Table of contents for October - December 2018 in Selectus Wines

SELECTUS WINES BEST PROMOTION OF WINES 2018 First of all, I apologize for the slight delay in the appearance of this latest issue, but there’s a very good reason for it. This time last year, when I was writing my editorial, we had just received the exciting news that we had been nominated for the “Best Wine Publication in Spain” Award, part of the International Wine Challenge Merchant Awards, for the first time. This year, I had to quickly rewrite my editorial as we actually picked up this coveted award! We are delighted to receive this recognition, which we regard as both an honour and a responsibility. However, celebrations will have to wait, as our day-to-day work requires us to push on as usual, now with the challenge of maintaining…

At the end of June, when the previous issue of Selectus Wine was going to press, the 200th anniversary of Veuve Clicquot Rosé was being celebrated in Paris. Blended rosé champagne, produced by mixing some red wine into the white, was invented by Madame Clicquot in 1818 and was a turning point in the rosé champagne-making process. Over 500 guests attended the anniversary celebrations, along with many of the Champagne House’s friends, including models, TV presenters, journalists, actors and actresses... There were also influencers from various countries who did not want to miss out on this unconventional party. Like any great birthday party, there was a birthday cake, this one over 3 metres high and made up of 200 mini Veuve Clicquot cakes. So, as is the custom at birthdays,…

JOAN ARBOIX ROURA Mallorca, 1981 @Joanet112 Professional sommelier since 2006, he began his career as a sommelier at the Moo restaurant (1* Michelin) in Barcelona. He has also worked for the Ritz Carlton in Spain and Chile as a sommelier and maître d’. He currently works at the Andreu Genestra (1* Michelin) restaurant in Mallorca. Balearic Islands Sommelier Champion 2008. Sumiller profesional desde el año 2006. Trabajó como sumiller en el restaurante MOO de Barcelona (1*Michelin). Ha trabajado para Ritz Carlton en España y Chile como Sumiller y Jefe de Sala. Actualmente en el restaurante Andreu Genestra (1*Michelin) en Mallorca. Campeón de Sommeliers de les Illes Balears en 2008. ANNA VICENS Girona, 1973 @annavicens Professional sommelier since 1997, she is currently President of the Catalan Association of Sommeliers, a member…

NUITS-SAINT-GEORGES 1ER CRU LES BOUSSELOTS 2016 DOMAINE CHEVILLON-CHEZEAUX Nuits Saint Georges - France / www.chevillon-chezeaux.com  / P.V.P.: 65€ / 100% Pinot Noir This 1er Cru gets its name from its uneven ground and steep slopes. This is a wine that shows some rusticity in its youth, but whose aromas, with the passage of time, will take on typical notes of ageing, such as leather, as well as liquorice and balsamic notes. Crimson hue of high intensity, clean and bright. Intense aromas of black and red berries, strawberries, cherries, red currants and blueberries... with notes of damp wood and undergrowth. Somewhat harsh vegetal notes on the palate. Slightly green and drying tannins. It is fresh, well-structured and complex, but still needs time in the bottle. Very lively with a…

AUTHENTIC WINES, ETERNAL WINES Australia is one of those eternally curious countries with an unquenchable thirst to learn from others, using the knowledge gained to forge its own path, its future through the language of wine glasses. A good example of this can be found in the south, where the Barossa Valley is home to the oldest vineyards in the country. In this land protected from phylloxera, the Syrah or Shiraz (as they call it here) vineyards are 150 years old, and a vast amount of knowledge has been accumulated in their roots, which run deeper here than they do in most other parts of the world. Although it is not a volume wine producer, Australia is still the world’s fifth-largest wine exporter. It started by trying to mimic Europe,…

“Leaving the best possible legacy for the generations to come is one of the Gramona family’s most cherished principles, along with striving to make the finest of wines and cavas. More than 10 years ago, there came a turning point in its way of working.” “Dejar el mejor legado posible a las próximas generaciones es una de las premisas de la familia Gramona, además de intentar hacer los mejores vinos y cavas posibles. Hay un antes y un después en la manera de trabajar que se inició hace más de 10 años.” CERTIFICATIONS In the first decade of the 21st century, Gramona had an issue with one of its plots of vines and, seeking a solution, it contacted two French agronomists, Lydia and Claude Bourguignon, founders of the Laboratory of Soil…

Most of us think of the great winemaking regions as being eternal, their fame transcending time and space, and much of their reputation is founded on this. This is not surprising as local communicators like to “mythologize” their own regions, praising the role of soil and climate and the influence of supposedly ancient traditions dating back for millennia, in order to have us believe that their land is unique. Our basic conditioning, a mixture of Christian principles and romantic ideals, makes us extol the magical and incomprehensible and trivialize what is obviously human. However, reality obstinately shows us how superficial and incomplete these stories are. In fact, wine, as we know it, is a profoundly human product, which nature alone could never have fashioned. It gains prestige, first of all,…

ABADIA SAN CAMPIO 2015. BODEGAS TERRAS GAUDA D.O. Rias Baixas / Terras Gauda O Rosal, Pontevedra - Spain / www.terrasgauda.com / P.V.P.: 10€ / 100% Albariño A 100% Albariño that is coming to the end of its drinking best. This is a wine that should be enjoyed young and in its third year. However, it still shows power and acidity, freshness and balance. Straw yellow, golden reflections, medium tears, clean and bright. Pronounced citrus fruit, followed by notes of ripe apples and pears. A pleasant acidity that comes through between the glyceric sensations and medium body, leaving a long aftertaste and a pleasant fruity, fresh finish. Un Albariño 100% que está al límite de su momento para disfrutarlo como se merece. Un vino que debe consumirse joven…

DON PX 1973. TORO ALBALÁ D.O. Montilla-Moriles / Aguilar de la Frontera, Córdoba - Sapin / www.toroalbala.com  / P.V.P.: 37€ / 100% Pedro Ximénez This is a spectacular wine, a PX with an aromatic complexity that leaves you speechless. When you finish noting all the aromas and sensations more appear….fig jam, syrup, pipe tobacco. As we were saying, a tireless, never-ending and eternal wine. Mahogany hue with iodized reflections, slow and very glyceric in the glass. Very strong, intense aromas of dates, prunes, dried figs, along with some spicy notes such as curry, as well as toasted hazelnuts and chocolate, so typical of these wines. The still high level of acidity perfectly underpins the sweetness so the wine does not appear heavy. Caramel and nectar aromas on the…

Diners will be able to explore some unique pairings of Ruinart’s elegant champagne with refined Indian cuisine at the Ruinart pop-up coming to Madrid, 6 to 11 November. Indian dishes will be created by renowned Indian chef, Manish Mehrotra, to complement the champagne, in order to tickle the taste buds of good food and wine lovers all keen to try out this exclusive experience coming to the Spanish capital. Ruinart Rosé will be the star of the show. The personality of this exquisite champagne invites experimentation with the most surprising flavours and, in this case, those of Indian cuisine. In its quest for excellence, Ruinart likes to partner with the great talents of contemporary creation. Hence it is now planning to team up with this renowned chef from the world…

The fourth generation of the family now manages this wine company in the D.O.Ca. Rioja and its wineries located in 4 other denominations of origin across Spain. It is one of the few wineries that still belongs to the descendants of its original founders. 4ª GENERATION GENERACIÓN Eleuterio Martínez Arzok is at the heart of the Bodegas Faustino story. In 1861, he settled in Oyón and acquired the palatial house and vineyards, which was the start of a family dynasty. The second generation was headed by Faustino Martínez Pérez de Albéniz, who, after rebuilding the vineyards devastated by phylloxera, concentrated on the internalisation of the business. By the time of Julio Faustino Martínez (third generation), the family had confirmed its position as one of the leading wine companies in the…

The Torres family arrived in this area with a long winemaking tradition almost 20 years ago when it purchased a 870-hectare estate. It currently has 200 hectares of organically certified vineyards planted on three different levels, from 350 to 550 metres altitude. The estate was baptized Purgatori (purgatory), in reference to the tough life endured by those monks who had been sent to work in this region, far away from their monastery in Montserrat, probably as a penance. The winery is fully integrated within its landscape and has preserved the original aesthetics of the farmhouse. Its construction has been designed to be energy efficiency and uses noble materials from local suppliers. It has a functional space of about 1,800 m2, with large windows that allow the natural light to stream…

If he had gone just a few kilometres further down the road, Leopoldo Delea would have bought a property in Portugal, as the 18 hectares he purchased were on the limits of Villablanca, a town in western Huelva, 5 kilometres from the Atlantic and a stone’s throw from the Portuguese border. So why did a Swiss man come to be in this remote area in the province of Huelva in 1972? Because of a customer recommendation, that’s why. Back then, Leopoldo ran five restaurants in his hometown, the lovely resort of Locarno, in the Swiss canton of Tesino on the Italian border. He was an ambitious entrepreneur with an insatiable curiosity, who obviously was not satisfied with just his restaurants because he decided to travel to this far-flung province in…