La Penetencia 2013 Ribera Sacra
13.5%
€50
Elegant dark cherry and blueberry fruits on nose and palate. Piquant, elegant and precise with fine tannins on a wonderful lingering finish. Drink with pork dishes or duck and game, or hard cheeses.
I presented this wine in the Emerging Wine Regions discussion at the Ballymaloe Litfest 2015 (see my blog), as a representative of all the exciting things that are taking place in northwest Spain and northern Portugal as well. I like Rías Baixas but there is so much more to this region, including the Alvarinhos of northern Portugal and the wines of Ribeiro, Valdeorras and Monterrei. However, on my last visit, I fell in love with the region of Ribeira Sacra (I have always like the wines). Running along the Sil valley are these almost vertical ancient terraces, with vines, and all sorts of green vegetation. It is hauntingly beautiful, a bit like the Douro but greener. La Pentencia is made by the region’s most famous winemaker, Raúl Pérez. It is from a single vineyard. The soils are slate, the vines (mainly Mencía, with Alicante Bouchet, Bastardo and Caiño) are over a hundred years old. The wine is expensive but enchanting.
Available from 64wine, Glasthule.
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An incredibly seductive wine with creamy rich ripe peach fruits and custard, subtle toasted nuts and a good finish. There is a good clean mineral acidity to keep it from straying into lush territory. A delicious and complex wine.
14.5%
A great wine at a very reasonable price; brooding dark fruits balanced very nicely by a refreshing acidity and good tannins on the finish. One to try with a well-hung steak, or other grilled red meats.
A tasting earlier this week with the Celtic Whiskey shop and Eduardo Davis, export manager of Bodegas Tradición was one of the highlights of the year so far. I had tasted the wines before, and visited the bodega, but now they are available in Ireland for the first time.
A new vintage of a wine produced by Irishman Simon Tyrrell. No ordinary Côtes du Rhône, but a very nicely crafted wine with excellent purity of fruit and a lovely freshness. Delectable just-ripe dark fruits, with prefect balance and a smooth palate. I would drink this with all manner of white and red meats, game and firm cheeses.
I used this wine in a talk on Riás Baixas and Albariño in Cathal Brugha DIT last week. It is drinking beautifully at the moment; fresh and zesty, with perfectly judged peach and pear fruits, lingering nicely on the finish. Great with all kinds of seafood, but I would brig out some richer shellfish – scallops, crab or go the whole hog with lobster.
Almost rosé in colour, this is a lip-smacking light wine with vivid sweet cherry fruits. Try it with grilled salmon or tuna, or cold meats.
