CHRISTMAS STARS COMPETITION 2008

2008-09-17T16:15:00.000-07:00

SPANISH WINES FOR THE CHRISTMAS SEASON

Undecided about which wines to serve this Christmas? Wine experts from restaurants and gourmet shops all over Ireland have done that job for you at our Wines from Spain Tasting this autumn. Here are their top wines from Spain in Ireland that you can’t miss this season.

TOP 10 SPANISH WINES FOR CHRISTMAS: 2008 WINNERS
(Please click on the names at the end of this page to find out more)

This year for the first time, a new and exciting competition took place in the annual Wines from Spain Fair.

The 2008 Wines from Spain: The Rising Stars tasting was held in the Shelbourne Hotel, Dublin 2 on Wedneeday, 10th September 2008.

22 Irish importers and 10 Spanish wineries not yet present in the Irish market had the opportunitty to show their best Spanish wines to the most renowned restaurants, hotels and catering companies, as well as importers and distributors.

More than 200 wineries were represented in the Fair and 44 wines were specially selected by the participant importers to enter the 2008 Christmas Stars competition, in order to choose the perfect Top 10 wines for the forthcoming Christmas Season.

In this competition all the above mentioned attendees were asked to vote for their favourite 5 red wines and 3 white wines in the competition.

Below is the list of the TOP 10 Spanish wines, winners of the Christmas Stars competition. 3 white wines and 7 red wines were selected as well as a special mention to the only Sherry on the competition, La Cañada PX, which caused delight among the attendees.

TOP 10 SPANISH WINES FOR CHRISTMAS

TOP 3 WHITE WINES

1. Mantel Blanco Verdejo
2. Albariño de Fefiñanes
3. Valdesil Barrel Fermented

TOP 7 RED WINES

1. Les Terrasses
2. Condado de Oriza Reserva
3. Mas La Plana
3. César Príncipe
5. Musem Real Reserva
6. Mas Irene
7. Alba de Bretón

Special Mention: La Cañada PX (sweet wine)
Producer Perez Barquero
D.O: Montilla-Moriles
RRPP: € 42
Importer: High Spirits

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7. Alba de Bretón

Producer: Bodegas Bretón
Web: www.bodegasbreton.com
Importer: High Spirits Wine Company
DO: Rioja
RRPP: € 40
Stockists: Selected Independents

Bodegas Breton was established by the Breton Family in 1983. They produced their first vintage in 1985 exclusively from their own vineyards in la Rioja Alta. Today the Bodega owns 106 hectares of its own vineyards centered mainly on two fine estates; Lorinon and Dominio de Conte. These cover 50% of its needs. In 1985 Bodegas Breton established its own brand called Lorinon. Today the bodega releases a White oak Viura, Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva under the Lorinon Brand. In 1989 the Breton family released a single vineyard Dominio de Conte wine to much acclaim; in 1995 they released an old vines called Alba de Breton and they then completed thier current portfolio with the impressice Garnacha base Pagos del Camino.

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6. MAS IRENE

Producer: Pares Balta
Web: www.paresbalta.com
Importer: Erne Drinks Company
DO: Penedés
RRPP: € 23.95
Stockists: Enowine

Pares Balta is a family-owned Catalan winery based in Penedes in north–eastern Spain, just south of Barcelona. They produce red and white wines and Cavas from five separate estates, each chosen for their particular microclimate. The Cusin family use a number of different grape varieties for a wide range of wines but they specialise in indigenous varieties. Their special cuvees use vines up to 80 years old to produce powerful, intense wines like Mas Irene (Cabernet Franc/Merlot) and Hisenda Miret (Garnacha). They also have a small estate in Priorato, where they produce the Garnacha/Cariñena-dominated Gratavinum 2 pi r.

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5. MUSEUM REAL reserva

Producer: Bodegas Fincas Museum
Web: http://www.bodegasmuseum.com/
Importer: Mackenway Distributors Ltd
DO: Cigales
RRPP: € 17.95
Stockists: Widely available (contact Mackenway) including: Coolers outlets; Frsh Stores; Molloys Liquorstores; McHughs O/Ls; Gibney’s, Malahide; Mitchells; Mac’s O/L, Limerick; Karwig Wines, Cork; Jus de Vine, Portmarnock.

The Museum winery is located in the heart of Cigales, in Castilla-León and comes from El Coto de Rioja. Its goal of producing top quality red wines in the Spanish plateau takes place in the pebbly old vineyards on the banks of the Pisuerga River. This region experiences a tough continental climate (located 650 to 800 metres above sea level), poor soil, with chalk and clay, and extremely old vines (covering some 40 hectares). Their modern facilities and winemakers do the rest.

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3. CÉSAR PRÍNCIPE

Producer: Bodegas César Principe
Importer:Smith and Whelan Wines Ltd.
DO: Cigales
RRPP: € 30 - € 35
Stockists: Ballymaloe Shop, Co. Cork; Cheers, Delgany

César Principe’s old vineyards in Fuensaldanya , Valladolid were planted according to the local tradition, with a mixture of red Tempranillo and white Verdejo vines. This was done because the vineyards of Cigales are best known for their rosados, a blend of the two. The present wine- maker, Ignacio Principe began making red wines from 100% temperanillo grapes in the year 2000, with impressive results. This powerful and expressive red is fast developing something of a cult status.

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3. MAS LA PLANA

Producer: Torres
Web: www.torres.es
Importer: Woodford Bourne
D.O: Penedés
RRPP: € 39.95
Stockists: O’Briens; Mitchells; Redmons of Ranelagh

The Torres Family surname has been linked with wine for more than three centuries. It is this tradition, allied with a vision of the future that has turned Torres into the great exporting company they are, currently trading in more than 140 countries.

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2. CONDADO DE ORIZA RESERVA

Producer: Bodegas Pagos Del Rey
Web: http://www.felixsolis.com/
Importer:Cassidy Wines Ltd.
D.O: Ribera del Duero
RRPP: € 23.99
Stockists: Slainte Stillorgan; The Corkscrew, Chatham St.

Since Ribera del Duero gained DO status, more than 100 private estates have emerged including Bodegas Pagos del Rey who makes Condado de Oriza. The winery has invested greatly in state of the art facilities and now has barrel cellar comprised of a total of 8,000 oak barrels. The range is produced from 20 to 40 year old densely planted Tinta del País vines (the local variation of Tempranillo) on the boundaries of Almedillo and Anguix. Yields are low and after careful selection the wines are left to macerate at cold temperatures so as to obtain maximum primary aromas with strong fruity notes. The end product is a range of wines that are rich yet still fresh with aromas and flavours of ripe berry and red fruit.

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1. LES TERRASES

Producer: Alvaro Palacios
Importer: Approach Trade Ireland Ltd.
D.O: Priorato
Price:€ 30.60
Stockists: 64 Wine; On the Grapevine; Mitchell & Son; O’Briens Wine; Avoca; Egan’s Too; The Kingdom Stores, Karwig Wines.

This remarkable estate is the creation of wunderkind Alvaro Palacios, a passionate winemaker who was impressed enough by the potential of the northeast corner of Spain’s Catalonia to purchase a property in Priorat. Alvaro Palacios studied and worked in Bordeaux. His two vineyards include L’Ermita, which is an organically cultivated 25-acre vineyard, of which 5 acres are planted in extremely old vines, and Finca Dofi, a 17-acre vineyard. The vines, which are planted on the terraces of Priorat, yield tiny quantities of wine. Wines are aged in new French and bottled without filtration.

2008-09-17T07:56:00.000-07:00

3. VALDESIL

Producer: Bodegas Valdesil
Web: www.valdesil.com
Importer: Vinostito
D.O: Valdeorras
Price: € 19
Stockists: Red Islands; 64 wine; Listons

Valdesil relies on a number of local growers, many of whom have supplied the winery since its foundation.
The vineyard work is overseen by the technical staff of Valdesil winery throughout the year, ensuring that the quality parameters set are achieved.
There is continual assessment in the vineyards, particularly at budding, flowering, ripening and vintage time when visits are more numerous. Regular contact with the growers throughout DO Valdeorras allows them to choose the finest grapes and thereby maintain consistency from year to year.

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2. ALBARIÑO DE FEFIÑANES

Producer: Bodegas Del Palacio De Fefiñanes
Web: www.fefinanes.com
Importer: Smith and Whelan Wines Ltd.
D.O: Rias Baixas
RRPP: € 14 - € 17
Stockists: Ballymaloe Shop, Co. Cork

Bodegas del Palacio de Fefiñanes: This bodega occupies a seventeenth centuary Palace in the seafaring town of Cambados, near Pontevedra in Spain's north western province of Galicia. Wine has been produced at the Palacio since 1928. The bodega now makes a range of three wines using 100% Albariño grapes, from the young drinking to an oak aged version.

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1. MANTEL BLANCO VERDEJO

Producer: Bodegas Alvarez & Diez
Web: http://www.alvarezydiez.es/
Importer: Approach Trade Ireland Ltd.
DO: Rueda
RRPP: € 13.40
Stockists: 64 Wine; Mitchell & Son; Michael’s Wine; Morton’s FirHouse Inn; The Kingdom Stores, Oliesto.

Bodegas Alvarez & Diez: Founded in the 1940s, Alvarez y Diez is without a doubt one of the oldest bodegas in Rueda. Since the De Benito family took control of the winery in 1974, the bodega has seen great changes in its winemaking technique, from a very traditional style to a more to up-to-date one, but always giving precedence to quality. Today the bodega is in the capable hands of Juan de Benito, who, together with oenologist Eulogio Callejo are producing the wines.