Portland Wine

A Blog for Clients, Customers, and Wine Geeks everywhere.

      This month we dive headfirst into unknown territory: Spain, the country with the most acres planted to vine in the world! (Surprised? We were.) The Spain of the past is home to a few legendary wines, such as Rioja for one, aged forever in neutral oak, but that’s just one standout among a sea of other mediocre wines that have gotten little notice on the world stage. Unfortunately, many a wine lover has walked into this sea with the tide, then turned around and walked right back out. But that was the Spanish wine of the past. These days, and here the extended sea metaphor tapers off, it pays to explore the depths. Highly educated winemakers use traditional and international grape varieties combined with modern techniques to create a pool of wines well worth diving into, headfirst.

      Our first wine this month comes from the Penedès region in Spain where historically oak-aged, powerful varietals, from Grenache and Monastrell (Mourvèdre), dominated production. Now, international varieties are grown alongside traditional grapes. This was mainly initiated by the legendary Jean Leon, who was the first to plant French varietals after smuggling them into Spain from France. Revolutionizing Spanish wine, Leon produced his wine as the French chateaux did, with all estate-grown and -produced fruit. The Le Havre vineyard, where Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc are grown, were planted in 1968 and are known for their balanced if limited harvests. Aged in new French oak barrels for 18 months, this wine has remarkable structure with a plethora of aromatics: graphite, eucalyptus, musk, cassis, leather, and black cherry. It’s the perfect mix of New World fruit, oak, and Old World tradition. It’s tightly wound and needs plenty of breathing time for its complex layers to emerge, so plan accordingly.

      Near the border of Portugal, located in the northwest corner of Spain, is the area known as Galicia. Within this region lies the Dominación de Origen of Rias Baixes where the Albariño grape holds sway. Originating in the twelfth century “Alba-Riño” means “the white wine from the Rhine,” and is long thought to be from the area of Alsace and a possible relative of the Riesling varietal. Producer Benito Santos was one of the original growers of this grape when this D.O. was first created in 1988, and his was one of the first vineyards to be certified organic in Galicia. Because of its proximity to the ocean, this area is cool and moist with a maritime climate. The wines are crisp and aromatic with a slight ocean brininess. The wine is crafted “au naturel,” with a minimal use of sulfur from the Igrexario de Saiar organically farmed vineyard.

Jean Leon
Reserva
Cabernet Sauvignon Blend
Region: Penedès, Spain
Vintage: 2005

This Spanish red from the Penedès region is layered with classic Old World Cabernet characteristics of mint, cassis, black cherry, leather, and graphite. These subtle secondary aromatics emerge alongside semibold fruit and rich tannins. This wine needs a few hours to breathe, but once it opens up, its depth and structure shine and continue to evolve.

Benito Santos
Igrexario de Saiar
100% Albariño
Region: Rias Baixas, Spain
Vintage: 2010

This white from northern Spain’s Rias Baixas region is aromatically lush, full of citrus, peaches, white flowers, and green apple. With a briny minerality on the palate, these wines are ripe with a soft texture that is balanced out by firm acidity, keeping it fresh and vivacious. Shellfish is its natural mate.

February 2012 Recipe

Calimari Picante

This simple dish belongs to a Spanish chef named Felix who I worked for in Sun Valley, Idaho. He made it as an appetizer but it was such a popular dish that we ended up selling it in entrée portions as well.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients
-1 ½ Pounds Calamari steaks cut in strips
-3 Diced medium sized tomatoes, seeds removed
- ½ bunch finely chopped scallions
-8 cloves minced garlic
-4 Shallots finely diced
-1 cup Chopped parlsey
-2 TBL Chopped fresh thyme
-1 TBL Dried chili pepper – add more to taste.
-Half lemon
-Olive oil
-flour
-Salt

Instructions

-Lightly dust Calamari strips with flour and salt.
-Heat olive oil in a large skillet and flash-fry calamari to a golden brown. Overcooking will toughen the calamari. Remove from heat and hold.
-Add to skillet tomatoes, scallion, garlic, shallot, herbs, and sauté briefly.
-Then add salt to taste, dried chili peppers, and lemon juice.
- Serve with sauce mixture on platter or individual plates with calamari placed on top.