Etikettarkiv: Catalunya

Spanish red wines, Uncategorized

Smooth raspberries and earth from Terra Alta

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From the southern part of Catalunya in Spain called Terra Alta I try the Interstellar Organic Garnacha 2022 from the producer Herència Altès. This wine gets 79 points (Good wine). The price at Systembolaget is 101 SEK, and the nr 20065.

De Haan Altés was founded in 2010 by Nuria Alte and Rafael de Haan, and after having bought grapes they bought the vineyard La Serra and started their own winery in 2013.

This wine is made from the black grape variety Garnacha (which is called Grenache in France). The wine has a medium light ruby colour, and on the nose I sense fruity raspberries, strawberries, cherries, bay leaf as well as earthy notes and medium intense notes of oak like cloves and vanilla. On the palate the wine shows smooth raspberry and cherry notes, paired with spice, vanilla and chocolate.

This wine is dry and has a medium (+) acidity level and a high alcohol level of 14,5 % abv, however the tannins are medium and smooth. The flavors are not very pronounced and the body is medium, so all in all the wine feels fruity and fresh with a medium light finish.

The wine has been matured for 4 months in large Austrian oak barrels, and its smooth texture, balanced acidity and fruity red flavors makes it a good wine to match with lighter meat dishes, such as grilled pork chops with creamy herb sauce or roasted lamb with oven-baked potatoes. Also good with salads with cheese or similar vegetarian dishes.

It is best served at 16-18°C, and is best to drink now and will not improve with bottle-ageing. Surprisingly good though at this price-level!

Spanish red wines

Torres San Valentin – easy to like and worth its price

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Spain has a long wine history, and has gone through lots of modernisation lately. It is one of the world’s largest suppliers, and its most famous grape varieties are white airén and the black tempranillo and garnacha (grenache).

Torres San Valentin Garnacha (79 SEK, nr 12755 at Swedish Systembolaget) is made of 100 % garnacha (black grape variety) and has an alcohol level of 14 %. The producer is the Torres family, DO Catalunya, and this is one of the world’s most well-known wine producing families, active since the seventeenth century. The sweet thing is that this wine was created by Miguel Torres Carbó as a gift to his wife Margarita on Valentine’s day – hence its name!

The grapes are harvested in September, and the wine is fermented in steel tanks with some skin contact.

On the nose there is a lot of cherries, plums, raspberries and some liquorice and toffee notes. It has a youthful tone with medium intensity. It has a purple red colour, and on the palate you get a medium-bodied taste of red fruits like cherries and plums, with some liquorice and soft acidity.

This wine gets 89 points – mainly because it is well-balanced and well worth its price! To be served at 16-18°C, mainly with vegetarian dishes or light meal dishes. It can also be enjoyed on its own, or with several kind of cheeses like Gruyère.