Trip to The Wine Club

We decided to go to The Wine Club (http://www.thewineclub.com/) for some wine tasting during our “Wine and Cheese” time this week. There was a little cheese there as a snack but we will just be discussing the wines for this entry. The Wine Club offers different tasting themes every Friday and Saturday; this week Spanish wines were being featured.

The tasting began with a Cava. Neil and I are fans of sparkling wine, so we were excited! NV Naveran Brut Cava Blanc de Blancs, is made from 3 grapes, with one of those specific to the family that grows it. Very cool! The flavor was dry with some initial fruit.

The second wine was a 2010 Ladera Sagrada Papa Godello. The grapes used in this wine, Godello, are grown in NW Spain. There was a light initial flavor, typical of many European wines. We were told by our wine tasting guide, Jana, that many of these vines are older, which also contributes to the lightness.

We continued on with a 2010 Torremilanos Montecastrillo Ribera del Duero. This wine is named after the region where it is produced. Neil found it to have a sweet smell but a drier taste than expected. He liked it!

The fourth wine was a 2011 Ladera Sagrada A Portela Mencia, made from Mencia grapes. We both found it to have such a pleasant aroma. Neil said it actually smelled like a vineyard; sunny, earthy and fantastic! This was described to us as “liquid geography” which others refer to as terroir. The soil plays a large role in the grapes taking on these flavors. It had a great taste, smooth and very dry. Neil could feel it in his nose and thought it was complex!

Our next wine was a 2009 Pinol Sacra Natura, from the South of Barcelona. The grapes are grown organically and a small amount of the French grape, Petit Verdot, is included in the wine. We both found it to be pretty tannic and it coated my mouth. Neil noticed it to be a heavier, solid red, that he enjoyed.

Our final wine was a French wine, as a bonus pour. The 2010 La Bienfaisance Sant-Emilion Grand Cru was a traditional right bank Bordeaux blend, with 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc. It definitely had the strongest flavor! Neil identified a strong alcohol flavor, but called it another solid red.

We had a lot of fun at this wine tasting and learned so much! We decided to purchase the 2011 Ladera Sagrada A Portela Mencia, but you probably already knew that. Maybe we’ll use it on a future Wine and Cheese Friday? Stay tuned….