A few weeks ago I lead a tasting of the wines of North West Spain for a group of 25 or so students at the University of the Third Age (U3A). These students are not the young and ready to drink anything as long as it costs less than a fiver type, but those of a certain age who are no longer bound by the responsibilities of full-time education or babysitting duties. Consequently, they are a little more discerning. A little.
I started with four white wines, followed with seven reds and finished with a sweet Mencia from Bierzo. The preference was clearly for the reds, but of the whites the first was the favourite. This was an Albarino from Martin Codax. I also showed a Godello which the manager at Majestic told me he had, in a blind tasting, mistaken for a white Burgundy. My new friends decided they were more likely to mistake it for the juice that collects at the bottom of a recycling bin, which was a little harsh, but they knew what they liked.
Week A (2014) is Pazo Torrequintans, Albarino, Rias Baixas DO 2012. £7.95 at Tesco. This one also is produced by Bodegas Martin Codax, but is not their first wine.
It falls very neatly into the easy drinking category, being aromatic and clean, but mostly fruity with some floral tones. It is last year's wine so it would be unreasonable to expect more complexity. I like it and think at £7.49 it represents good value. It is 12.5%, which is a refreshing change form the 14% reds that are so common, and the flowery-fruity aromas linger for a pleasing amount of time.
Albarino is the star white grape of the region, Galicia, and Rias Baixas is the DO that tends to take the limelight. It produces wines with typical flavours of apricots and honeysuckle and the better examples compete with Viognier and Gewurztraminer for the attention of those who enjoy aromatic whites. It is also very fashionable.
The region has high rainfall and the climate is moderated by the Atlantic ocean, so there are not many red wines produced until you get further into the mainland where there are many great options available.
Martin Codax may sound like he is the man responsible for the production of this wine and the one I showed to the U3A but he isn't really. He was a thirteenth century minstrel who was responsible for something akin to Now That's What I Call Music 1258. How this qualifies him to represent a group of small winemakers with a passion to promote a local grape variety I am not sure, but he, and they, do a good job.
I started with four white wines, followed with seven reds and finished with a sweet Mencia from Bierzo. The preference was clearly for the reds, but of the whites the first was the favourite. This was an Albarino from Martin Codax. I also showed a Godello which the manager at Majestic told me he had, in a blind tasting, mistaken for a white Burgundy. My new friends decided they were more likely to mistake it for the juice that collects at the bottom of a recycling bin, which was a little harsh, but they knew what they liked.
Week A (2014) is Pazo Torrequintans, Albarino, Rias Baixas DO 2012. £7.95 at Tesco. This one also is produced by Bodegas Martin Codax, but is not their first wine.It falls very neatly into the easy drinking category, being aromatic and clean, but mostly fruity with some floral tones. It is last year's wine so it would be unreasonable to expect more complexity. I like it and think at £7.49 it represents good value. It is 12.5%, which is a refreshing change form the 14% reds that are so common, and the flowery-fruity aromas linger for a pleasing amount of time.
Albarino is the star white grape of the region, Galicia, and Rias Baixas is the DO that tends to take the limelight. It produces wines with typical flavours of apricots and honeysuckle and the better examples compete with Viognier and Gewurztraminer for the attention of those who enjoy aromatic whites. It is also very fashionable.
The region has high rainfall and the climate is moderated by the Atlantic ocean, so there are not many red wines produced until you get further into the mainland where there are many great options available.
Martin Codax may sound like he is the man responsible for the production of this wine and the one I showed to the U3A but he isn't really. He was a thirteenth century minstrel who was responsible for something akin to Now That's What I Call Music 1258. How this qualifies him to represent a group of small winemakers with a passion to promote a local grape variety I am not sure, but he, and they, do a good job.
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