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Rioja 2019

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 Today, Rioja is the most exciting of the traditional wine regions in the world. Why? A lot is going on. In the past, almost all wines were blended, but today, a number of single vineyard wines with a terroir focus have sprung up. Traditionally, wines were matured for long periods in oak, often more than five years. Strict regulations supported this approach. Oaky flavours were the hallmark of Rioja wines. Today, a number of wineries emphasize the Tempranillo fruit. The scene reminds me of Piedmont in the 1990s, with traditionalists and modernists fighting it out. I visited Rioja a bit over a year ago and had planned to publish an article about it, but the wine magazine I used to write for had difficulties, and it never happened. I just came across my notes, and will now write this up here. The blog will have less wine specific tasting notes than normal, as the tastings took place more than 12 months ago, but there will be some. The geography of Rioja is quite fascinating. On the one h
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Uruguay 2019

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  Bodega Narbona To learn more about the Tannat variety, I visit three wineries in Uruguay, the country which has made Tannat its national grape variety. It is a tricky grape, very small and big seeds. It needs time to ripen, and then the alcohol levels shoot up. The first winery I visit is Bodega Narbona. It is a beautiful property, dating back to 1909. A lot of the old equipment, including vintage cars, is still there. However, the winery was abandoned at some point. It then got restored, with vineyards quite young right now. At present, the winery produces 10,000 cases per annum. The tasting took place in the beautiful cave. Sauvignon Blanc is the major white variety in Uruguay. The 2018 wine here has aromas of cut flowers and quite tropical flavours. The wine is not as acidic as some (88 points). The big surprise, and actual best wine of the tasting was the 2018 Rose, based on Tannat. Only young vines are used for this wine. There is less than one hour skin contact of the juice, to
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Mendoza 2019

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Argentina is a basket case - we all know that. But Mendoza wine region is a beautiful oasis with world class wines. Let’s think about the leading wine regions in the world: Bordeaux, Burgundy, Tuscany, Piedmont, Rhine Valley, Mosel, Ribera del Duero, Douro Valley, Napa, Sonoma, Barossa Valley (and a few others). What do they have in common? Outstanding wines, beautiful scenery and good gastronomy. Now let us turn to Mendoza. I discovered some world class wines. The scenery in front of the snow capped Andes is breathtaking. Many wineries now have restaurants which offer better menus than what you get outside. In addition, the people are friendly, knowledgeable and keen to help and explain. The weather is very predictable. With respect to the terroir, the soils are interesting, the water is pure from the Andes, the diurnal temperature variation is large. As the saying goes, ‘what’s not to like?’ There have been interesting developments since my last visit in 2014. The rise of the Uco Val
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