At the same Sparkling Days at Mondovino, there were also a few of their wines for the holidays to be tasted.
Even though most of the wines they served I already know from various other tastings in the same shop we were this time happily surprised by the excellent Pittacum 6 messes en barrica 2005 from the Bierzo DO in Spain.
The most unique thing about this DO is that they don't make wines from the more traditional Tempranillo or Garnache grapes that are used throughout Spain, but rather from the Mencia grape which is believed to be related to the better known Cabarnet Franc (from which you hardly find any mono-cepage wines due to the heavy tannins).
I am not a wine expert, but I live deep in the heart of Castilla-Leon and keep a bodega and listen when the locals talk about wine. Far as I have seen, Mencia grapes are used heavily throughout northern Spain. They are the "workhorse" base for all kinds of more fancy and recognized Spanish wines, incl Ribera del Duero, Rioja, and Cigales rosés. I believe they give Spanish tinto its unique Spanish flavor! (the mono-cepage Mencias so common and popular in northern Spain are rarely exported, perhaps due to the acidity you mention.)
ReplyDeleteDO Bierzo is best known for its white wine, but they produce plenty of lovely reds too. But the best of all the Spanish tintos, IMHO, are from Toro!
I would not know about the wine that does not reach Belgium thus I cannot judge whether what you are saying is correct.
ReplyDeleteI do agree that Toro has very very very nice red wines made of the Tinto de Toro, but if I am not mistaking this is in fact just another name for Tempranillo (the grape that is mostly famous from the Rioja region where it is the only allowed official grape as far as I know).
Must have been a case of black-out when I wrote the above comment. Of course they use other red grapes in Rioja as well.
ReplyDeleteSee http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rioja_(wine)#Viticulture_and_grapes