Born out of love and passion
So, which literature would you say was most guilty of flattering to deceive? That of: Real Estate Agents; the backs of video cassettes; Banks; the dust covers of novels; travel brochures; or maybe the back labels of wine bottles? Perhaps you have other suggestions? Please e-mail them, it would make very interesting reading!
As for my view, well I’ll sit on the fence, except to say that I’ve probably been taken in by them all! Frustrating isn’t it?
Of course, to put it in Mastermind parlance, my specialist subject is wine, so I have a keen interest in what goes on the wine label. Sorry, but whilst I am interested to know: the reason why a certain wine was given its name; and how the vineyards look as dawn arrives over the nearby mountain range; and the fact that eagles nest in the nearby woods where also deer range free; and how many generations of the same family have been crafting wine here; and so on – this is of secondary importance.
I want to know the varieties used, any time in oak/tinaja, the area of production, vintage etc, you know – stuff that decides me to buy or not! Save the story, the history, the poetry and the romance behind the wine, interesting though it is, for the bodega’s website.
When I received, as long ago now as October last year, some bottles from Manuel Manzaneque Suarez in preparation for the final tasting lunch of 2018 at El Celler de Parrilla, Javea Old Town, I was easily able to glean the information I needed about the wine inside from the labels and then I referred to their website www.eavinos.com
This is where I read about the romance and indeed the passion behind the wines. Manuel and his charming wife Paloma share a love and passion for their project (as well as for themselves, not doubt!). It is their aim to use the vines and the terroir in which they grow to achieve the greatest results – well, following our sell-out tasting lunch, I think we’d all agree that they are doing a pretty good job!
It was also a delight for us to be chosen as the venue to launch their new wine. This was the first time Paloma’s personal project - a cava, elaborated, in that part of UtielRequena where the making of cava is permitted (remember, not all cava comes from Cataluña) - was to be tasted. It was a super way to start off the lunch (cava is almost always my choice of aperitif before dining!).
Paloma Mínguez Brut Organic Cava is a work in progress. Made with 15 years old Chardonnay and Macabeo vines grown organically in Requena, Valencia. It’s had 12 months ‘en rima’, the bottles upside down with the cava resting on the lees, which, along with the fact that Chardonnay is in the blend, accounts for a little more presence on the palate than if it had had just the 9 months minimum.
There’s an aroma of cider and green apples, coming largely from the Macabeo, with a touch of not fully ripe pear too. The residual sugar reading of 8 grms/litre, puts it on the drier style of Brut, a style that suits me best!
We next moved onto the ¡Ea! Blanco 2017, made with Macabeo, Airén and Sauvignon Blanc all following organic principles. Fermentation is in stainless steel, temperature controlled, of course, using local, not cultivated, yeast.
It has an interesting green and white fleshed fruit nose and flavour, with grassy, gooseberry Sauvignon adding to the Granny Smiths apple of the Macabeo. The Airén, an oftmaligned variety, comes from the oldest vineyards and these thirty years of growth have added a little body to the final product. Easy drinking, vegetarian and fish dish friendly white wine.
¡Ea! 2016 Tinto is again made from organically grown fruit, this time Cencibel (aka Tempranilo), coming from selected vineyards of 40 – 70 yrs of age in the Castilla La Mancha area. Using local yeasts again, it too was fermented in stainless steel with the semicrianza, roble style addition coming from its six months in French and American oak. Good, easy drinking red wine for light and dark meat dishes as well as simply to enjoy with friends!
The generous fruit content of the Mil Cepas 2016 is aided and abetted by 16 months in oak. This is a single estate wine, meaning that the grapes come from just one vineyard, which has had no chemical treatment since 2014. It’s an expressive wine, drinking very nicely, with good loganberry and blackberry fruit, it has plenty of life left, with time to develop further nuances. Also available in Magnum, giving even further time for development.
The final wine from this engaging couple was one made with a darling grape variety of the Valencia region, Bobal. Mil Cepas Bobal comes from a single vineyard that has seen 70 seasons and is still going strong! The fruit is rich and the wine full. Look for black Cherries with some brambly fruit and a hint of herbs and earth on the nose. Also available in Magnum, giving even
further time for development.