Tag Archives: Bodegas Viñátigo

Croatia, Greece, Lebanon, Spain, Turkey, Wine

The Wine Gold Mine

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The Eastern Mediterranean is a gold mine for wine, which is finally beginning to see its well-deserved place on the UK wine shelf. The region is home to some of the oldest wine producing countries and it really shows as the wines are so pure. Many of the wines are often produced from one of the hundreds of indigenous grape varieties grown in the area. The below are top picks from the UK Eastern Mediterranean wine pioneer, Steve Daniel.

Idaia Winery, Dafnes, Crete, Vidiano 2019

“Amazing, fresh, intense and mineral Cretan grape. Like standing on a hillside overlooking the Aegean, you can almost smell the salty sea air and the mountain herbs and it’s great value. Crank up the BBQ stick on the seabream or seabass, and away you go.”

Jako Vino, Stina ‘Cuvee White’, Dalmatia 2018

“The island of Brač is one of the most popular of the Croatian islands and a short hop from Split. Wonderful white wine from precipitous white stone slopes overlooking the town of Bol and the Adriatic Sea. A unique blend of Pošip (intense and mineral) and Vugava (exotic like

Viognier) with a splash of Chardonnay. The famous white stone from the island has been quarried for centuries and the white stone even built the White House.”

Kayra, Beyaz Kalecik Karasi Rosé, Aegean, 2018

“Imagine yourself sitting in the harbour of Kalkan, watching the sunset, feasting on meze. A beautiful pale pink, delicate orange scented rose with just a touch of sweetness.”

 

Bodegas Viñátigo, Marmajuelo, Islas Canarias – Tenerife 2018

“An amazing rare wine from a grape now only found in the Canaries, which was discovered and brought back from the brink by Doctor Grape: Juan Jesus Mendez.

“This is an enormously rich, intense and aromatic white wine

fermented in a blend of stainless steel and concrete egg fermenter. Tiny amounts are produced every year, and most of it is guzzled by the locals and discerning tourists. We manage to get an allocation every year.”

Bodega Biniagual, ‘Finca Biniagual Negre’, Mallorca 2014

“A rich and intense spicy red made from the local Manto Negro red grape with the addition of Syrah and Cabernet. A great substitute for wherever you would use the best Malbec you can get your hands on. The perfect alfresco BBQ wine.”

Château Oumsiyat, ‘Cuvée Membliarus’, Bekaa Valley, Assyrtico 2018

“A great value Assyrtiko, and Lebanon’s first and only one! Assyrtiko may well have been taken to Santorini by the Phoenicians, so this might be a case of the grape going back to its original home. A brilliant partner to grilled seafood and all sorts of other Lebanese delights.”

Armenia, Italy, Spain, Wine

Lighten up the lockdown period with these three styles of wine

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When you’re in the wine trade in these times of lockdown, a glass of wine after work once you’ve shut the laptop down is what keeps you sane! Here are some of our Hallgarten Head Start Apprentice, Amca Zago’s ‘go-to’ styles of wine with a recommendation for each.

 

  1. What better way to lighten your mood than some bubbles?

The sound of the cork popping, the crackling noise the bubbles make when you pour the wine into the glass and the first sip of your well-deserved wind down time – that surely is happiness for everyone? There are so many styles of sparkling wine to choose from, but my ‘go-to’ at the moment and the one which is putting the biggest smile on my face is a little-known vino frizzante from Emilia-Romagna produced using the Pignoletto grape variety.

As an alternative to Prosecco, Pignoletto Frizzante is often produced in a Charmat (tank) method, however the effervescent is usually softer than that of Prosecco. Cevico ‘Romandiola’ is a slightly unique Pignoletto Frizzante as it spent 15 days on its lees which makes for a much fuller, creamier and harmonious palate.

  1. While waiting to get away, why not have a wine from your favourite holiday destination

Hardly not being allowed to leave your house let alone the country, you have to bring the holiday back home. Holiday to me is often all about the wine, drinking with the sound of waves crashing on the rocks, sea mist filling the air and the sun beaming down.

Therefore, while the sky is blue, try sitting outside (possibly with a coat on, we are in England after all) with a crisp, aromatic glass of Bodegas Viñátigo Marmajuelo from the Spanish island of Tenerife. If you close your eyes (and ignore the temperature) the bright aromas of passion fruit and fig tree leaves along with the racy acidity can really make you feel as if you were truly on holiday.

  1. Being in the wine trade, you always have to be drinking something a little different

You don’t always need a style of wine as your ‘go-to’. Why no

t pick up a bottle of something you’ve never heard of, never tasted or always wanted to try? Sometimes, especially if you work in the wine trade, you have to expand your palate and knowledge by tasting the out-of-the-ordinary, unique and exciting wines. This includes a huge range of styles; from orange and natural wines, to indigenous grape varieties, to small producers.

These wines can be anything that will make your eyes open wide, put a smile on your face and make your taste buds pop. There are so many interesting wines which are worth trying during the ‘lockdown’ period, so why not start with a wine from the country which is considered to be the birthplace of wine… Armenia. Armenia has many indigenous grape varieties, each with their own characteristics, however the white grape variety Voskehat is a good choice for the spring/summer time and while the sun is shining. The ArmAs Voskehat has intense and complex aromas which follow through onto the long, elegant palate.

Go and make your lockdown that little bit more enjoyable by pouring yourself out that glass of wine!

 

 

 

England, Greece, Italy, Tasting, Wine

Summer Wine

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“Strawberries, cherries and an angel’s kiss in spring – my summer wine is really made from all these things!”

 

Hallgarten brand manager and one of our Greek wine experts, Evangelia Tevekelidou, has been considering what ‘summer wine’ means to her. 

This is how Nancy Sinatra describes her summer wine, and I have to admit, she makes me want a sip of it! Okay, okay, maybe more than one sip… But what is a summer wine really? What does it smell or taste like? Where does it come from? Is it a white, rosé or red? If you ask me it can be (nearly) anything! But anything, is a boring answer, so let me narrow down my thoughts. A summer wine must be a wine that reminds us of summer.

 

For me – coming from Greece – summer is a direct association with holidays in the islands (ideally in the Aegean). So, surely a summer wine in my eyes should also be coming from these islands… One that comes straight to mind is Poderi Parpinello ‘Sessantaquattro’, Vermentino 2018 from Sardinia – the Smaragd of the med. Aromas of yellow fruits, dry but smooth and very textured on the palate, this Vermentino is the perfect match for shellfish by the beach.

 

Alternatively, Bodegas Viñátigo, Gual 2016 from the volcanic soils of Tenerife, in Las Canarias, will definitely impress your palate the same way as an ‘elaborate’ summer cocktail; smokiness, jasmine and tropical pineapple on the nose, followed by a rich buttery palate and a long finish.

 

Another favourite summery wine is Gaia Wines’ Assyrtiko ‘Thalassitis’ from the iconic and ever-so-Instagrammable island of Santorini. Thalassitis, meaning ‘coming from the sea’ (Thalassa is Greek for sea), is one of the most terroir-driven wines I have ever tasted. You can feel the salt, the volcanic soil and the bone-dry conditions where these old vines are, not just surviving, but thriving.

 

 

Being from this part of the world, I could continue my island wine list even further, but what about a summer wine being low-alcohol and therefore fresher on the palate? Under the hot sun, the alcohol percentage could help you keep fresh as a daisy and not result in too many ill-effects.

 

I tasted this exciting wine in the Hallgarten tasting room recently and it could (technically) be considered as an island wine too. England is a big island, no? Yes, I am talking about an English wine, from Essex, New Hall Vineyards, Bacchus Reserve 2018. It is very pale in colour and the alcohol is only 10.5%, making it a perfect choice to enjoy under the hot sun. The wine itself has an abundance of green apple flavours, white pepper notes and it has an absolute freshness that will cool any palate.

 

 

A wine we have seen take the trade by storm in recent years is Koshu, from Japan. Island wine, low alcohol – it ticks all the boxes! Grace Winery’s Koshu Kayagatake 2018is very light and lean in its style, but also elegantly floral with thirst-quenching acidity and only 11.5%. Arigato freshness!

 

 

After spending some time thinking about these wines, I have just realised all of my summer wines are white wines. Does this mean that summer wine always has to be white – no. When people think of summer wine rosé often springs to mind or a lightly chilled, fresh red wine.

 

In Greece, we often see temperatures hit 40 degrees Celsius in the sun and nearly 70% of our local wine production comes from white varieties. I might be biased, but it seems that this is why my summer wine, is a white wine. Oh, oh summer wine…