A minor musing on ‘natural’ – via Raventos i Blanc xarel-lo
A minor musing on ‘natural’ – I’m reminded of certified organic wines in the early days, so 20 years ago and more
When is Cava not Cava?
Raventos i Blanc has just released a new sparkling wine – a blanc de noir, or blanc de negres – from the 2011 vintage, called Textures de Pedra.
Salvaje del Moncayo, Garnacha 2014, £6.95
This was a star for me of the recent Wine Society press tasting. Full of flavour and outstanding value.
Sherry
Julian Jeffs wrote the first edition of this book in 1961. No-one is better placed to comment on the huge changes in the sherry industry over that time.
Bolo Godello 2012,
Best value white wine from the Wine Society’s recent press tasting?
Viña Zorzal Graciano, Navarra, 2010
This has to be one of the best value red wines being offered the Wine Soc just now.
Bodegas Terras Gauda
Bodegas Terras Gauda, in north west Spain, are making some extraordinarily good wines from the local Rias Baixas grapes.
White Spanish trinity of albariño, godello and verdejo
The far north-west corner of Spain, the bit above Portugal, with its lush, verdant colours of the Costa Verde, due in part to its high rainfall coming off the Atlantic, is a mecca for fresh, vibrant, perfumed white wines.
Rioja and North West Spain
It’s not the snappiest of book titles, but it does do what it says on the tin. It’s the fifth book (Bordeaux, California, Champagne, Tuscany) in a series of similarly titled tomes from the team at magazine “the world of fine wine”, this one written by respected experts on Spanish wines.
Bodegas Valdesil, Godello 2009, Valdeorras, Spain
This was the outstanding wine from Waitrose’s recent press tasting. It’s a real stunner, complex, sophisticated, layered with freshness running through its veins.
