There’s lots of talk about some of Spain’s up and coming wine regions….Bierzo, La Mancha, Toro, Jumilla are all the new buzz words.  But really they are old news…all of them have a long track record and good name recognition within Spain and outside Spain.  Now there are a new group of regions appearing on the scene, regions that are super dynamic and are producing some exciting wines.  These are wine areas that most Spanish people will not recognize as areas producing fine wines.  Some of these new areas are overcoming bad reputations for mass produced bulk wine, such as Calatayud, Campo de Borja, and Manchuela.  Others are artisanal areas that have no real wine reputation as of yet.  These include such areas as Granada, Arribes del Duero, Léon and Malaga. 

Another group of unique and hedonistic holiday wines are dessert wines…they are a perfect ending to a long meal and often can match well with certain holiday dishes, such as foie or cheese.  Dessert wines are under-appreciated and often misunderstood…even by wine lovers.  The dessert wines I serve to my classes often cause surprise…many clients have never tried high quality sweet wines and they are often astonished by what they taste. There are so many types…but today I would like to recommend three:

Yes, wine storage conditions matter even for port!  Following is a very sad story of how critical this issue is. 

Recently we got a chance to try two 1980 vintage ports together that had been stored in very different conditions.  The difference between the two wines was a revelation to me!

We had been given a wonderful vintage port for our wedding and had been saving it (in our wine cellar) for a few months.   The Quinta do Noval Nacional 1980 had been bought at a local store, as tore that is known for excellent prices but not necessarily the best storage conditions. 

Madeira is a wonderful wine that is often misunderstood, certainly it is little known here in Spain. Whenever I am in Portugal, I try and stock up as it is very difficult to get much here. Recently, I was fortunate enough to taste a series of Madeiras from Henriques & Henriques, one of the top Madeira producers. We tried 3 wines, all 10 yr old single varietal Madeira. The four noble varieties of Madeira are (from sweetest to driest): Malmsey, Bual, Verdelho, Sercial. Wine from the noble varieties must be aged at least 5 years and will indicate the age and grape variety on the label. As with all EU wines, 85% of the contents must be from the designated grape variety in order to put it on the label.