Saturday 5th September 2020: "A SWAS September Spanish Picnic" - an al fresco Tasting with Bill in his garden in Worthing.

We came gently out of lock-down with what can only be described as a bang. Bill not only opened his garden to us for an unusual Saturday afternoon Tasting but he introduced the wines and cooked and served the food. The ingredients for the vegetarian menu came almost exclusively from Bill's allotment. The Gazpacho was superb...!

(Wine List)

The Whites:

1. Cava Conde de Haro 2017; Rioja; 100% Maccabeu; 12% abv; The Wine Society £13.95

Seriously good Cava made by Muga in Rioja, fermented in bottle and aged for two years just like Champagne, giving it similar depth and complexity.

Muga, the most traditional of Rioja’s bodegas, with not a stainless steel tank in sight, is based in the old railway quarter of Haro, capital of Rioja Alta. Founded in 1932 by Isaac Muga Marínez and his wife Auro Caño, both from winemaking families, it is run today by their three sons.

Winemaker Jorge Muga leads from the front with his meticulous attention to detail in all areas of production. The cellars not only include the usual fermentation and ageing rooms but also an in-house cooperage which makes the barrels, from a variety of oak sources, which are so key to the Muga style. At any given time, there are some 17 thousand barrels here, of which around 60% are French – mainly Allier and Tronçais – while the rest are made from American oak shipped from Kentucky and Ohio. Whatever its origins, it is all air-dried here for two years before being profiled, compressed, shaped and toasted by the Muga coopering team.

2. The Society's White Rioja 2018; Rioja; Viura and Malvesia blend; 12.5% abv; The Wine Society £8.95

A classically styled white Rioja made from this famed Spanish region's classic white grapes (mostly viura with some malvasia), with a proportion aged in barrel. It is deep gold in colour with aromas that are spicy, oxidative and nutty, rather than fruity.

Bodega Classica is an imposing winery atop a hill in the village of Sonsierra in the sub region of Rioja Alta amid the foothills of the Toloña Mountains, a part of the great Sierra de Cantabria range that does so much to protect the Rioja region from the less desirable Atlantic influences from the north.

At this positively shiny modern facility, built in 2006, all the grapes harvested from their surrounding 70 hectares of vineyards are gravity fed into vats and presses without the need to use intrusive pumps. Even the winery’s situation atop a hill is all part of the plan as it allows for air circulation to play a natural role in the temperature control of the complex and the cellars that are built into the hill below, again for the ease of temperature control that this naturally affords. It is attention to detail in such matters that amply illustrates the desire of Bodega Classica to produce high-quality wines.

3. Pepe Mendoza Moscatel White Blend 2018; Moscatel, Macabeo, Airén blend; 13.0% abv; The Wine Society £11.95

A fragrant, unoaked southern Spanish white which combines the grapy, herby delights of moscatel with the softness of macabeo and the gentleness of airén.

Based in Alicante, Pepe Mendoza was born into Spanish-wine royalty (his father Enrique helms one of the most successful family wineries in the country) and crafts wines of purity, depth and elegance. His style is a rejection of the high-volume, low-character methods of the bigger conglomerates and the resultant high-alcohol blockbusters, instead focusing on a more terroir-focused approach. The results are very impressive. He works only with native grapes (monastrell, alicante bouschet, muscatel, macabeo and the very rare giro are all grown) and employs native yeasts for fermentation, and he takes a hands off approach to winemaking, intervening as little as possible in the process to create wines that very much speak of their origins.

4. De Morgenzon Reserve 2016; Stellenbosch, South Africa; 100% Chenin Blanc; 14% abv; originally purchased for the SWAS Cellar for £25

DeMorgenzon’s Chenin Blanc comes from low-yielding vines planted in 1972, which were originally planted as bush vines but recently lifted onto trellises. The vines are planted in decomposed granite soils, at altitudes of 250 to 300 meters above sea level. Close proximity to False Bay ensures cooling breezes in the warm summer months.

VINTAGE 2016 was a very early season with early flowering dates followed by rapid ripening in the early part of the summer. Weather conditions during the ripening period of the Chenin Blanc were very warm necessitating selective harvest and early picking of certain parcels in order to attain an overall juice quality with a higher natural acidity.

VINIFICATION AND MATURATION The grapes were picked in three different passes in order to achieve optimum ripeness and balance in the final wine. The grapes were handpicked in the early morning hours, with bunch selection done in the vineyard. Fruit was cooled down and then gently pressed, whole bunch, and the juice was settled overnight without the use of settling enzymes. Fermentation occurred naturally in French oak barrels (25% new), using indigenous yeasts, with about 30% of the volume completing malolactic fermentation. The wine was aged on its lees in barrel for 11 months, without any topping or batonage.

TASTING NOTES This show stopping white displays effusive aromas of white flower, stone fruit, honey and toast which erupt into opulent flavours of pear, orange blossom, caramel and spice. It’s a world class wine offering that strikes a brilliant balance between lush fruit and crisp, mouth-watering acidity.

The Reds:

5. The Society’s Rioja Crianza 2016; 100% Tempranillo; 14.0% abv; The Wine Society £8.50

For the 2016 vintage we chose our Rioja from entirely tempranillo aged in American oak - the traditional way to make this famous Spanish style. We're thrilled with the result, which is alluringly soft, leathery and silky.

Bodegas Palacio is located in the heart of the Rioja Alavesa, at the bottom of the road leading up to Laguardia, a spectacular fortified hilltop village set against the backdrop of the Sierra Cantabria. The original stone-built bodega, now a small hotel, was first superseded by a rather four-square winery, but was replaced with a new, modern winery in 2014.

Palacio was founded in 1894 by Don Cosme de Palacio, an entrepreneur from Bilbao, one of the pioneers of winemaking in the region who made many positive changes, including the introduction of ageing in oak barrels. After a period under French ownership in the 1980s, during which Bordeaux guru Michel Rolland consulted here, Palacio was acquired in the 1990s by Hijos de Antonio Barcelo, one of Spain’s largest winemaking conglomerates, itself part of the giant Acciona group. Thanks to a high level of investment, Palacio has been able to expand, modernise and thrive.

This is an unusual enterprise in many respects. It buys in most of its fruit from a long-established network of contract growers, effectively controlling 255ha of vineyards, all in the Alavesa. It concentrates almost exclusively on tempranillo and viura, though in the new alta expresión white, Cosme 1894, there is a touch of malvasia. The winery has a 13,000 barrel capacity and exports a third of its production. A number of distinctly different bottlings reflect the bodega’s historical French bias, from the almost bordelais El Portico (named after the ornately carved door of the church of San Bartolome in Logroño), to the high-definition prestige cuvée, Cosme de Palacio developed by Rolland.. More true to regional style is Glorioso, though its maturation – six months each in French and American oak – is hardly typical. This is an outfit which does its own thing, to be sure, and does it well, if the medal tally from international fairs and shows is anything to go by.

Bearing little resemblance to any of these in style – Glorioso is perhaps the closest – is The Socety’s Rioja , which is also made here., The head of winemaking, forty-something Roberto Rodriguez [Martinez] has worked here since the tender age of 18: his deep understanding both of his craft and of the plots at the bodega’s disposal enable him to preselect, in anticipation of the buyer’s final blend, a range of appropriate component wines that he knows will both appeal to members and maintain the consistency and quality of this best-seller.

6. Pepe Mendoza Red Blend 2017; Monastrell, Syrah, Alicante Bouschet blend; 14% abv; The Wine Society £11.95

A superb southern Spanish red from mostly monastrell with 10% each of syrah and alicante bouschet. Blackberry fruit and Mediterranean spices combine in this wonderfully full-bodied wine made by Pepe Mendoza and his family in Alicante.

7. The Society's Exhibition Ribera del Duero 2016; 100% Tempranillo; The Wine Society £14.95

We have worked with the small Bohórquez property to create our first Exhibition bottling from Ribera del Duero in Castilla y Leon, one of Spain's leading fine wine regions renowned for its rich reds from the tempranillo grape. Many members will already be familiar with the wines of this estate despite the tiny production here. Its proximity to many a prestigious winery assures access to some of the region's finest vineyards. Decant this before serving to release its bold, satisfying and intense flavours. Sit back and savour!

This relatively young Denominación de Origen, established only in 1982, lies within the Castilla y Léon region of north-west Spain and has fast become one of the superstars among that nation’s increasingly stellar array of wine producing areas. Long in the shadow of the more famous Rioja region to the north-east, Ribera now makes some of Spain’s most iconic, and fine, wines.

The Duero river modifies the extremes of the climate in this high (between 750 and 900 metres above sea level), continental region which is prone to dramatic hailstorms, frosts and heat. Its success is due to the quality of the tinto del pais grape, a local clone of the tempranillo variety, which produces dark, fresh, elegant, intense wines of good structure. The swing between hot daytime temperatures and cooler nights help maintain the wonderful balance and natural freshness.

There are increased plantings of Bordeaux varieties alongside it, though cabernet sauvignon, merlot and malbec have been present in the blends of the renowned wines of the Vega Sicilia estate for more than 130 years. The geography of the valley is fairly flat and rocky, with alluvial sandy soils interspersed with limestone, chalk and clay/marl. The success of Vega Sicilia and the wines of Alejandro Fernández in the 1980s led to an explosion of estate bottled wines where previously most growers had sent their grapes to the local cooperatives. The quality of the wines from these estates earned great acclaim in Spain and latterly around the world, and Ribera has earned itself a place at the top table of Spanish wine regions.

8. Silice Viticultores Mencia, Ribeira Sacra 2018; 100% Mencia; 12.5% abv; The Wine Society £19.00

Subtle, perfumed Spanish red which comes from the cool Atlantic north-west in Ribeira Sacra, one of the most dramatic vineyard areas of Spain, if not the world. This is classy, silky and restrained, with red-berry fruit and modest weight.

9. La Rioja Alta Viña Ardanza Reserva Selección Especial, Rioja 2010; 80% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacha blend; 13.5% abv; The Wine Society £23.50

The 2010 vintage of this legendary Rioja reserva is quite possibly the best Ardanza in the wine’s 77-year history. It is only the fourth time La Rioja Alta have deemed the quality to be worthy of the label ‘Selección Especial.’

The growing season in 2010 came together with just the right amount of heat, water and sunshine to ripen Rioja's native tempranillo and garnacha grapes to perfection. It was also the first vintage that all the garnacha, making up 20% of the final blend, came from one outstanding vineyard planted at 550 metres altitude. This combination resulted in a wine that is beautifully perfumed and finely textured. The careful long barrel ageing, a specialism of La Rioja Alta's, has enhanced the complexity and savoury flavour that is the hallmark of this famous wine.

Headquartered alongside Bodegas Muga in the Barrio del Estación, the old railway quarter of Haro – a popular location for wine exporters during the phylloxera crisis in France - La Rioja Alta is one of the most resolutely traditional of the region’s bodegas. It was founded in 1890 by a consortium of five families, including the Aranas, Ardanzas and the Alberdis (names now immortalised as Reservas. See below), and now commands an impressive vineyard portfolio of over 700 ha, comprising 470ha in the Rioja Alta, 65ha in the Alavesa, where Barón de Oña is produced, 63ha in the Baja, 74ha in the Galician denominación of Rías Baixas and 95ha in DO Ribera del Duero.

As the company expanded, it outgrew its premises in Haro, which now house corporate offices, a visitor centre and shop and a wine storage facility. The main business of La Rioja Alta takes place these days at its purpose-built winery in Labastida, a mile down the road, a strikingly handsome stone building completed in 1996. The fermentation tanks are set under the wooden floor of a stunning, light-flooded hall, the sparkling steel lids visible, and beneath them is a huge barrel-ageing cellar. It’s reckoned that La Rioja Alta have, at any given time, some 45,000 barrels on the go, and carry around eight years’ worth of stock. Sensibly, the company does its own coopering in-house. Oak is imported from Ohio and Pennsylvania, but there is little reverse traffic, the company’s second biggest export market after the UK being not the USA but Mexico.

La Rioja Alta excels in classically styled reservas and gran reservas which are given considerable cask ageing. What sets this bodega apart from other traditionalists is that the wines succeed in retaining striking vigour and fruit whilst undergoing their lengthy period in cask. They are released for sale only when fully ready to drink and always have an air of graceful maturity about them.

Three wines are produced at reserva level. Viña Alberdi is 100% tempranillo, aged for two years in cask, and two in bottle. Viña Arana is a blend of 95% tempranillo with 5% mazuelo, made in the supple 'Rioja claret' style and has three years in cask and two in bottle. With 80% tempranillo and 20% garnacha, and an extra six months in cask, Viña Ardanza is the most traditional-tasting and in exceptional vintages (to date, just 1964, 1973, 2001 and 2010) has the additional description of especial. The extended ageing which is winemaking policy here would normally qualify both Arana and Ardanza as gran reserva, but this designation is reserved for the two top-of-the range 904 and 890 bottlings. The former, is 90% tempranillo with 10% graciano, aged 4-5 years in cask and a further 4 in bottle. 890, made only in the best vintages and presented in numbered bottles, is overwhelmingly tempranillo (96%) with a little graciano and mazuelo and has a whopping 6-8 years in cask and 6 in bottle.

10. Romate Amontillado Olvidado (25+ years old); Jerez de la Frontera; Palomino grape; 20% abv; The Wine Society £ 17.00 (375ml)

Winner of a Gold medal at the 2019 Decanter World Wine Awards, this is a selection of old amontillado that had been lying for 25 years plus untouched and forgotten in the Sánchez Romate cellars, where their top amontillado solera is kept. Hand bottled, with no stabilisation, it is an exquisite, rich and complex sherry.

Bodegas Sánchez Romate can be found in the historic heart of Jerez de la Frontera, and is one of the few bodegas still entirely owned by Jerez families. As well as being the home of sherry (the word ‘sherry’ is an anglicisation of Jerez), the city is home to many late gothic churches and convents, and is also the birthplace of flamenco, and some horse shows.

With its pretty streets lined with fragrant orange and lilac trees, it is no wonder that families have been flocking here for centuries to produce its most famous wines. Romate’s founder, Don Juan Sánchez de la Torré, did just that in 1781, meaning it is now one of Spain’s oldest wineries still in operation.

Their family-owned status means they retain both their independence (they still produce, age, bottle, and despatch all of their own produce) and can continue making wines according to their artisanal traditions. Their popularity went way beyond Jerez, however: they have also been the official purveyor to the House of Lords, the Vatican, and the Spanish Royal Family.

Sánchez Romate own vineyards in some of the best locations in the sherry triangle, benefiting from western Andalusia’s glorious sunshine and cooling sea breezes. The white albariza (limestone) soil is perfect for sherry grapes (palomino and pedro ximénez) because they absorb and retain the winter and spring rainfall and supply it to the vine in the scorching summer.

Their winery of course uses the Solera ‘steps and ladder’ system, a method unique to Jerez, and Sánchez Romate has it down to a fine art. They make all types of sherry – fino, amontillado, oloroso, palo cortado, cream and pedro ximénez – and age each wine in traditional American oak for varying numbers of years depending on its type.

The flor that forms in the casks is vital to the sherry’s taste, flavour-intensity and texture (flor attacks glycerol, which can leave sherry fat and uninteresting). The type of flor yeast present in each barrel varies greatly, as different types form depending on the temperature variation throughout the bodega and the strength of the air currents. We’ve worked with Sánchez Romate to select the best casks for our Society Fino and Fino Perdido.