La Gran Cata Chez Nous!

It's not often that one has the chance to taste wines of the calibre of those we enjoyed so much at this year's Gran Cata! Whilst the venue may have changed, the extremely high standard of the wines, and indeed the accompanying tapas, remained at the top level.

On a beautiful sunny morning, twenty-six of us were eagerly awaiting the afternoon event. Claire, the children and I were beavering away preparing some rather exotic tapas in the kitchen and putting the final touches to the tables outside. All was set for a perfect afternoon.

Then it rained pouring here!

Plan B! No more than 30 minutes before the start time we hastily moved chairs, tables, glasses etc and whilst it was a little cramped, with typical British fortitude, all present rallied to the cause! How could we not, with wines of this class!

Bodegas Gramona (www.gramona.com) in Cataluña is one of the most famous Cava houses in Spain. Known throughout the world as a producer of exemplary

- I'm talking Cavas, it has won many prizes, medals and plaudits and we were about to see why!

III Lustros Gran Reserva 2006 Brut Nature is a super Cava, and excellent value for money. The Proensa Guide gives it 95 points out of 100; the Peñin Guide 94 - a good start! It's a Gran Reserva, but the minimum obligatory 30 months left en rima (on its lees in the cellar) has been far exceeded for this special Cava. It's had five years before disgorgement - and has the depth of flavour and the body to prove it.

Paired with Tarte Flambée, the apple-skin acidity was a perfect foil for this speciality from Alsace. Made with Macabeo and Xarel.lo (this variety is fast becoming one of my favourites here in Spain), you'll find a slight smokiness along with typical panaderia notes. Complex and long. Super!

Our first still white wine is a long-time favourite of mine, a superb wine that is consistently one of the best in Spain! Belondrade y Lurton (www.belondrade. make their exemplary white wine in DO Rueda. It's a DO that has come in for some criticism lately, directed exclusively at the lowest end of the market. Make no mistake about this wine, it is as far away from that end as it is possible to be!

The 100% Verdejo has been fermented and then aged for a further 5 - 6 months in French Oak. I love this style of Verdejo - you have all the fruit and slightly vegetal characteristics of young wines made with this variety, but with an added dimension of grapefruit, a touch of smokiness and a great depth of flavour.

It was paired with Thai Prawn Red Curry and I was delighted to hear nothing but positive comments about the 'marriage'! Wine writers often pair slightly spicy dishes with Sauvignon Blanc, and I love this combination too, but for me, Verdejo does the job a touch better. Delightful gooseberry, fennel, grapefruit notes mix with a creaminess that compliments the coconut milk which is at the foundation of the dish. Outstanding! Proensa 94 points; Peñin 95.

According to the Peñin Guide our next wine, with a whopping 98 points, is the best white wine in Spain. It's not cheap - but my, what a silky, deeply flavoured, complex and multi-layered wine it is! Bodegas Chivite (www.chivite.com) from DO Navarra started their iconic Colección 125 series on the 125th anniversary of their first exports from Spain in1885!

You'll find some integrated buttery notes, with hazelnuts and maybe some freshly cracked almonds. On the nose there's also a touch of the tiny flowers that adorn wild herbs with brioche too. There's honey as well, but not the slightest sweetness, and then on the palate some pineapple and slightly under-ripe banana, with a pineapple skin acidity to keep the wine fresh. We tasted the 2010 and it went so well with the Coriander and Chilli grilled chicken. Excellent!

Our first red wine comes from the parent company Bodegas Juan Gil (www.bodegasjuangil. made by their DO Montsant bodega, Can Blau. Mas de Can Blau 2010 is a glorious mouthful of fruit with the vivaciousness of youth and yet the balance of maturity too. It's made with Cariñena, which is grown in clay soils and gives an earthy, forest undergrowth note; Garnacha whose vineyard is slate-strewn adding a wet slate minerality; and Syrah whose limestone based soil allied with perfect ripening sunshine, has allowed the wine to develop this lovely, Spanish Syrah fruit filled component.

This is not a flippant fruity wine though - it has a sturdy suppleness also which along with the fruit will allow the wine to age extremely well. I'd love to try this wine again in perhaps 6 years, or even more, to see how it has developed.

We served Mas de Can Blau with mushrooms stuffed with blue cheese and wrapped in Jamón Serrano - a very good match. Proensa 96 points!

I often have the opportunity to present wine tastings with food. Having owned and ran a couple of restaurants in the UK I have a natural interest in food and how dishes can be paired with certain wines. Until this tasting I used to say that the best such pairing, 'maridaje' in Spanish, that I'd ever tasted was Pedro Ximénez Sherry with Christmas Cake/Pudding/ Mince Pies. I now have to place it first equal!

Bodegas Viñas del Vero (www.vinasdelvero.com) makes the famed Blecua and its pairing with Kidney Turbigo was an absolute revelation. There couldn't be a better 'fit'.

Blecua 2007 is made with hand harvested Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Garnacha and Tempranillo - but only after the best bunches have been selected from the oldest vineyards, and then a further selection takes place in the bodega. Each variety is fermented separately in 18,000 litre French Oak 'foudres'.

There follows a 12 month period where the wine is aged separately in new French oak barrels. After this time only the best barrels are selected to blend together for a further eight months in oak to make the final wine. And what a wine! Magnificent! Proensa 96; Peñin 94; Harkness 99!

I haven't tasted a better red wine this year. Firm but gentle tannin, all dark bramble and blackcurrant fruit with earthy notes. Fascinating complexity with layers of pleasure including fruit of course, but also mountain herbs, bay leaf and thyme, a faint touch of dark chocolate, but not in any way bitter, a very slight smoked finely chopped coconut and rich fullness that seems to go on forever! Wonderful wine!

Contact Colin: colin@colinharknessonwine.com and though his wine services website www.colinharknessonwine.com and via Twitter @colinonwine