Navarra Wines on Song as the AC Wine Club Returns

Following my (excellent!) column on the Wines of Spain 2017 in Hospitality Ireland this month I focused the AC Wine Club's attention onto tradition v modernism in Navarra. Great theme. Great tasting. Just to emphasise how tradition can work alongside modernity I also included two wines imported by Cassidy Wines and made by the ever brilliant Jose Moro in Ribera del Duero. 

Bodegas Ochoa is a fifth and sixth generation winemaking family. Their wines are excellent and are imported by Comans Beverages. I like to showcase them as they show how good the region can be even if we follow the simple brand architecture where entry level joven (unaged) white and red wines are followed by aged Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva styles.

Tandem Wines is a small high quality producer set up as recently as 2003 by Alicia Eyaralar and Jose Maria Fraile and imported by O'Briens Wines. Their emphasis on fine fruit forward wines is exemplary.  

The Navarra region allows a very generous combination of the grapes Garnacha Tinta, Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Graciano and Mazuelo, Pinot Noir and Syrah for its red wines. Red wines account for 94% of the regional output. White wines are made with Viura, Chardonnay, Garnacha Blanca, Malvasia and a Moscatel. As these can be blended and aged in a multiple of combinations Navarra is, to an extent, capable of making some of the most diverse ranges of wines found anywhere in Spain. 

For more info on Ribera del Duero have a look back here to our tasting from last April. This really is a great little wine club!!

Bodegas Ochoa  Calendas Series 2016


Viura, Chardonnay, Moscatel

No ageing at all and shows clean, crisp, lines with fresh fruit bursting from the glass.  Value wine. Drinking well. 

Bodegas Ochoa tells us they took their 'inspiration for the name from those ancient cultures when humankind and the whole of nature were ruled by the moon, which measured time and marked the birth of new life. For the Romans, the moon marked the Calends of March (their New Year’s Day) which, interestingly, coincides with the spring awakening of our vines, when our wine begins its lifecycle.

The slogan for this series is “The moon is always there, even if we can’t see it”. It is meant to reflect our respect for the course of Nature, which is an essential part of making quality wines'.

Tandem Inmacula 2014


Viura, Chardonnay

Tandem Ars Nova  2013 

Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot

No pumps. Just gentle fermentation and then gravity fed to concrete tanks for a 24 month ageing followed by a further 9 in 300l oak casks.

This is a wine that clearly loves where it came from as it brings every bit of the mountains and their vegetation with it - berries galore and layers of soft, enveloping fruits. Gorgeous.

Cepa 21 Malabrigo  2011
Ribera del Duero
Tinta Fino
5000 bottle production

Extraordinary wine showing how a 'cool climate' wine with an almost limitless fruit can be made in a warm climate. Mind you its a harsh winter they have in Ribera del Duero and the grapes for this have been grown in a cool, breezy high altitude vineyard. Intense. Forgiving. Tender. Absolutely 'modern' wine in the very best meaning of the word modern. 

Emilio Moro Malleolus 2013

Ribera del Duero

Tinta Fino

A completely exquisite wine. If you want to see how majestic a traditional style of wine from Ribera del Duero can be then you really must try this at some stage. It has an incredible smoothness, very full and immense dark fruit notes with an endless length. This is a complete wine and a great credit to Jose Moro. 

Oak fermentation (300litre French barrels) and lees ageing have given this wine immense character, depth and definition. Inmacula is latin for 'without blemish'. The palate here is soft and fabulously interesting. Some found the oak here not to their liking. I think its perfect ....

Overall the wine is astonishingly (!) well made and great value at €14.95

Bodegas Ochoa Calendas Series Tinto

Tempranillo, Garnacha

This is fine wine for everyday drinking. Full fruit. All good. Clean as a whistle, value wine.

Bodegas Ochoa Reserva  2009
Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot

Ochoa is a quality label. I love the fact that this wine is first treated as the house crianza (explains why Ochoa Crianza ia always so good) and then further aged to Reserva level, bottled non filtered and may throw a sediment (this one didn't!) and always ages with fabulous grace, softness and elegance. Great example of Navarra Reserva style

                                                      

This was a great tasting and one where everyone learnt a lot. Our November meeting will take place on Monday the 6th - Italian Selection.

March2017

Member Brett brought a mystery bottle to the Club for our March meet. It was good fun working out what it was.

It was one of these!!!

The loose (very loose) theme of the evening was to 'not to give up on a wine after a first impression'. So we had a number of wines that were sort of surprising.

Corsican Nature Muscat Doux from SuperValu  2014 €6.99

I suppose the price was because they couldn't sell it at a higher one. Probably because as the Doux tell us it's quite sweet. The gas thing in Ireland is that if we taste sweet we turn away but if we are fooled into believing that a wines sweetness is in fact its fruitiness then we love it!! Case in point are

a lot of the GAllo wines, Blossom Hill and even McGuigan Black Label.

This Muscat is a great summer time drink. Serve it ice cold to dampen the sweetness. Then enjoy its rose petal lychee style.

This contrasted (very sharply) with :

Torreon de Paredes Sauvignon Blanc

A Chilean wine from a label that always carries its fruit with distinction. This shows as a very good

halfway house between an exuberant Marlborough NZ style and a traditional more reserved one from the Loire. Lots of fresh cut grass and a crisp heart to a long finish. Nothing exceptional but well made and memorable.

Now go back to the Corsican for a reality check on sweet v fruity.

Rioja Cebrel Joven Lidl c €6

I always like this wine for its great value and honest to goodness fruit. It didn't disappoint. We then compared it to its more expensive cousin from the same store.

Cosada Morales Rioja Reserva Privada c €14

Excllent style. Lots of soft oaking has spiced up the middle palate, bouquet and finish here.  Still, most of the members preferred the Joven!

Then we had the Mystery Bottle! It turned out to be very instructive as it had been brought up from France as part of a wine buying spree in France last summer. As it was a mostly Sauvignon Blanc based wine from Bordeaux it contrasted fabulously with the riper Torreon de Paredes. (It was served here as up to now we didn't know if it was a white or a red wine!! It was:

Domaine de Ricaud Entre Deux Mers 2015

I love Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon blends from Bordeaux. Sadly the Semillon element is missing from so many Bordeaux whites these days. It showed well here with a fine textural palate and a stalky

mock aged bouquet. Good wine showing a bit of lees work creaming up the palate. Members twigged the Sauvignon straight away. Good for the members! Great for cheese and for ageing a couple of years.

Next up we had the Torreon de Paredes Cabernet Sauvignon
This is a wow and shows why Chile can be considered one of the finest growers of Cab Sauv in the
world. Delicous, strong and yet restrained. All round a good one.

Great tasting so far. I wanted to show how the Cabernet flavors can be rounded up. I introduced rustic elements onto the palate. To do this I opened a wine from Portugal - Porta 6 from O'Briens Wines. Great wine. Slightly roasted, very rich and yet soft tannins only. It was universally given a big thumbs up on the night.

Then I asked them to go back and try the Corsican --  again!!

Finally. I sometimes grab a bottle on the way out the door. Just so they could put the Corsican sweetness into context I brought a 10year old half bottle of Magnotta Limited Edition Sparkling Vidal Ice Wine 2006 from Canada. I'm a Canadain ice wine lover ....sin sceil eile.....

Now Vidal makes a white wine and this wine was no longer sparkling! It wasnt white any longer either!! Other words were used. Tawny, Magnificent, Sweet, Acidic, Brilliant. Raisins and light fudge compete with apricit and peach. Must be in excess of 200g res sugar per litre. Now this makes the Corsican seem positively dry!! Why is it tawny brown? No idea. The blue glass and my wardrobe should have protected it! Fascinating stuff

The AC Wine Club wuill meet again on the First Monday of April See you there.

Take to the Slopes with the Wines of Austria

         My latest column for Checkout Magazine was on the Wines of Austria. I opened with, 'A few years back I was presented with a cd by Austrian wine producer Willi Opitz titled ‘The Sounds of Wine’. It was a recording of his wines as they fermented in his cellars in Illmitz near the Hungarian border. Clearly it was unique!

         This month the AC Wine Club had a look at five wines from Austria. Unique. It's a word that sits comfortably alongside most of what Austria produces. Others are Interesting, Quality and Very Food Friendly.

The white Gruner Veltliner makes up about 30% of the Austrian trade. While its hallmarks include crisp, fine acidity, peach blossom and a spiced, long finish this months' two wines from Laurenz V showed just how versatile it's wines can be.

    

Laurenz V, Singing Gruner Veltliner 2013

Blossom bouquet, gentle fresh fuit, rich crisp palate and a fine finish with distinct hints of spice.

Universally liked by the Club. Excellent lifestyle wine. Would be fabulous 'By the Glass' or at a wine bar lunch.

Laurenz V, Charming Gruner Veltliner 2008

Yes. 2008!  Does this grape age well and if so, what happens to it?  The Laurenz V website tells us that 2008 was a 'winemakers vintage'. It was a perfect harvest and the fruit taken for this wine from the Kamptal Region spent 6 months on its lees in stainless steel tankes before bottling.

Obvious darkening with slight tawny hints but still clear and attractive. Nose has some damp earth elements and a bit of empty cigarette box allied to a persistent ripe peach skin. Fabulous alert palate with soft fruit and plenty of it supported by a rich acidity. The finish was mellow! The middle palate here is truly fabulous. Does Gruner age? Yes it does!! Or at least this Charming 2008 has. (Distributed By Gilbey/Gleeson)

Domane Wachau Terrassen Riesling Federspiel 2015

Wachau is reputed to be one of the most beautiful wine regions in the world. Domane Wachau is a co-op in the region and takes grapes from about 400 local farmers. That sort of makes it very, very influential. Good thing then that it's wines are so good. (recently taken on by Cassidy Wines for the Irish market)

TheTerrassen series of wines are made from grapes grown on rocky sites that are in themselves too small to make a wine. (The 'Federspiel' is a local designation of ripeness and roughly translates into about a 12.5%vol potential and uses the falcon as its sigil.) 

Absolutely fabulous wines. Loads of juicy citrus fruits with an immmensely impressive, brilliant and  balanced acidity. This is all about ripeness, freshness and length and does not show any developed Riesling effects such as old cheeses etc. Very much one for New World style aficionados.

Rabl Steinhaus Riesling Kamptal DAC 2013

Imported by O'Briens Wines this is a classic where acidity meets rich ripe fruit and fair dose of ageing Riesling bouquets where whiffs of sewing machine oil fumes are noticeable. Love it. 

The term 'Minerality' is tossed around the wine trade often without having any apparent meaning. Here's a wine that might explain it! Terroir is where a wine comes from. It is the totality of its genesis. Sometimes this throws up a grape where fruit ripeness balances in with acidity in a way reminiscent of licking  freshly split limestone. I'm not talking flint here but 'tongue tingles'. That's minerality and this wine has it in abundance.   

Heinrich Red Burgenland 2015

I am an absolute fan of a number of the red grapes grown in Austria - I always hanker after St Laurent and love the Zweigelt. This Heinrich Red (Liberty Wines) is a blend where Zweigelt is to the fore (followed by Blaufrankisch and St Laurent) and shows very well with its light, almost austere, palate entry only to blossom into fresh bramble fruit. This in turn brings it back to the ripe and freshly scented bouquet. Interesting colour - rich cherry!  Really fine example of a modern wine trade. Burgenland, and epecially the Neusiedlersee in SE Austria, is home to 'ripeness'. As such, it is capable and produces some of the finest dessert wine styles in the world. It also ripens red grapes!! 

                   

The AC Wine Club meets on the first Monday of each month

Village Centre, Ardclough Co Kildare.

We know nothing. We learn lots.

Exploring Grapes in Ardclough contd.

The AC Wine Club at Ardclough           November 2016

Another great night where we explore grapes and their wine styles on the first Monday of every month.  

Essay South Africa 2014

Chenin Blanc  … with a touch of Viognier                                              O’Briens Wines

O’Brien’s Wines supply this label to their on-trade customers only ie restaurants and hotels. The name Essay is a play on the SA abbreviation for South Africa. It’s an excellent wine (as we would expect from O’Briens!) with the crisp Chenin balanced beautifully by a touch of peachy Viognier. We all ‘found’ distinct lanolin/wet wool at the edge of the bouquet – that’s good!

Paredes Crete 2015

Dafni                                                                              
Marks&Spencer        €15.00

     

This is from Greece and has a very obvious bouquet where ‘Torrontés rose petal’ meets ‘Gewürztraminer lychee’. Fabulous wine for those who like perfume! Beyond that it’s a credit to Greece (where white wines dominate local drinking patterns). Pity we don’t see more wines from Greece.

Silverleaf South Africa 2015                                                           

Dunnes Stores €8.99

Merlot  
Fabulous value. Soft and charming. Also, clean as a whistle fruit. Good to see.

  

Gianni Gagliardo Barbera d’Alba 2014                                        Independents  €26.00

Barbera

Brilliant winemaking from Gagliardo in Piedmont, NW Italy. Barbera is the grape and it’s a soft and concentrated wine with endless depth of flavours each of which threatens to be very serious but then pulls back and becomes charming instead.  

Gianni Gagliardo Barolo 2012                                                       Independents  €52.00
Nebbiolo

Barolo is the king of Italian wines. If they’re any good at all they don’t come cheap! They are however and experience in a bottle and Gagliardo’s is no exception. This wine is very modern with accessible fruit to the fore and lots of intense structure hidden well in the background. Bouquet is classic warmed asphalt and palate is rich fruit, acid, tannin and alcohol. The balance is excellent and it will keep from many, many years.

Prosecco Unmasked in Ardclough

Our December tasting was exceptional. None of us had been to a Prosecco only tasting before and boy were the wines interesting.

Here's the lineup:

Kevin ( that's me .. ) gave a brief introduction to what Prosecco is, where it comes from and how it is made. It can be as simple as remembering that its a one grape sparkling wine from the north East of Italy.  The detail behind the region was then explained and demonstrated by tasting 'across' the DOC and DOCG regions.

We began with a Rizzardi Frizzante - O'Briens Wines € 
Frizzante Prosecco's have a lower atmospheric pressure in the bottle and are often sealed by screwcap or  a relatively simple cork. The bubbles don't last as long in the glass and there isn't a great big loud pop when the bottle is opened as there is for full sparkling Prosecco - described as Spumante. Irish excise duty is the same for frizzante styles as it is for standard still wines between 5.5 and 15% vol. That makes frizzantes seem like good value. 
Rizzardi is brilliant. Never lets you down. Strong flavours with elements of austere pear and melon, fine structure with excellent acidity and soft bubbles effect.

Valdobbadione Prosecco Superiore Spumante Aldi €11.49
This was instructive as the label tells us that its a DOCG Prosecco.

Really good pour with big mousse foaming to top of the glass. Drinks well but needs to be attacked quickly as it loses its initial charm after a while. That said noone seemed to think Prosecco's are left in the glass for too long to worry about that! It is a dry style where the acidity is quite marked. Would make a very good base wine for a Bellini.

Rizzardi Prosecco Spumante Extra Dry O'Brien's €17.49

At this point it was useful to explain the Extra Dry versus Brut etc

     Here's the scale:  g/l sugar

     0 to 6 Extra Brut

     6 to 12 Brut

     12 to 17 Extra Dry

     17 to 35 Dry

     35 to 50 Dolce

Dolce means sweet and extra Brut will be very dry. This wine however is 'Extra Dry' and as you can see from the scale that does not mean it is devoid of sweetness! The Prosecco grape, or more accurately, as it has been renamed, the Glera, is an acidic grape with a fine austerity to it. Left to its own devices it can be crushingly dry on the palate and will need a few grams of residual sugar to balance the palate out. That's good and it also contributes to one of Prosecco's other great attributes - alcohol levels are very managable around the 11 to12% vol mark - and that's very good.

This Rizzardi wine is very good. Rounded fresh fruit punctured by crisp acidity; long lasting bubbles. All very enjoyable.

The next two wines were very similar and showed that there are quite a few proseccos on the market that are well made with little to distinquish between them. Perhaps that's one of the reasons why Prosecco has been so succesful - inherant reliability?

Prosecco Santa Margarita Brut 11.5%vol (Cassidy Wines - widely available)
Super mousse. Lingering herbal quality to the bouquet. Scrunchy delicious palate. Like this.


Maschio dei Cavalieri Prosecco (Gleeson Gilbeys- widely available)
Another excellent wine. Lots of intensity and very clean lines. As I mention above these do Prosecco proud.

Finally we had a pair from a producer called Masottina distributed in Ireland by Classic Drinks. These are exceptional. I had the pleasure of meeting with owner and winemaker Adriano dal Bianco and his wife Franca in Dublin last year. I was guided through Prosecco as never before. These wines are exceptional.

A relaxed Adriano and Franca in Dublin - note three wines in photo are not sparklers - sin sceil eile.

 


Masottina Conegliano Valdobbiadene 11% €15.99
Brilliant pour with hints of green herbs and apple on the bouquet. Intense palate with fantastic lenght. Really good sparkling wine.




Masottina
Conegliano Valdobbiadene Le Rive Ogliano Prosecco Superiore
DOCG Extra Dry Spumante Millesimato 11.5%
Our final wine brought us to new levels on a number of fronts. This was the most expensive wine in the line up at about €30.00 a bottle; it was from the smallest demarcated area in the tasting, the hills of Ogliano; it was the best wine on the night and it was the best received wine by club members. Praise indeed.
This wine pours well showing a very fine mousse and bubble. Excllent bouquet of fresh lemon and soft ripe peach. Palate structure is gentle and well defined. Elegance is this wines hallmark. I cannot think of any occassion where this wine would not be welcomed.

Next club night is first Wadnesday of February 2014 when the theme will be 'Cabernet Sauvignon'.

December 2013 Meeting at the AC Wine Club

Next week is the first Wednesday of the month and so the AC Wine Club will meet once more.

Wednesday 4th December 8.00pm at the Ardclough Village Centre

Grapes ripening in an Abbey Farm Celbridge backgarden 2013

Last month we had a great session where principal grape types were shown through a combination of wines that I use for my Two Hour Wine Tasting Course. It created such a good buzz around the place that I was asked were we meeting every week!

Next week I thought we might discuss sparkling wines. Let's face it we won't be meeting again until after New Years has been rung in.

Then I decided to do this by looking at Prosecco only! Should be interesting. I'll have a line up of various sparkling wines from the Veneto in northern Italy. Hope you like bubbles!

As the bottom of a bottle of wine is always limiting I would appreciate advance bookings to either kevin@kevinecock.ie or to 0876919191

Sunset over Ardclough last week

The AC Wine Club has a New Venue

Earlier this month the Ardclough Community Council took over the recently emptied school house in Ardclough. The new St Annes NS was finally opened. In association with the VEC the Community Council has now begun a series of courses ranging from 'Computers for the Terrified' to 'Yoga'. I dropped in this morning to look at the old school with a view to using it as a venue for the Ardclough Wine Club (otherwise known and the AC Wine Club).  It's perfect.

 

The astute, observant and possibly wary, of you will know that the Club didn't meet at all last year. I know. Not at all! Not very good. As all good politicians say though, let's move forward and get the Club going again.   

I propose to market the idea that we meet on the first Wednesday of each month at 8.00pm beginning on Wednesday the 6th November.

As before there will be a nominal charge on the evening of €5.00

I will supply glassware and wines until we organise a better system

Leave a message of interest for me on 0876919191 or indeed at kevin@kevinecock.ie

If there is sufficiant interest I also intend to begin weekly Wine Appreciation courses up in Ardclough in the New Year. Ardclough; a wine hub? Absolutely. 

What's for Christmas? Tasting on Friday the 9th of December

Every year we are asked what's worth buying for Christmas. So, we have put together a selection of wines that are perfect for both the Christmas meal and for having around the house for that 'Just in Case Moment'. All of these will be available locally.

In addition we have canvassed each of the main retailers working in our area and have asked them for their suggestions.

from simplisticsavings.blogspot.com

So, this will be a Christmas tasting with a talk on what goes with what and why, when to throw away the rule book and how to create a few new traditions of your own!

Venue: Ardclough GAA

When: Friday the 9th of December at 8.00pm

Cost: €10.00 per person

Sparkling - Ports - Sherries - Whites - Reds and everything else.

Ardclough 2010

Discover the Wines of Chile was a Great Success

Our meeting last month was a great success. Kevin Ecock presented a power pointed presentation of the Wine Valleys of Chile and then guided us through the following ten incredible wines. Yes, TEN and the entry was only a fiver!

This was a sponsored event by Wines of Chile and the Association of Wine Educators of which Kevin is a keen member.

The wines were sponsored by local wine merchants and a number of national wine distributors. Each of these is acknowledged alongside their wines below.

The theme for the evening had been designed to show off the diversity, complexity, technical mastery and regionality of the Chilean wine trade. All of this was shown with regards to the differences each of the major wine producing valleys can display in a bottle of wine! Sounds complicated. It wasn't. It was fascinating.

Wine 1

Aconcagua Costa

Errazuriz Aconcagua Costa Sauvignon Blanc 2010

Cassidy Wines

This was probabaly the best wine to begin a tasting like this with. It is exceptional. Herbal and lime driven this is cool climate Sauvignon Blanc at it's best. Vina Errazuriz Chief Wine maker Santiago Francisco used this wine to show cool climate wine making in Chile in his Specialties range last year here in Ireland. The Aconcagua Costa is only 12km from the very cool Pacific Ocean.

Wine 2

Colchagua

Vina Casa Silva Reserve Viognier 2010

Febvre & Co 

For wine lovers of rich and generous Viognier. Really super ripe wine making allows the grape to express itself in a lovely, full and show-off sort of a way. It would not be possible to develop the nuances this grape shows here unless the Cochagua Valley was used with pin point precision.

Wine 3

Limari

De Martino Legado Reserva Chardonnay 2009

Febvre & Co

De Martino prides iself on being 100% organic and to only grow grapes in areas that are best suited to them ie they are terroir driven. Limari shows expertly here with its northern latitude and quick sweep to the ocean from the mountains. This does Chardonnay proud.

Wine 4:

Casablanca

Carmen Reserva Pinot Noir 2009

Edward Dillon and Co

Fickle grapes need the attention of great winemakers. Chile is beginning to find its feet with Pinot Noir in terms of finding cool growing sites and the attention of experts such as Carmen's Sebastian Labbe. This is great intro to what's happening with Chilean Pinot Noir but I have no doubt that in a short while we will look back on this as merely the beginning of something great.

Wine 5

Valle Central

Karu Merlot 2010

O'Briens Wines

It's easy to see why this is so popular with O'Brien's customers. It's juicy, full and tremendous value at €7.49. It's a fine example of how the Central Valley in Chile can be used well. Let's face we all want value but we also want quality. Chile can provide both.

  

Wine 6

Colchagua

Carmen Reserva Merlot 2009

Edward Dillon and Co.

I purposefully put this after the less expensive Karu Merlot. If you're asked to pay more for a wine (€12.99 in this case) it seems reasonable that you get an added dimension in the bottle. Chile prides itself on having multiple price points. Indeed it is now attempting to associate price points, style and places of origin into hierarchies that the consumer will recognise. Everyone at this tasting appreciated the careful use Carmen has made of Colchagua's sub appellations in bringing freshness and subtlety to the table. Couple this with some oak ageing and it all made sense! 

Wine 7

Rapel

Vina Maipo Reserva Syrah 2009

Dunnes Stores 

This went down well. No-one could quite believe that Dunne's regularly sell this for only €8.99. Vina Maipo specialise in Syrah and when this passion is combined with Rapel valley nuances the result is consistent. Lots of true varietal character with nothing forced.

Wine 8

Apalta

Santa Rita Pehuen Carmenere 2007

Gleeson/Gilbeys

Clearly a Carmenere was needed. What a great wine Pehuen is! It has a great depth of red colour and rich very dark slightly spiced dark fruits on the nose and then surprises by a smooth palate. Apalta is warm with long growing season and great night v daytime temperatures. All suited to Carmenere! 

Wine 9

Maipo

Santa Rita Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon 2008

Gleeson Gilbeys

Super counter point to the Carmenere. Not many wine clubs get to see Santa Rita quality side by side like this. Very impressive. Served slightly the wrong way around but the point was well made. Maipo and its satellite the Apalta has genuine variety exploited really well by Santa Rita's talented team of wine makers.

Wine 10

Maipo

Vina Chocalan Gran Reserva Pinot Noir 2008

O'Brien's Wines

What a wine to finish off with. This is big in every sense and really should be coming from the Maipo. It's also a lot of fruit and a lot of wine making packed into one bottle. Comes across as relatively young still. Good value at the €20.00 O'Brien's sell it for.