FENAVIN day 3
06-May-09 - The gig wasn't until 17:00 so I went for a late start, arriving at the fair at about 11:30 and catching up on my last two or three promised appointments (after logging in at the business centre and going for the regulation pee - really rather disgusting mobile bogs with not a towel in sight by Hall 1 but that's another story). Then onward to Amézola de la Mora to try their new range which includes a 100% barrel-fermented Viura and a 'high expression' red both named Iñígo after the company founder, Iñígo Amézola de la Mora, who tragically died in a car accident in 1999. At the time his two daughters, María and Cristina, were only 17 and 18, and couldn't legally take over the business, so their mother assumed control until the girls were of age. Since then she has retired and the girls now run the business between them.
Interestingly the white wine is yet another example of 'new wave' Viura, showing just how the variety can perform under the hands of a skilled winemaker. As recently as March, 2007, when we launched YES CHEF! Magazine, I was having a conversation with Ricardo Aguiriano, who handles the publicity for Rioja. I was taking him to task over the OIPVR's decision to allow Chardonnay, Verdejo, Sauvignon et al (albeit in minority proportions) into white Rioja, and he challenged me to name any producer in the region who was making a world-class white wine from 100% Viura. At the time I quoted López de Heredia for the 'classic' style (96 months in oak!) and Álvaro Palacios with Plácet for the 'modern' style. Since then I've come across a few more (not many, admittedly, but some) who are doing the same, most notably Fernández de Piérola (whom I shouldn't really mention as he's a consultancy client, but I'm sure he won't mind) and this new one from Amézola de la Mora. There is life in the old Viura yet.
Then it was on to the tasting of wines from Grandes Pagos de España which was so heavily oversubscribed that people were queuing out of the door. Fortunately I had put my name down early and did manage to get in, along with old chum Aarno Magnusson from Finland who co-hosted me at the Rauma wine festival in 2003 - happy memories. The seminar slots are only 50 minutes long and, this being Spain, nothing ever starts on time, so we had 20 wines, one from each member of the association, in about 40 minutes, which was a bit of a marathon. The wines were uniformly fab, however, and I gave at least three 18.5 marks, a lot of 18s and 17s, and only a few 16s - too many to list here but for further info e-mail me at john@johnradford.com. I also had the chance to say hello to another old chum, Carlos Falcó, Marqués de Griñón (founder member of Grandes Pagos) and, later, his beautiful daughter Xandra who was sitting on the panel of a seminar on 'women and wine'. Yes, I know, it sounds a bit PC but there is a certain logic to it which is too complicated to investigate here.
After that there was time to taste through the range of wine from Bodegas P. Peciña in Rioja, including their new 100% Viura (again!) which is hand-selected on the sorting table (40% of bunches are rejected). The range is impressive but was bedevilled by glasses which had that 'dishwasher' aroma about them. We rinsed and rinsed again but never quite got rid of it. The top wines - Gran Reserva and Chobeo - still pulled in 18/20, however.
Onward to the 'round table' in conference room 4, and my fellow panellists were Félix Solís Ramos, Patrick Rabión of Finca Omblancas in Jumilla, and the chairman, the lovely Marie Calderón Sund, who is one of the organisers of FENAVIN. It was a lively session in which we discussed where wine is going in the next five years, what styles were the most likely to succeed and, of particular interest, the internet as a means of distribution. My own view on this question was that the internet - in the UK at least - was increasingly important. Customers who are looking to trade up from supermarket shelf-talkers may be reluctant to go to a specialist wine-merchant if they lack confidence in their wine knowledge. On line, however, they can sift through dozens - hundreds of wines, even, check the prices, research the background, read other people's tasting notes and then decide what to buy... And have it delivered. Indeed, even the finest of fine-wine merchants all have a web presence now, and as it's virtually impossible to park anywhere in any major town or city in the UK, delivery is likely to become the norm.
Now, if only we could persuade those arrogant courier companies that people do go out to work and there is no longer a compliant housewife behind every front waiting until they choose to deliver, we might get somewhere.
Back to the hotel after a very cold beer in the cafeteria, and some of the others were going to a restaurant in the park which they'd discovered the previous night and which was very cheap and cheerful. Being in the middle of the park, however, meant a lengthy walk so, after a day's travelling and two days' tramping around eight pavilions at the fair, I headed for the cafeteria. Unfortunately it was packed, apparently because the wide-screen television was showing a game of 2OHCBWAF*, so I decided to take an apéritif in my room and try out the hotel's restaurant, El Rincón de Cervantes, instead.
This proved to be an inspired decision. The restaurant was quiet, with widely-spaced tables and quick service: revuelto de bacalao con patatas followed by cochinillo, glasses of Lucía Canforrales La Mancha 100 años, Campos Reales 2008 Airén 12% abv with the fish, and Autor de Arúspide VdlT Castilla 14% abv Cencibel with the pork. Fab! €26 all in and excellent value for money. You don't usually expect particularly good food in hotel restaurants, but this certainly worked for me. I've stayed at the Guadiana before and it is a very pleasant hotel, and also excellent value from €65 a night.
*2OHCBWAF - 22 Overpaid Haircuts Chasing a Bag of Wind Around a Field.
Interestingly the white wine is yet another example of 'new wave' Viura, showing just how the variety can perform under the hands of a skilled winemaker. As recently as March, 2007, when we launched YES CHEF! Magazine, I was having a conversation with Ricardo Aguiriano, who handles the publicity for Rioja. I was taking him to task over the OIPVR's decision to allow Chardonnay, Verdejo, Sauvignon et al (albeit in minority proportions) into white Rioja, and he challenged me to name any producer in the region who was making a world-class white wine from 100% Viura. At the time I quoted López de Heredia for the 'classic' style (96 months in oak!) and Álvaro Palacios with Plácet for the 'modern' style. Since then I've come across a few more (not many, admittedly, but some) who are doing the same, most notably Fernández de Piérola (whom I shouldn't really mention as he's a consultancy client, but I'm sure he won't mind) and this new one from Amézola de la Mora. There is life in the old Viura yet.
Then it was on to the tasting of wines from Grandes Pagos de España which was so heavily oversubscribed that people were queuing out of the door. Fortunately I had put my name down early and did manage to get in, along with old chum Aarno Magnusson from Finland who co-hosted me at the Rauma wine festival in 2003 - happy memories. The seminar slots are only 50 minutes long and, this being Spain, nothing ever starts on time, so we had 20 wines, one from each member of the association, in about 40 minutes, which was a bit of a marathon. The wines were uniformly fab, however, and I gave at least three 18.5 marks, a lot of 18s and 17s, and only a few 16s - too many to list here but for further info e-mail me at john@johnradford.com. I also had the chance to say hello to another old chum, Carlos Falcó, Marqués de Griñón (founder member of Grandes Pagos) and, later, his beautiful daughter Xandra who was sitting on the panel of a seminar on 'women and wine'. Yes, I know, it sounds a bit PC but there is a certain logic to it which is too complicated to investigate here.
After that there was time to taste through the range of wine from Bodegas P. Peciña in Rioja, including their new 100% Viura (again!) which is hand-selected on the sorting table (40% of bunches are rejected). The range is impressive but was bedevilled by glasses which had that 'dishwasher' aroma about them. We rinsed and rinsed again but never quite got rid of it. The top wines - Gran Reserva and Chobeo - still pulled in 18/20, however.
Onward to the 'round table' in conference room 4, and my fellow panellists were Félix Solís Ramos, Patrick Rabión of Finca Omblancas in Jumilla, and the chairman, the lovely Marie Calderón Sund, who is one of the organisers of FENAVIN. It was a lively session in which we discussed where wine is going in the next five years, what styles were the most likely to succeed and, of particular interest, the internet as a means of distribution. My own view on this question was that the internet - in the UK at least - was increasingly important. Customers who are looking to trade up from supermarket shelf-talkers may be reluctant to go to a specialist wine-merchant if they lack confidence in their wine knowledge. On line, however, they can sift through dozens - hundreds of wines, even, check the prices, research the background, read other people's tasting notes and then decide what to buy... And have it delivered. Indeed, even the finest of fine-wine merchants all have a web presence now, and as it's virtually impossible to park anywhere in any major town or city in the UK, delivery is likely to become the norm.
Now, if only we could persuade those arrogant courier companies that people do go out to work and there is no longer a compliant housewife behind every front waiting until they choose to deliver, we might get somewhere.
Back to the hotel after a very cold beer in the cafeteria, and some of the others were going to a restaurant in the park which they'd discovered the previous night and which was very cheap and cheerful. Being in the middle of the park, however, meant a lengthy walk so, after a day's travelling and two days' tramping around eight pavilions at the fair, I headed for the cafeteria. Unfortunately it was packed, apparently because the wide-screen television was showing a game of 2OHCBWAF*, so I decided to take an apéritif in my room and try out the hotel's restaurant, El Rincón de Cervantes, instead.
This proved to be an inspired decision. The restaurant was quiet, with widely-spaced tables and quick service: revuelto de bacalao con patatas followed by cochinillo, glasses of Lucía Canforrales La Mancha 100 años, Campos Reales 2008 Airén 12% abv with the fish, and Autor de Arúspide VdlT Castilla 14% abv Cencibel with the pork. Fab! €26 all in and excellent value for money. You don't usually expect particularly good food in hotel restaurants, but this certainly worked for me. I've stayed at the Guadiana before and it is a very pleasant hotel, and also excellent value from €65 a night.
*2OHCBWAF - 22 Overpaid Haircuts Chasing a Bag of Wind Around a Field.
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posted by John Radford at
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