Spanish whites for the summer

I know it may seem cliched to say that I only drink white in the summer but I do seem to gravitate towards them once the thermometer starts heading up past 75 degrees F. and the sun starts making (almost) daily appearances.

Since I'm always on the lookout for new and different wines, I ran across these two Spanish examples, Pleyades Macabeo 2007, DO Cariñena and Ermita Veracruz Verdejo 2006, DO Rueda, the other day and snapped them up. I tend to get a bit excited when I try something new, there's always that frisson of discovery and expectation. And, I have to say, these two were excellent examples of crisp, dry, unoaked, perfect-for-a-sunny-day wines.

The DO Cariñena is situated to the west of Catalunya in northeastern Spain and is probably better known for its red wines then its whites but this macabeo was a real charmer.

Macabeo is usually used as one of the three varieties blended to make Spanish cava. Here it's allowed to strike out on its own as a still white wine. The colour alone signals that this is a wine that doesn't take itself too seriously, being a shade of pale lemon. I wouldn't say this was an overly complicated wine either but it was crisp and fresh with a nice nose of lemon and pineapple, very clean with a nice bit of weightiness on the palate. I detected plenty of bright, cripsy citrus flavours and a good finish. I found this a very enjoyable wine to drink out in the garden or at the

park.

13%alc

Retail £6.99

Whereas macabeo is primarily known as a blending grape, verdejo wines are quite well known and the DO Rueda is justly famous for the verdejos it produces. The Ermita Veracruz Verdejo 2006 is an good example of whites from this region. My nose was greeted by lashings of grapefruit, orange peel and white flowers along with a streak of minerality underlying it all. After giving it a good sniff I took a sip and was delighted to find a striking

herbiness, a bit of mint and a citric finish with just a whisper of bitterness at the end. If you're tired of the same old sauvignon blanc and looking for something with a bit of zing, then this wine is for you. It'd be great with a platter of fried seafood or calamari with plenty of lemon squeezed on top. Delish...

13.5% alc

Retail £7.99

Codorniu Cava

Working for a big wine merchant does have it's advantages. Tuesday night the company invited the winemakers from Grupo Codorniu to come down and have a chat and informal tasting with us. There were about 25 of us from various London based shops. 

Grupo Codorniu is a Spanish owned and operated winery group based in northeast Spain, although they do have holdings in Argentina and Napa Valley as well. Codorniu  is one of the big boys in cava production. Cava (Catalan for "cellar")is produced the same way as champagne but can't be called champagne because you know how those Champenois are, they'd start howling bloody murder about copyright infringement and the lawsuits would be flying thick

 and fast. 

Codorniu have been in the wine biz since the 1500's but have "only" been making cava since  the 1870's. They were one of the pioneers in the commercialization of Spanish sparkling wine and have recently brought in a whole new winemaking team to improve their products.  One of the changes they've made is an overhaul of their bottle design. Very sexy now. There's something almost prim

al about the design of the bottle that compels you to pick it up, the slender neck, the way it flares out at the bottom and the sleek feel beneath your fingers. I'm not the only one who's had this reaction to the bottle desig

n. I've heard quite a few comments in the shop regarding that. Kudos to the bottle designer on that one.  

Back to what's INSIDE the bottle. In Spain, the main varieties used are indigenous - xarello, macabo and parellada. Recently, they've started using chardonnay and pinot noir although

 they are again prevented by EU law from putting pinot noir on the label except for pinot rose. 

The Tasting: 

Condesa Blanca Cava is their entry level sparkling. Light and fruity, big bubbles that disappeared fairly quickly, lots of green apple and pears with a hint of nuts and toast on the finish. I was pleasantly surprised at how good this was, esp. since it retails for about £5. 

The next one up is their most popular cava in Spain - the Codorniu Reserva Raventos Brut. Reserva does have a legal definition in Spain, it must be aged on the lees for 15 months. Gran Reserva has to be aged on the lees for 30 months. The Reserva is 60% chardonnay and from a single vintage. It was richer and fuller with more of a toasty, briochy nose. On 

the palate, aggressive bubbles, a bit earthy with lots of lovely green apple and citrus.  This one retails for about £9.

A sparkling rose, Codorniu Pinot Noir Rosado Brut, was next up and it was fab. 100% pinot noir. A very light, refreshing sparkler. It was redolent of strawberries and raspberries, like walking thru a raspberry patch. And the taste was more of the same but not sweet, as a matter of fact it was quite dry, just what you want in a sparkling rose. Small perpetual 

bubbles on this one. Another excellent value at £6 for a bottle. 

The last two were fantastic! First up, the Codorniu Reina Maria Cristina Brut Reserva Vintage. 50% chardonnay, remainder local varieties, single vintage, 18-24 months in bottle before release.  A very soft, delicate, rounded sparkler. The bubbles weren't aggressive, rath

er petite and dainty. They seemed to loll about in my mouth taking their time before slipping down. On the palate it was a lovely blend of apples and pears with a touch of lemon on the finish. Delicious! Unfortunately, it's not available in the UK - natch! 

The last one was their limited production Jaume de Codorniu Brut. Again 50% chard, 50% native. This wine was all about fruit selection and is always made from a single vintage. Bruno, the winemaker, told us that each 

bunch was hand selected to go into this blend and fermented to very exact specifications. He said some other stuff but I was too busy drinking it to really pay attention. Needless to say, this is their p

ride and joy. Named after the founder of the company, Jaume Codorniu. 

The wine's aged for 18-24 months in bottle before release. This one had a very distinctive nose of spice, brioche, and biscuits with hints of apple and green fruits coming thru at the end. Quite a complex nose compared to the previous offerings. On the palate, very fine persistent bubbles with toast, baked green apple and a slight nuttiness all rolling around my mouth. It ended with a s

lightly honeyed finish that seemed to go on for a very long time. A great sparkling wine and one that I would buy for a special occasion, still cheaper then branded champagne, retailing for about £20 a bottle. 

After the sparklers we had the still red and white wines to taste but I'll blog that later. Right now I think I'll open that Codorniu rose I have in the fridge.