO — made from 100% tempranillo grapes; from Cinema Wines, one of best wine labels for me; “ripe fruits, black currant, dried strawberries, cassis, nutmeg, very deep and aromatic on the nose, medium-full bodied, bitter-sweet tannins, and long lingering ripe berries at the end.”

14. Verum V Tempranillo Reserva Familiar 2010, Vino dela Tierra de Castilla — made from 100% tempranillo grapes; from Bodegas y Viñedos Verum; “a huge fruit bomb, relentless intensity of blackberries, toasted wood and spices, full-bodied with lots of concentrated flavors, shows a lot of youth, but drinking deliciously right now with luscious bitter-sweet tannins, long lingering jam-like finish.” The length and flavors of this one is off the chart.

GREAT PRICES

Spain’s indigenous varietals of Tempranillo, Verdejo and Albariño shone the brightest in my tastings. While not much can be said on the Spanish versions of French varietals like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Chardonnay — though prices of some of these popular varietals are really low at between € 2/ bottle to € 6/ bottle — Spain is, without a doubt, the best wine country for value-for-money wines.

The 14 wines I short- listed above range from € 8.50/ bottle ( winery price) for the Campo Anhelo Riesling 2014, to a high of € 25/ bottle for the Cinema Paraiso 2011 wine. These prices are hard to beat. For example, the last wine I listed, the Verum V Tempranillo Reserva Familiar 2010, Vino dela Tierra de Castilla is only €20.15/ bottle (ex-winery cost) — adding freight, taxes and respectable importer margin, this wine should roughly retail in Manila at between P2,500 to P2,800/ bottle. The equivalent of this quality of wine, a “fruit bomb with all its body and complexity,” is easily a P5,000/ bottle wine from a reputable producer in Napa or Barossa. Though perhaps the fact this Verum V wine is not a DO classification may have been one of the reasons for its lower price... but quality for quality, it is just simply a great value!