Wine Club: Off to the Iberian Peninsula
This month, we’re getting Iberian with our selections. It’s a great time to explore Spain and learn more about amazing wines coming from Portugal; these are regions where natural wine is gaining a steady foothold under the careful supervision of enthusiastic up-and-comers, cooperative neighbors, and old-school generational winemakers whose talents lend themselves to the hot and dry mesas and sea-sprayed coasts of these old-world locales.
Antonio Pereira 'Tinto Bom'
Tinta Nacional
When we think of Portugeuse wine, often the first style that comes to mind is that light, subtly fizzy and pale libation known as “vinho verde,” or green/young wine- a perfect summertime pour at an even more perfect price (usually $10 or under.) However, vinho verde can also be a delicious, complex, slightly fizzy RED wine, too. In fact, Vinho Verde is not a grape or a style or a blend, but rather a designated wine from 9 areas in the Duoro Valley. From the Minho region, in cool, lush, northern Portugal, comes Tinto Bom- a deep red and delicious wine from producer Antonio Riberio Pereira. Working with biodynamic principles (coming soon-Demeter certified,) Antonio produces vinho verdes of distinction and character. Hewn from granite-rich soils in his mild valley, this bottling of mostly Vinhao shows how red vinho verde can be a rare gem worth seeking out. After all, only about 9% of VV produced is red, and even less makes it to the United States. The inky, structured, tannic and rustic red shows dark cherry, cacao nib and red berry notes, interlaced with a hint of subtle bubbliness which creates sweet harmony on the palate. Chill it down and enjoy with sausage and shellfish night on the grill. It’s the BOM(B)!
Bodegas Gratias
'¿Y Tú De Quién Eres?'
Doña blanca, Tardana, Macabeo, Albillo
This wine from Bodegas Gratias has a question for you. “...and who are you?” Or, who ARE you, anyways? Who are YOU? The translation’s a little tricky but the vibe is certainly, curiosity. Like the way you’d ask someone at a wedding how they know the bride or groom, or a little kid who they “belong to” at a family reunion. And belonging is important to the artisanal cellars of Bodegas Gratias. They’re committed to not only environmental sustainability, but economic and cultural preservation as well. The people and farmers of Castilla-La-Mancha in Spain are the creators of this land, these grapes, and this wine, and it belongs to them. Bodegas Gratias are merely sharing some of it with us, and helping preserve farmland and vineyards in would-be-abandoned plots by encouraging locals to harvest and sell their fruit to the winery. Crowdfunded, cooperative, and made from old-school, old-vine bush-trained vines and aged in clay vessels called tinajas, this is truly a wine OF the people, and FOR the people, too. This white is a collection of a lot of local indigenous varietals, blended perfectly to achieve an incredible palate of white peach, yuzu, wet stone, blue clay, fresh squeezed tangerines and floral orchard fruits. I can’t recommend it enough. Don’t be surprised if you take a sip and find yourself looking at the bottle, wondering where it’s been your whole life, and asking it, “now who are YOU?”
RAW CLUB
Spain bears a burden in the wine world; the very things for which they’ve become famous and lauded have imprisoned them with expectations and limited public perception of Spanish wines. That “more is more” style of red winemaking that employs heavy use of new oak, extended extraction and long ageing that create high-ABV, full bodied, vanilla-and-coconut flavored, big, ripe red fruit wines made Spanish reds well-loved by the Super Tuscan and Napa Cab drinkers of the 90’s and 00’s. And nowhere landed more big buck buyers than the Priorat region in Northern Spain, the “Bordeaux” of Spain, it’s financial center for super-premium reds made mainly from Grenache and Carignan. Terroir, yes, but 14% and up ABV’s...also yes. Live Mas, right?
Well, sometimes. But the truth that Spanish winemakers would like the world to take note of is that elegant, light, complex and earthy wines are the earmark of their traditional winemaking---however in keeping up with consumer demand and market ratings, and in the shadow of Priorat, the temptations of oak and big, BIG wines overwhelmed generational know-how. However, as we slip into the new decade of the 20’s, as natural wine begins to rise in importance across world regions, and a new generation picks up the goblet, (or, jam jar) to taste Spanish wine, room is being made for that lean, artisanal style of wine to take center stage.
Enter, Patri and Pep. Pep (Josep) Aguilar and Patri (Patricio) Morillo met on the commuter train as students and then formed a business as they worked around the world in winemaking and consulting before settling in a little town and on a little farm in Montsant- conveniently adjacent to Priorat. And, (as if I hadn’t been leading there all along,) wouldn’t you know it, their wines could not be more different to those made by their much more famous neighbor. These exacting viticulturalists focus on freshness and expressiveness above sugar content and alcohol, utilizing no oak at all in their winemaking process. They hold seven hectare under old vine, use only organic principles in their farming, and create some of the most exciting, new, unique, and yet authentic wines from all of Northern Spain. This month, we’re trying THREE of our favorites to show the range and quality across the board of Pep and Patri’s offerings.
Celler Comunica
'Vi del Mas’ Garnatxa Negre, Syrah
A grenache and syrah blend, grown from the crumbly, granitic soils of Falset, in Montsant. Light bodied, floral, and fresh, with raspberry coulis and black pepper notes.
'La Pua’ Garnatxa Peluda, Garnacha Roja, Garnacha blanca
Garnacha again, this time blanca and tinta varietals, blended to create a mouth-watering white with honeydew, fig, white pear and chamomile flavors dominating. Weighty enough to savor, refreshing enough to crush..
'Gris Granit’ Garnatxa Roja
This 100% grenache gris is a snappy, skin-macerated (almost-red, not quite rosato) highlights the crunchy granite soils from which the grapes are borne. Juicy and structured, with lively cranberry and pomegranate notes and zesty acidity. Serve with a chill.