A touch of winter sun is always welcome at this time of year and so we ended up in Seville last week enjoying temperatures in the mid 20s in marked contrast to windy, wet and disappointingly cold Britain. We took in the tourist sites by day and spent the evenings in restaurants carefully researched and booked in advance. The menus were imaginative and the service charming but what was particularly striking was the quality and value for money of the wines produced in Andalucía these days. Of course the quality and consistency of Spanish wine overall has improved dramatically in the past 20 years but, on the basis that eating locally demands you drink locally, we were determined to forgo the Riojas, Ribera del Douros, and Ruedas on the wine lists and accompany Andalucian food with wines from Andalucía. The result was three very decent drinkable red wines from distinct areas north, southeast, and west from the regional capital Seville.
 |
| Cortijo Los Aguilares Tinto Joven 2022 |
Sauci Tinto Crianza, DO Condado de Huelva 2019 We chose this wine another night to accompany venison again along with an Iberio pork dish for the other person and arguably it was a better fit than the vino joven above. Retrospectively it is encouraging to see the producer supports my choice in recommending it for "hearty stews, red meat and game". The wine is a 50%-50% blend of Syrah and Tempranillo and as a Crianza is aged for 2 years, the first 12 months of which are in new American oak barrels. The result is a full-bodied, generous wine with acidity and tannins nicely rounded off through the ageing process. It is deep cherry in colour with ripe berries on the nose and a hint of vanilla and smokiness from barrel ageing. Bodegas Sauci is a third generation family winery in Bollullos Par del Condado west of Seville in the heart of the Condado de Huelva wine growing area. The terrain here is markedly different from the Serrania de Ronda and there is a tradition for producing largely fortified wines. Starting to produce red table wine is a relatively new departure at Bodegas Sauci and the two sisters who now run the business attribute the distinctiveness of this Tinto Crianza to its maturation in a cellar for fortified wine where the particular temperature and humidity of the environment adds to its character. This wine is definitely the bargain of the three wines I am reviewing here, only 12.50€ a bottle from the producer and very reasonably priced even with 100% markup in the restaurant where we tried it.
 |
| Sauci Tinto Crianza 2019 |
Colonias de Galeon Cantueso 2021, IGP Sierra Norte de Sevilla
The third and final wine I came across comes from Bodega Colonias de Galeón in Cazalla de la Sierra 80km north of Seville in the mountainous terrain of the Sierra Norte. At 700m this is another high altitude location that has the necessary day-night temperature fluctuations and rainfall to make some reasonable quality wines. The winery was set up in 1998 and planted with international grape varieties such as Merlot, Syrah and Cabernet France in preference to local grapes. This Cantueso (trans. Lavender) wine is a blend of 80% red grapes (Syrah, Pinot Noir, Merlot) and 20% white (Viognier). It is deep purple in colour with dark fruit on the nose with a suggestion of lavender and mountain herbs. Interestingly, this producer also proposes it as a match for hearty fare and has even posted a recipe for a tasty meat stew beside the wine on the website. 15.80€ per bottle from the winery seems a reasonable price to pay for this well-made wine.
 |
| Colonias de Galeon Cantueso 2021 |
Comments
Post a Comment