Viva variety

27 July 2000
Viva variety

Think Spain and wine and Rioja springs to mind. Think Spanish grape varieties and it has to be Tempranillo. The soft bramble fruit and appealing vanilla oak of a good Rioja has, over the past 25 years, helped put Spanish wines on the map in the UK.

Spanish wines have, however, much more to offer than just Tempranillo and Rioja and, as the prices of wine from Spain's number-one exporting region continue to rise, Caterer thought it would be a good idea to taste a selection of what else is available.

In this vast country the variety seems boundless, so much so that initially it was difficult to decide the criteria for the tasting. What is most exciting is the array of alternatives to the more usual wine choices from Rioja and Navarra that are developing apace. Spain has a number of ingredients that make this enormous variety possible - varied climate, interesting native grape varieties and a passion for innovation. For example, did you know that Garnacha (Grenache), the variety made famous by the southern French and the Australians, originated in northern Spain? Or that Tempranillo has at least six other names, depending on which region it comes from?

Over the past 10 to 15 years the Spanish have spent a lot of time, money and effort improving what is going on in their vineyards and wineries. This development and improvement in standards is nowhere near finished, but when you visit some of the lesser-known regions such as Campo de Borja, Terra Alta and Cigales you really get a feeling that the wine-makers and growers are striving to produce high-quality wines for a demanding and ever-changing market. As a consequence, the choice from Spain is enormous, from the high tannin and concentrated fruit of Ribera del Duero to the supple, more traditional style of La Mancha. In fact, there is a Spanish red wine to suit every palate.

As customers develop their wine knowledge, restaurants need to be able to offer something new. All too often in the rush to have an innovative and exciting list the Old World countries are forgotten in favour of seemingly sexier wines from the likes of Chile and Argentina. But if you are looking for wines that have the upfront, appealing fruit of the New World and give a hint of that Old World restraint, Spain is one of the countries to look at - and not only in terms of variety but for value for money, too.

The tasting

Caterer tasted a selection of Tempranillos and Garnachas from Spanish wine-producing regions other than Rioja and Navarra, with varying price points from a number of Spanish specialist merchants.

The tasting took place among the tables of the atmospheric Moro restaurant in London's most recent gastro-zone, EC1. The tasters were Nick Tarayan, managing director of soon-to-be renamed and refurbished Leith's restaurant in London; Luciano Pelicano, owner of Ibla restaurant, London; Kate Thal, wine buyer for the Hartford Group; Mark Sainsbury, host and co-owner of Moro; Ossie Gray, consultant and wine buyer for the River Café; Charlotte Hey, consultant and wine writer; and Fiona Sims, Caterer wine editor. We tasted 19 wines, mostly blends, but the main varietal in each case was either Tempranillo or Garnacha.

The verdict

Our panel of tasters was on the whole impressed by the quality and variety on offer. One theme emerged strongly, as Thal pointed out: "The lack of oak in these wines was a great surprise. Normally, you expect a great whack of oaky vanilla when your nose comes near the glass, but not here."

Tarayan agreed. He said: "There were a lot of modern-style wines in the tasting. One or two had that delightful combination of traditional and modern but, overall, the tasting showed the individuality of Spanish wines, which is good to see."

Sainsbury, however, was not overly impressed. "I was not bowled over with the tasting as a whole. The excellent wines stood out but I thought a lot of the wines lacked intensity. The oak question that the tasting threw up was interesting. I do not think that the Spanish should avoid it, rather temper their use of it."

Pelicano was impressed with the variety of styles some of the new regions were producing. "In today's restaurant market any wine has a future as long as it is well made. You just have to get customers to try them. Spain is a good alternative, especially for people who want to taste what else there is other than Rioja."

Thal conjectured: "Rioja and Navarra need to stay in touch with their Spanish roots and stick with what they are good at. Perhaps the newer regions can then afford to be a little more experimental."

Everyone agreed that the wines were good food wines, apart from several lighter, pouring-style wines at the beginning of the tasting. The region of Tarragona showed the most potential, with a number of concentrated and well-made examples standing out.

The big surprise for the panel was Pesquera, which most tasters agreed was disappointing in comparison with some of the other wines. Which just goes to show that you shouldn't always stick with the tried-and-tested wines - a whole new world of Spanish wines is out there for the tasting.

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