Spring is here in Spain and the patios are starting to open up along the avenues of Madrid. Madrilenos (Spainards from Madrid) favorite pastime is walking, talking and drinking on the sidewalk while seated side by side. It’s around this time that parents and grandparents are found relaxing during the afternoons, gabbing about everything and nothing along the streetside cafes. Inevitably, it will also include a glass of wine or two or three, depending on whether the subject is political or if it wanders to whose family has the “best” toritlla recipe in Spain. As for me, it’s a chance to get some fresh air before the sweltering summer heat arrives forbidding me to even sip a glass before I melt. Spring in Madrid, and I would assume most everywhere in the world, is a time to rejoice in the rebirth of the earth, new plant life blossoming and birds singing. This season also includes a return to two wines that I tend to sideline during the winter months: sherry and rosés, not because I fail to enjoy them during the winter months, but because I tend to forget about them as I pour over the wine list at the restaurant. However, I once again celebrated its existence by enjoying a bottle of sherry at a local Brazilian restaurant last week and I intend to seek out a nice rosé this coming week.

Dry, off-dry and sweet are the main ways you’ll encounter rosés, and today, I want to highlight one particular Bogegas rosé that I haven’t tasted the likes of before. During my past trip to Barcelona, I was presented with my first ever barrel fermented rosé! That’s right, a rosé fermented and then aged in a barrel! Before all the anti-oak rants start, keep this in mind: when done right, oak doesn’t have to be a primary flavor, but rather a component of the whole. That was the case this time.
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D.O./Region: Alentejo, Portugal
Address: Albernôa 7800-601, Albernôa - Beja
Telephone: +351 289 510 460
Fax: +351 289 510 469
Email: rsoares@malhadinhanova.pt
Web:www.malhadinhanova.pt
Founded: 2003
Hectares of Vines: 20 hectares, 6 more were planted this year
Wine maker:Pedro Garcia - winemaker resident
Luis Duarte - winemaker consultant
Total Production Liters:68,000 liters
Wines Produced: Monte da Peceguina red 2004
Monte da Peceguina white, Monte da Peceguina rosé, Aragonês da Peceguina red, Pequeno João red, Malhadinha white, Malhadinha red
Exporters in the UK and USA:: None in the UK, Almost done negotiating with a US importer

Last month, I had an afternoon appointment at Quinta Malhadinha in the Alentejo. My goal was to visit a Cooperative in Reguengos and then head South past Beja to this new winery in the hopes of finding some new exciting Portuguese wines. I was well aware that it was a bit of drive, so I took the rare occasion to sit back and enjoy the sunny day with my windows rolled down allowing the wind to caress my shiny bald head. About an hour after I set off to the winery, I saw the white and blue estate perched on top of a hill beckoning me inside its shiny white walls. The hard part was not so much locating the estate, but rather finding the exact way to get to its front door. Like a mouse in a maze looking for that sweet morsel of cheese, or in this case a glass or two of wine, I ended up having to pull more than one u-turn to find the off-ramp that would eventually lead me to my goal.

Arriving a little after two in the afternoon, I pulled into the main parking area which sat between three buildings. To the left, sat the estate where the owners lived whose white-washed walls were skirted along the bottom by a glowing blue band typical of the Alentejo. Looking to your right sat a modern building with large glass doors hinting at the stainless steel tanks within forming the heart and soul of the operation. Directly infront of me stood a large wooden stable. This was later confirmed when I toured the property that indeed, both horses and poultry resided near here, but we’ll delve deeper into this topic later.
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Common Names: Touriga Nacional, Mortágua - A small berry varietal capable of producing dark tannic wines, rising to become the star player in the historic Port wines of Northern Portugal.

Port wine is typically described as having an inky, dense and dark color with a powerful bouquet of dried fruits and spices while having the ability to last decades when properly stored. This amazing wine’s ability to age effortlessly relies on the blend of many grapes, the most famous of which is Touriga Nacional. Anyone who has tasted a wine from the Douro valley in Portugal has most likely tasted Touriga Nacional, but few are familiar with its name. Why? Simply because Port wine does not have to list the varietals used in its production. However, you may be a bit more savvy of its existence in the red wine produced in the Dão region situated just south of the Demarcated zone of the Douro Valley, which at times is primarily composed of only Touriga Nacional.

Ask any wine expert and they will most likely acknowledge the importance of Touriga in the production of Port wine, but ask whether or not they should be used in table wines and you might get mixed results. Why is this? For the most part, I think it comes down to their intensity. Naturally high in tannins, and difficult to control in the vineyards, Touriga can give any winemaker a small headache. However, there are those who are persistent and look past the small difficulties in order to produce wines with intoxicating aromas and rich flavors of blueberries and violet blossoms.
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Editors note: A while back, I called upon the powers of Craigs List to find myself some help. We wanted to cover more wines, more regions, and to have some different perspectives here on Catavino. This week we’re showcasing a couple of articles from two of the most qualified respondents, and if all works out, you’ll be hearing more from them as we continue to move forward. Today Adrienne Smith, who lives here in Madrid, has a short note on Noble Rot! Let her know what you think of her story. In a couple of weeks, we’ll be introducing our new writers more formally, so stay tuned!

If there were ever two words that I never expected to see together they are noble and rot. Notwithstanding, this is the nickname for the fungus Botrytis Cinerea which can attack grapes, covering them with a gray mold and strangely, sometimes making us jump for joy. Much in the same way that someone discovered that you can eat an artichoke, or that meat tenderizer takes away a jellyfish sting; someone one day discovered that under the right conditions this noble rot could be the impetus for the production of many of the world’s great sweet wines, such as the French Sauternes or Hungarian Tokajis. In years when there is too much humidity, this fungus can quickly extend through a vineyard, covering the grapes with a gray mold, and ruining the harvest. However if the process begins and the weather stays dry and warm, it can take place very slowly, and this fungi foe-turned-friend will penetrate and shrivel the skins of grapes using up all of the water in the juice. This causes the sugars, flavors, and acids to concentrate, ultimately resulting in complex, unique and sweet wines.

There are some grape varieties that are especially good at withstanding or rather experiencing noble rot, known as podredumbre noble in Spanish. They tend to be white grapes such as the Semillon, Sauvignon, and Chenin varieties used to make the Sauternes in France, or the Riesling variety in Germany. (more…)

Some of my loyal readers will no doubt remember my interview last year with the well known Christopher Cannan of Europvin. I mention this because at Alimentaria, I was able to talk with him again and taste through some of his wines - more specifically, the Spanish wines from his estate Laurona located in the Montsant region of Spain. I was also able to taste a few wines from his personal property in Clos Figuera located in the Priorat region. Laurona is co-managed with the famous Spanish winemaker René Barbier of the famous Clos Morgador - possibly one of Spain’s greatest red wines.

For me, both sets of wines were everything you could hope for in their respective styles- rich, intense and full of complexity. After having just been to the Priorat region and having toured the area, I found it absolutely amazing how different the wines could be, considering that they are made within a very short distance of each other.

The Priorat wines you can typically spot from afar with their inky concentration of color and intoxicating aromas that seem to draw me in with ghostly fingers. On the other hand, the Montsant wines were somewhat lighter in color with a delicate, soft nature that felt a bit seductive - never quite giving up their full charm but leading me on and drawing me back to take another taste.

I have to admit to having not spitting all that I should have while tasting his wines at Alimentaria. In truth, I almost always do, but in this case I found that the wines I had before me deserved to be acknowledged for what they were, and experienced how they were meant to be.

Enjoy the notes…
Ryan Opaz

• 2002 Europvin-Falset Montsant 6 Vinyes de Laurona - Spain, Catalunya, Tarragona, Montsant (3/13/2006)
  Deep clear red in color. The nose shows toasted oak, red fruits, and pepper. In the mouth fine thick tannins and a strong acidity balance each other well. Great raspberry flavors with black pepper, and minerals.

• 2002 Europvin-Falset Montsant Laurona - Spain, Catalunya, Tarragona, Montsant (3/13/2006)
  Rich clear red color. The nose shows anise, vanilla, wood, ripe fresh cherries. It has a high acidity with fine tannins apparent in the back palate. Flavors of raspberry, pepper and rich mineral flavors throughout.

3.5/5

• 2003 Clos Figueres Priorat - Spain, Catalunya, Priorat (3/13/2006)
  Deep reddish purple in the glass with a nose that shows dusty earth, anise, tar and mineral laden dark fruit. Deep and powerful with huge tannins thick and dense. The palate is awash with black fruit, anise, chocolate, minerals, tar, cherries…earth….and more. Really the finish is close to a minute. Great wine,

• 2003 Europvin-Falset Montsant 6 Vinyes de Laurona - Spain, Catalunya, Tarragona, Montsant (3/13/2006)
  Deep dark red, very intense in the glass. The nose shows a fruit background with oak, pepper, and vanilla overtones. Creamy in the mouth with a lush fruit palate, anise, black raspberries, and more. This is a great wine with tannins and acid to go for another 5-10 yrs.

• 2003 Europvin-Falset Montsant Laurona - Spain, Catalunya, Tarragona, Montsant (3/13/2006)
  Rich red color, clear and brilliant. The nose shows chocolate, anise, and fresh cherries. Dense in the mouth with medium weight tannins. The acidity is high and helps to keep this wine fresh as flavors of fresh raspberries and vanilla oak round out the palate.

• 2004 Clos Figueres Priorat Font de la Figuera - Spain, Catalunya, Priorat (3/13/2006)
  Deep rich purple in color. The nose is of raisiny earth, black fruit, and rich spice on the nose. The palate is dense and intense with firm but fine tannins. Flavors of chocolate, anise, black raspberry, plum, prunes and clove all come wrapped in a rich earthy blanket. Fun wine