FENAVIN day 2
05-May-09 - The first full day of FENAVIN: when this fair started it was rather smaller, with the advantage that you could get around it easily and see everyone there. In addition, it attracted generic regions and smaller bodegas who couldn't have afforded to go to such as the London Wine Trade Fair or Vinexpo, Intervin or Vinitaly. Since then, of course, it has grown considerably and, in 2009, has 8 pavilions and nearly 1,000 exhibitors. This means that, once again, it's important to plan ahead and make a list of the people you want to see but, of course, it doesn't allow for the old friends who will pounce on you and drag you to their stand to taste the latest vintage. It would be rude to refuse but sometimes you just have to explain that you have limited time and need to visit 'new' friends while you have the chance. Most people are very understanding.
Anyway, without going into too much detail (which would fill the blog - if you want more info please e-mail me at john@johnradford.com) I was able to taste wines from the DDOO Abona (Canary Islands), Uclés (Castilla-La Mancha), Utiel-Requena (Valencia), Málaga and Sierras de Málaga (Andalucía), Bullas (Murcia), Almansa (Castilla-La Mancha) and Pla de Bages (Catalunya) and I must mention Barranco Oscuro, the bodega run by the eccentric Javier Valenzuela in the mountains of Granada, whose Blancas Nobles is one of the most individual white wines from Spain which I have ever tasted. It's made from mainly from Vijiriega (which has died out elsewhere on the peninsula but is still found in the Canary islands) in vineyards at more than 1,000 metres altitude. It reeks of thyme, sage and rosemary (herbs which grow around the vineyard) and has a wonderfully savoury, bone dry character (18/20). This bodega is a member of Vinos Singulares de Pagos Andaluces, which is a voluntary grouping of independent bodegas which share marketing and administrative costs. An even smaller such grouping is the family-owned Bodegas Aires del Duero, with wineries in the DDOO Rueda, Toro, Tierra de León and Arlanza, which last two are very much up-and-coming areas of Castilla y León.
So, about 50 wines tasted on the first day, and the 16:30 bus back to the hotel for a siesta - well, interrupted by a bocadillo de jamón and some more Corcovo (this time the 1999 reserva which was drinking remarkably well). I toyed with the idea of going to the 'Life Dedicated to Wine' presentation in the evening, especially as old chums Félix Benito from the UK and Aarno Magnusson from Finland were being gonged, but I went last time and found the ceremony to be incredibly long-drawn-out and boring with endless speeches, and blessèd relied came in the form of a 'phone call from YES CHEF! Magazine about features for the next issue which meant I had to spend more time with my laptop. I snuck back down to the cafeteria at about 21:00 for a pepita de ternera (€5) plus egg and chips (it's a good thing Jill doesn't read this blog) and the remainder of the Corcovo, after which it was a large brandy and zonko. Another good day. Tomorrow, of course, it's for money.
Anyway, without going into too much detail (which would fill the blog - if you want more info please e-mail me at john@johnradford.com) I was able to taste wines from the DDOO Abona (Canary Islands), Uclés (Castilla-La Mancha), Utiel-Requena (Valencia), Málaga and Sierras de Málaga (Andalucía), Bullas (Murcia), Almansa (Castilla-La Mancha) and Pla de Bages (Catalunya) and I must mention Barranco Oscuro, the bodega run by the eccentric Javier Valenzuela in the mountains of Granada, whose Blancas Nobles is one of the most individual white wines from Spain which I have ever tasted. It's made from mainly from Vijiriega (which has died out elsewhere on the peninsula but is still found in the Canary islands) in vineyards at more than 1,000 metres altitude. It reeks of thyme, sage and rosemary (herbs which grow around the vineyard) and has a wonderfully savoury, bone dry character (18/20). This bodega is a member of Vinos Singulares de Pagos Andaluces, which is a voluntary grouping of independent bodegas which share marketing and administrative costs. An even smaller such grouping is the family-owned Bodegas Aires del Duero, with wineries in the DDOO Rueda, Toro, Tierra de León and Arlanza, which last two are very much up-and-coming areas of Castilla y León.
So, about 50 wines tasted on the first day, and the 16:30 bus back to the hotel for a siesta - well, interrupted by a bocadillo de jamón and some more Corcovo (this time the 1999 reserva which was drinking remarkably well). I toyed with the idea of going to the 'Life Dedicated to Wine' presentation in the evening, especially as old chums Félix Benito from the UK and Aarno Magnusson from Finland were being gonged, but I went last time and found the ceremony to be incredibly long-drawn-out and boring with endless speeches, and blessèd relied came in the form of a 'phone call from YES CHEF! Magazine about features for the next issue which meant I had to spend more time with my laptop. I snuck back down to the cafeteria at about 21:00 for a pepita de ternera (€5) plus egg and chips (it's a good thing Jill doesn't read this blog) and the remainder of the Corcovo, after which it was a large brandy and zonko. Another good day. Tomorrow, of course, it's for money.
Working hard: Clara Verheij (Bodegas Bentomiz, Málaga), Manuel Valenzuela (Barranco Oscuro, Granada) and me.
To sponsor a weblink or picture for any post, please contact john@johnradford.com
To sponsor a weblink or picture for any post, please contact john@johnradford.com
posted by John Radford at
09:11
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home