Table of contents for July-September 2018 in Selectus Wines

As we reach that time of year when tempera- tures soar and people flock to the beach, it seems that everyone is soon heading for the beach bars and restaurants for that much-desired beer, soda or simply a bottle of water, missing the opportunity to enjoy a nice glass of wine. If wine is served at the right temperature for the season, it can be enjoyed just as much, if not more, than any other “summer” beverage. It is true that a white, rosé or sparkling wine is perhaps more appealing than a red at this time of year, but even the latter doesn’t have to be summer’s “ugly duckling”. After this plug for summer wine consumption, we now invite you to dive into our magazine, in which you will…

The new image for the Marqués de Arienzo brand from Marqués de Riscal was presented to us in relaxed and distinguished company. A select group of guests had been invited to an exclusive venue in north-west Barcelona to taste the latest vintage of this historical bodega’s wine and to enjoy some superb catering at the same time. Remarkably, we were honoured by the presence of two generations of the family which currently runs Marqués de Riscal: Francisco Hurtado de Amézaga and his son, Luis Hurtado de Amézaga. CONGRATULATIONS… En un ambiente distendido y distinguido tuvo en Barcelona la presentación de la nueva imagen de uno de los vinos de Marqués de Riscal, su Marqués de Arienzo. Un exclusivo local en la parte alta de Barcelona fue el lugar…

The 2nd edition of “Women of Wine” exceeds all expectations The second edition of “Women of Wine” exceeded the organiser’s expectations. The Fábrica Moritz was the venue chosen for the tasting of wines produced by women and it was at full capacity shortly after its doors opened, as members of the public poured in! The number of wineries exhibiting had increased considerably compared to the first edition and the quality level of the wines presented was very high. Given the success of this event, they may need to consider looking for a bigger venue for future editions, as they have already outgrown this one... which is, of course, a positive indicator of the growth in the number of women heading up wineries today. En esta segunda edición de este evento,…

The Vivid Festival was coordinated by the D.O. Empordà Wine Route organisation and events included Vins i Licors Grau’s “the music of wine” featuring journalist and writer, Marcel Gorgori. Gorgori is famous for having presented a wine show entitled En clau de vi (In the key of wine) on Spain’s TV3 channel. As he did in his TV show, he paired the sensorial characteristics of wines with those of classical music in a tasting of wines, in this case from the D.O. Empordà. The event kicked off with a guided tour of the refurbished wine store and a welcome from Jordi Grau, winemaker and deputy manager of Vins i Licors Grau. The event attracted some 50 wine enthusiasts and was held in the shop’s basement, a multi-functional space inaugurated in…

VIÑA ALBERDI 2011 · LA RIOJA ALTA , S.A. D.O.Ca. Rioja / Haro, La Rioja - Spain / www.lariojaalta.es / 100% Tempranillo Appearance: Medium-intense garnet red shade. Clean and bright. Nose: Intense aromas of very ripe wild red berries with notes of toasted caramel and aromas of coffee and toffee from its two years’ ageing in American oak barrels. Palate: Wild strawberry and aromas from barrel ageing against a minty backdrop. Good balance, very nice tannins and an acidity that lingers on the palate. Persistent finish. Comment: A great Rioja classic (100% Tempranillo), remarkable for its elegance and complexity, which will be very versatile with food. Vista: Color rojo granate de capa media. Limpio y brillante. Nariz: Destaca la intensidad de la fruta roja silvestre muy madura, con las notas…

The 100 Parker Points awarded in 2007 to Termanthia 2004, from the Numanthia-Termes winery, had a lot to do with the purchase. Brothers Marcos and Miguel Eguren watched how this premium wine from their winery in Valdefinjas (a village in the province of Zamora, without any particular attraction apart from its vineyards, which belong to the Toro D.O.) reached the height of glory, nine years after its release. They got the region, grape, and wines right when they chose this hard, dry area located in the southeast of Zamora province, which has a long history of wine-making, but which was lacking in quality and reputation until the end of the last century. That is when Toro wines began to become synonymous with quality, catching the eye of Spaniards and foreigners,…

GRAPES FROM THE ABYSS. WINES FROM THE ABYSS On the shores of the rugged Amalfi Coast, you can find one of the most exciting places on earth, the birthplace of a very special wine that depicts the tones of the houses that dot the slopes of Furore, a village of under 900 souls in the Campania region, a stone’s throw from Salermo. If you stumble when working these artisanal vines growing at 500 metres altitude, where the producers and the steep incline of the slopes prohibit any kind of mechanization, you could find yourself flying off the cliff and then drinking the salty waters of the Mediterranean! This is “heroic viticulture”, where the abyss and the vines are so entwined that the roots of the vines emerge among the rocks…

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…

PASSOROSSO 2013 · PASSOPISCIARO Terre Siciliane IGT / Passopisciaro / Castiglione di Sicilia, Sicilia - Italy / www.vinifranchetti.com / P.V.P.: 25,00€ / 100% Nerello Mascalese Appearance: Cherry red hue with low intensity. Bright. Nose: Pronounced red fruit against a backdrop of Mediterranean herbs and a touch of black pepper. Palate: Nice acidity and good body. Fresh and fruity. Succulence and silkiness. Comment: A cold and rainy vintage, which was tough going right up until the harvest. Some warm days at the end of October enabled the grapes to finish their ripening and the harvest to commence. Vista: Color rojo cereza picota de capa baja. Brillante. Nariz: Destacan los frutos rojos, sobre un fondo de hierbas mediterráneas y un toque de pimienta negra. Boca: Destaca su acidez y su buen cuerpo.…

“We are working for our children. We invest in the future” “Estamos trabajando para nuestros hijos. Invertimos en el futuro” Together with a friend of mine, La Vanguardia journalist, Rafa Lozano, I recently visited Cavas Gramona (my first actual visit to the winery), where we heard all about the work in the vineyards and cellars that goes into the creation of their excellent cavas. We were also fortunate to be able to meet and talk to one of the owners of the winery, Xavier Gramona. It was an informal chat, from which we have transcribed the most interesting comments. I did have a small questionnaire prepared, but soon came to the conclusion, once the conversation had started, that it was best to let things flow naturally and, above all, to…

SPAIN A CORUÑA AC Hotel Palacio del Carmen. Santiago de Compostela ALAVA Hotel Marqués de Riscal – A Luxury Collection Hotel Restaurant Zaldiarán . Vitoria-Gasteiz ALICANTE Hospes Amerigo AC Hotel Ciutat d´Alcoi Restaurant Quique Dacosta ASTURIAS AC Hotel Forum Oviedo. Oviedo Restaurant Casa Marcial. Arriondas Restaurant La Salgar. Gijón BARCELONA Hotel Mercer Hotel Le Méridien Restaurant Rías de Galicia Monvínic Restaurant Moments Santa Eulalia Joyería Rabat Joyería Suárez Hotel Majestic Hotel Omm Restaurant Windsor Hotel Palace Restaurant Caelis Celler de Gelida Restaurant La Clara Arsenal Masculino Four Points by Sheraton Restaurant Via Veneto Restaurant Abac Restaurant L´Oliana Hotel Rey Juan Carlos I Restaurant Gaig AC Hotel Victoria Suites Concesionario Mercedes Cars Barcelona Concesionario Maserati-Ferrari-Bentley Cars Gallery Restaurant Bravo 24 Hotel W Barcelona Club de Golf Sant Cugat. Sant Cugat del…

SOTHEBY'S AUCTIONS CONTINUE TO SURPRISE In two of the last Sotheby’s wine auctions in London, lots were sold for a total of 2,98 million euros (3,5 million dollars). LAS SUBASTAS DE SOTHEBY´S NO DEJAN DE SORPRENDER En dos de las últimas subastas de vinos de Sotheby’s en Londres, se vendieron lotes por un total de 2,98 millones de euros (3,5 millones de dólares). THE MASTERPIECE COLLECTION €1.96 Million ($2.3 Million). FINEST & RAREST WINES, featuring The Grand Imperial Collection 1.02€ Million ($1.2 Million) “The robust results of the Masterpiece Collection demonstrate that the thirst for Bordeaux’s icons is unwavering. The impressive selection of First Growths was led by the magnificent 1982 vintage, with prices soaring for parcels of these increasingly rare gems in their original cases, as bidders competed to…

Garnacha is much more than a grape variety: it is an entire varietal family, which displays its splendours in a rich variety of characters, profiles and colours. These have been created by the adaptation of clones to different terrains, viticultural practices and even genetic manipulations. If ampelographic experts have got it right, the “mother” of all Garnachas is none other than the mighty Garnacha Tinta. Most likely of Aragonese origin, over the centuries it has extended its dominions throughout most of the Iberian Peninsula, reaching as far as the other side of the Pyrenees and the islands of the Mediterranean. Vilified until very recently (it was only considered suitable for the production of feisty, alcoholic and short-lived wines), in the last decade, a new generation of wine growers has recognised…

How many different wines do you currently list? 1,600. How many bottles do you usually have in stock? We stock around 15,000 bottles in the shop. What’s the oldest wine in the shop right now? Château d'Yquem 1919 - 1st Cru Supérieur - Sauternes. What’s the cheapest wine in the shop right now and its price? Château Barreyre - Bordeaux Red, with a RSP of €5.90. And the most expensive and its price? Petrus 1999 - Pomerol l'Impériale 6L. with a RSP of €27,600. What’s the most expensive wine you’ve ever sold in the shop’s history? Petrus 2002 - Pomerol l'Impériale 6L. for over €25,000. What regions do the wines comes from? Exclusively from Bordeaux, France. ¿Cuántas referencias tienen en la actualidad? 1.600 referencias. ¿Cuántas botellas tienes en stock por…

MALKOA 2015 · ASTOBIZA D.O. Txakoli de Alava / Oquendo, Alava - Spain / www.astobiza.es / P.V.P.: 38,00€ / 100% Ondarrabi Zuri Appearance: Yellow flecked with gold. Clean and bright, and rather unctuous in the glass. Nose: Very aromatic with great complexity. Citrus aromas, lemon peel, ripe grapefruit, fennel and fresh grass. Palate: The wine is nice and fresh on entry to the palate, revealing volume and a long finish. Comment: This is an estate txakoli that has undergone a slightly more complex production process than usual for a txakoli. The wine, made from Ondarrabi Zuri (grown using sustainable growing methods), spent 20 months on its lees in a egg-shaped concrete tank to give it volume. Limited production of 6,516 bottles. Vista: Amarillo con reflejos verdosos. Limpio y brillante. Nariz:…

BRUT NATURE GRAN RESERVA SARA CELLER JOSEP MARIA FERRET Appearance: Pale yellow hue flecked with light gold tints. Fine bubbles. Nose: Very aromatic, aromas of Mediterranean herbs such as fennel, anise and rosemary together with white fruit such as pears. A herbaceous and fruity backdrop creates a very fresh sensation. Palate: Elegant on entry, where the carbon dioxide immediately integrates with the saliva, creating a pleasant sensation of creaminess and freshness. Nice, long-lingering finish. Comment: A Brut Reserva cava made from single-varietal, the Xarel·lo, grown on their own estates. The fact that it is a Brut adds complexity, and its minimum of 15 months’ ageing in pálido, reflejos dorados claros, fina burbuja. Nariz: Muy aromático, aromas de hierbas mediterráneas como el hinojo, anís y romero junto con fruta blanca como…

En la compra entraron todos los edificios que constituyen la bodega, todas las hectáreas de viñedo que los hermanos Eguren habían adquirido y todas las existencias de vino, hasta la fecha de la adquisición, 2008. Entre las hectáreas de viñedo, una finca excepcional en el paraje llamado Argujillo (difícil de pronunciar para un francés) de 4,8 hectáreas: son verdaderas joyas, diamantes en bruto, viejas cepas de más de 120 años de verdad y de origen prefiloxérico. Las arenosas tierras de la comarca de Toro impidieron que el maldito insecto atacara a sus viñedos y muchas de ellas se libraron del ataque por lo que no hubo que desplantarlas. Con esas ancianas y espléndidas uvas se sigue elaborando las pocas botellas, poco más de 4.000, del gran Termanthia, escogidas a mano…