Spanish wines and the resurgence of port at Christmas

Added: (Thu Aug 31 2006)

Pressbox (Press Release) - Christmas Cheers

The great British summer is over and so inevitably we lurch into what used to be known as Autumn but is now commonly referred to as the ‘run up to Christmas’.

The nights begin to draw in and certain retail outlets have had their flashing plastic Santas on display since early September and thoughts inevitably turn to the festive season and how many pairs of dodgy socks you’ll receive this year. However, it is also the time of year for a spot of indulgence and what better way to unwind than with a decent drop of wine?

The wines of Spain are in the ascendancy at the moment and, somewhat bizarrely for a country that has such an enviably warm climate, they are producing wines particularly well suited to our winter weather.

Spain has more land dedicated to wine than any other country in the world and thankfully, after decades in the doldrums, the Spanish wine industry has reinvigorated itself, finally embracing the new ideas and technology advanced by the New World.

Rioja is a traditional favourite but beware those wines being sold on the back of a famous regions name; seek advice and avoid the dross! Despite a blight of sub- standard cheapies that seep onto the shelves of less quality-conscious retailers, many great wines continue to be made there. Bodegas Ontanon produces an admirable range of wines with the Crianza 2001 (£7.49) being perhaps the pick of the bunch. An award-winning blend of 90% Tempranillo and 10% Garnacha (aka Grenache), this wine exhibits soft velvety tannins with ripe blackcurrant and vanilla fruit.

Particular attention should also be paid to the bold reds from Jumilla and the increasingly trendy Ribera del Duero are also worth trying. The wines from Jumilla have not yet achieved the stellar reputation of the Ribera and as such represent a great opportunity to buy quality wines at reasonable prices. Try the astonishing Juan Gil Monastrell-Monastrell (£5.95, selected retailers) for an example of a dense and complex wine full of ripe berry fruit and a sensible use of oak.

Wines from the Ribera del Duero tend to come at a premium but, as with many things in life, you get what you pay for! The dynamic bodega of Pagos de los Capellanes is
currently responsible for producing some of the area’s most exciting wines. Prices start at a shade under £10 for the Tinto Roble and are not just regular award-winners but a match at that price point for any wine on the planet.

These wines will complement many dishes such as simple grilled meat and stews but would also go down a treat with the Christmas dinner. They are not to be missed!







For the perfect end to a satisfying Christmas dinner there can only be one drink – Port, the greatest fortified wine of them all.


Port: A Brief History

Port holds a special place in the Nation’s affections, not least because we can claim to have played a large part in its creation. Towards the end of the seventeenth century yet another war broke out between the English and the beastly French, depriving the English of their favourite red wine. Being a thirsty and resilient lot the English merchants looked for alternatives and soon asked their Portuguese allies to ship over some wine to slake the unbearable collective thirst.

Wine can be a notoriously bad traveller and in order to stabilise the wines during the arduous journey to England the winemakers added brandy to the wine before fermentation had finished. This stopped the development of the wine whilst it was still sweet and fruity whilst lending a higher degree of alcohol (these days typically 20%). The resulting wine became known as Port Wine (for obvious reasons) and was an instant hit - not surprisingly the English rapidly developed quite a taste for it.

Port remained reasonably popular until the 1960s when it became highly unfashionable due to its association with two opposite extremes of the social spectrum. Vintage Port had become synonymous with the posh monocle-wearing old chaps in their stuffy gentlemen’s clubs and at the other extreme, cheap Ruby Port (usually with the addition of lemonade) was briefly hijacked as the drink of choice by the undiscerning masses. With such polarities in the perception of Port’s place in society’s drinking habits, the overall popularity of this excellent drink went into a dramatic tailspin.

In 1970, in response to the alarming downturn in both image and sales, the venerable Port House of Taylors introduced a completely new style of Port, known as Late Bottled Vintage (LBV). This new wine was infinitely superior to Ruby Port and offered a glimpse of how good Vintage Port could be, but at a much more affordable price. It also had the advantage of being both ready to drink and not throwing any sediment , in contrast to true Vintage Port which can take fully thirty years to mature and needs careful decanting.

Today LBV is the best selling style of Port in the UK and where Taylors led all the other Port houses have followed. The Port industry has bounced back and last year over 1.18 million bottles were sold in the UK, pointing to a long overdue resurgence for this most alluring of wines.

Taylors still make one of the very best examples of LBV Port and it is widely available, normally retailing around the £12 mark. However, if you can find it, I would implore you to try the outstanding LBV Port from the little-known family owned house of Pocas. The house recently won the prestigious accolade of International Fortified Winemaker of the Year at the International Wine Competition and their LBV is simply stunning: complex and concentrated with delicious hints of dried figs, black fruit and a soft, lingering finish. These wines shouldn’t just be drunk at Christmas – they are far too good to confine to one day of the year!


The Various Styles of Port
There are various different styles of Port but listed below are the more common styles:

White Port
The less said about this the better. With one or two exceptions (and I’m being generous here) this is hideous stuff. Would make the ideal present for someone you don’t like…

Ruby Port
Basic Port style normally aged for three years in wooden casks and ready to drink when released. Cheap and not so nasty as in years gone by but pay the extra if you can and get a decent LBV.

Late Bottled Vintage
Aged for 4 to 6 years in cask depending on producer then filtered and bottled. Ready to drink on release and probably the most versatile type of Port.

Colheita
A ‘Vintage Tawny’, in other nomenclature. Worth seeking out, these wines from a single vintage are aged in wood for around seven years and then are ready to drink on release. Serve chilled as an aperitif.

Tawny
Ports that have benefited from extended ageing in cask. They are a beautiful reddish-brown colour and are often sold with a designated age of 10, 20, 30 or even 40 years.
With sufficient ageing (20 years or more) they develop wonderful flavours of nuts and dried fruit.

Vintage
The pinnacle of Port production. Made in only the best years when a vintage is ‘declared’ by the port Houses. Full and fruity at first but with time evolves into a sublime and harmonious wine often with flavours of fruit cake, plum and dark berry fruit. Always requires decanting (use a clean coffee filter if you must!).