The Cellar Door Issue 09. Salud Spain. | Page 30

gary’ s corner

By Gary Hewitt, Sommelier( ISG, CMS), CWE
Spain, the Modern Traditionalist
In the dark, early morning hours of a harvest day, grape pickers, heads aglow with miners’ lamps, work rapidly to collect bunches of ripe Verdejo grapes. Their grape-filled baskets are whisked onto trucks to be layered with an inert gas( such as nitrogen) to minimize exposure to oxygen on the quick trip to the winery. Again under an inert gas blanket, the grapes are chilled to 15 – 18 º C, crushed and pressed prior to a slow, cool fermentation in a shiny stainless steel tank. The new wine is protected by a gas blanket during stainless steel tank storage and on its journey to the bottle.
Such is the genesis of one of Spain’ s great modern white wines from Rueda. Its delicate, fresh, and lively style was inconceivable a few decades ago. Traditional wines were harvested in the heat of the day, processed in stone troughs, fermented without temperature control, and aged in wood. Verdejo’ s propensity to oxidize gave deepcoloured, heavy, nutty wines— a style severely out of step with modern tastes.
Rueda wines emphatically illustrate the wave of modernization that swept over Spain subsequent to Miquel Torres’ s first use of stainless steel tanks for white wine production in the Penedès region( near Barcelona) in the 1960s. One by one, oxidized white wines gave way to fresh, modern wines first championed by a few and then imitated by many. But always, a few stubborn traditionalists continued to make oxidative wines for their diminished following of diehard fans. Spain simultaneously became modern and retained tradition.
Yet, there is historical precedent: perhaps this dichotomy is a characteristic of the Spanish.
In the mid-19th century, staunchly traditional Rioja clung to methods as old as the Roman occupation when faced with importation of Bordeaux winemaking techniques by the likes of Marqués de Riscal. But resistance gave way to acceptance— by most producers— when the Marqués’ s wines sold for unprecedented prices and the then-modern style of Rioja became established. This style, typified by the strong vanilla scent of American oak and gentle maturity of lengthy barrel aging, has more recently been challenged by the spicier accents of French oak and fresher fruit of shorter aging regimens. Today, once again, the traditional and modern coexist.
The knowledge of Champagne production was brought to Spain in 1872 by Josep Raventós( founder of Codorníu) and, in time, was embraced by a small band of Sant Sadurní, Catalonia producers called the Seven Greek Sages. Their innovation and experimentation established optimal local grape varieties, equipment design, and process parameters. The gyropallette, now used worldwide— including in Champagne!— streamlined the clarification step of traditional method sparkling wine production and greatly reduced overall production costs. Traditional method made modern, ha!
The story continues to unfold across Spain’ s grand expanse, a sea of modern taste washing away most, but not all, of a long tradition. Export volumes now challenge those of Italy and France and we, in our distant market, still have much to discover. Explore the wines of Spain: historic Sherry, traditional and modern reds, and brilliant fresh whites, and enjoy.
The Styles of Spain
Increasingly, modern styles dominate the Spanish wine selection in our market. You may need to travel to Spain— an option that I strongly encourage!— to find many of their more traditional wines. However, knowledge of official style terms found on Spanish wine labels will help you find wines with less or more aging.
Joven indicates young, fruity wines with no barrel aging, to be tasted within 12 – 18 months of release.
Crianza( literally“ breeding”) red wines are aged at least 24 months, with more than 6 months in wood barrels before release from the bodega( winery). Aging softens the wines and may infuse some oak flavours, but today’ s wines are still intense and fruity upon release.
Reserva red wines are aged at least 36 months, with more than 12 months in barrel. Top quality grapes can benefit from longer aging and give intense age-worthy wines, often with a stronger oak signature.
Gran Reserva red wines are aged at least 60 months, with at least 18 months in barrel. These more traditional wines are produced only in the best vintages. Softened tannins, dried fruit nuances, and long finishes make a memorable impression.
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