Castillo de Argüeso 2017 11.5%, Bodegas Argüeso

Appearance
Bright, pale strawy gold with golden reflections.
Nose

Young and fresh and interesting and with a little weight behind.First there are aromas of fruit: apple mainly, then grasses and herbs - with a distinct trace of camomile  -  then a salty, briny note and even a faint hint of confectionery. Appealing and characterful.

Palate

Broadly similar on the palate; the apple is good and ripe and there is a gentle texture of grapeskin and chalk. Acidity is fairly low but sufficient and there is a barely perceptible oxidative note, so the wine is well rounded and smooth with that classic Palomino appley fruit and a decently long finish.

Comments

This wine is very good value, not because it is cheap but because it is cheap and good. It is 100% Palomino from the albariza vineyards of Sanlúcar, the same source as the firm´s delightful Manzanillas. It is fermented at low temperature to retain all the primary aromas and bottled as soon as it is ready. Simple as that really, but a job well done. It could be described as a polished up mosto or an unfortified Manzanilla, and either way it is a very attractive wine.

Price
3.25 euros, Licores Corredera

Tosca Cerrada 2014 12,5%, Mario Rovira

Appearance

Bright with some depth of colour and golden reflections, light legs.

Nose

This reeks of "terroir" with strong mineral and saline notes as well as apple - even a trace of cider - though it is not particularly fruity, and flor bitterness. It is forthcoming and fairly full with slight Manzanilla characteristics if not the alcohol. Really interesting.

Palate

Again quite full and assertive with the normal table wine acidity replaced by flor bitterness giving good balance and a fresh minerality. It is dry with a good clean finish, and not SO unlike an unfortified Manzanilla with traces of Palomino fruit, and with lots of flavour.

Comments

Mario Rovira Roldan is a dynamic young winemaker from Barcelona who fell in love with the Mencia grape in el Bierzo, where in 2010 he acquired 2.5 hectares of old vines and built a reputation as Bodegas Akilia. He is working on Palomino in Bierzo and makes a blend of it with Dona Blanca which should be interesting. This is a new project from vineyards in the Pago Balbaina supported by Delgado Zuleta, who also bottle the wine for him unfiltered. The wine is 100% Palomino Fino and is aged for seven months in ex Manzanilla butts, during which time flor is present for four months. Unfortunately there were only 456 bottles of the 2014 vintage, but with quality like this he should be encouraged to produce more. In fact I gather there were 4 butts of the 2015, so look out for it! Tosca Cerrada is a form of Albariza soil.

Price
16.50 euros from Er Guerrita

Ojo de Gallo 2015 12%, José Estévez

Appearance

Fairly pale strawy gold with silvery highlights, very slight legs.

Nose

Very fresh, young and vibrant with some generosity, trace vegetal – almost smells like the vineyard -yet fruity as well with stewed apple, melon and glacé fruit notes, then there is noticeable strawy, chalky minerality, and all these factors produce a very natural nose. Who says Palomino is neutral?

Palate

A certain raw, wild freshness is there despite low acidity but that gentle Palomino fruit balances nicely without the need for much acidity. The minerality carries the flavour through sufficiently and gives the wine length. It is dry and clean with a slightly chalky feel, and is a very attractive, characterful wine with real vineyard flavour and truly tastes of Jerez - and it really grows on you.

Comments

Made from single vineyard Macharnudo grapes from old vines, fermented in tank and bottled in May 2016 without any flor or oak influence, this is a young table wine which really gives you a taste of the great Pago Macharnudo. Fino Inocente is made from the same must but is barrel fermented. It is sealed with a driven Diam cork and the only downside is that only 1,000 cases were made. This is the first release of the wine, and it has a bright future. It is classic vino blanco from Jerez and very well priced. I’m thinking about how it will age in bottle, and it might develop some slight Sherry characteristics over 2-3 years. Right, I’m off to buy some more….

Price

7.55 euros from Licores Corredera                                 

Mirabrás 2014 14.5%, Barbadillo

Appearance

Bright, fairly pale golden straw with golden highlights and very light legs.

Nose

Fresh and slightly mineral with an attractive gently tangy, finely textured Palomino fruit, hints of toasted corn, fresh apricot and ripe plum balance with a faintly saline flor bitterness which is perceptible but not as noticeable as in a Manzanilla.

Palate

Complex with beautiful poise having almost the weight of a Manzanilla yet a fresh fruity zing to counterbalance that trace of flor bitterness. There is a gentle texture, a feel to it which reminds one of albariza. It is tantalisingly close to Sherry but it isn't, and that's what makes it so interesting to drink.

Comments

This wine is excellent and a great idea being wine as it used to be. It is a table wine and therefore unfortified yet only a half degree lower in strength than a Manzanilla. It was fermented in old toneles which had previously aged Manzanilla, and flor was allowed to grow during its year and a half or so of ageing in tank. The result is a wine which is an exact half way house between Manzanilla and table wine; there are alcohol and flor elements yet it is fruity and has more acidity than a Manzanilla but with the latter's dry finish. The grapes come from the Cerro de Leyes vineyard in the firm's finca Santa Lucia and were briefly sunned. This is the first release, only 2,000 bottles I'm afraid, and the wine has a Vino de la Tierra de Cádiz denomination.

Price
14 euros from Licores Corredera

27.7.14 Table Wine Harvest Under Way in Jerez

The harvest is under way already in parts of the Sherry zone. This is the earliest start for quite a long time and the yield will be considerably down on last year. White grapes for Vino de la Tierra de Cadiz table wines are being picked now with the reds to follow soon. First to start at the beginning of the week, and picking at night, were Garcia Angulo Brothers with their Gewurztraminer, and they will soon be picking the Sauvignon Blanc, both grapes being used in their wine “Cortijo de Jara”. Before long they will be picking Tempranillo, Syrah and Merlot for their red wine.

A few kilometres north, Barbadillo is picking Sauvignon Blanc in their Gibalbin vineyard, and before too long will be picking the red grapes Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Tempranillo and Syrah for their “Gibalbin” red table wine.

The Palomino grapes from which Sherry is made are approaching the 10.5 degrees Beaume required by the Consejo before picking, but Barbadillo will be picking them soon for their “Castillo de San Diego” white table wine, the biggest-selling in Spain. Many white table wines in the area are made from Palomino, but there is a new tendency for the inclusion of other grapes to provide a greater range of aromas.

Another white grape, Chardonnay, is grown by Bodega Entrechuelos for their two white wines, Entrechuelos and Alhocen. This chateau-style bodega, run by Miguel Domecq has vineyards close to the XI century Torrecera. The oenologist Joaquin Gomez reckons picking will start on Friday, a good week earlier than normal. Barbadillo also use Chardonnay for their sparkling Beta Brut.

The early harvest has been caused by a very mild winter followed by early flowering, but the lower than average rainfall will not adversely affect the Vinos de la Tierra, as irrigation is permitted. The red grapes, which are planted ever more widely, look like being one to two weeks ahead of the usual, depending on location. They are ripe but not ready as their Beaume (sugar content) is still on the low side. Some white grapes have suffered from Oidium, especially Palomino, but that has been dealt with and they are healthy.

As Jose Maria Mateos of the Estacion de Viticultura put it: “It is more difficult to produce a white than a red. With whites, you need balance between aroma, acidity and alcohol, while with reds there are many more factors, most of which can be adjusted. Red is like an orchestra with 20 musicians, and white has only three.”  The Garcia Angulo brothers believe you can make good wine with hard work and sustainability.

The Sherry harvest should begin in the next 2-3 weeks, but things are looking good for the Vino de la Tierra wines of Cadiz. If you can bear to drag yourself away from Sherry, these are often excellent.

Red Wines from the Sherry Zone

Plantations of red grapes in Cadiz have doubled in the last decade, now covering 400 hectares which are producing 20 successful brands of red table wine. This wine which is excellent cannot call itself Sherry, naturally, but goes under the title of Indicacion Geografico Protegido or Vino de la Tierra de Cadiz – as does much white table wine. Of course, with the white wines there is plenty of experience, but the reds are comparatively new, and are still finding their feet.

There is an native red grape, however, grown in Cadiz for centuries, and that is the Tintilla (de Rota). It was almost extinct, covering barely 3 hectares, until it earned a place in the Vino de la Tierra appellation. Tintilla de Rota, a fortified sweet red wine, has all but disappeared (except for Gonzalez Byass releasing one recently), and the grape finds itself in blends. Table wine production has grown roughly in line with Sherry’s decline, and there are reforms of the Common Agricultural Policy in the air which might benefit them.

At the end of 2012, there were about 90 ha of Tempranillo, Syrah 63 ha, Cabernet Sauvignon 60 ha, Merlot 48 ha,Tintilla 23 ha, Petit Verdot 10ha. Garnacha and Cabernet Franc also have a presence. The vineyards are mostly owned by three big companies; Gonzalez Byass, Barbadillo and Taberner, each with around 65 hectares, but there are lots of small yet successful holdings of between 2 and 5 hectares as well. These are helped by the Junta de Andalucia, which gives them not only technical and analytical help via the Viticultural Station, but also experience gained at the Rancho de la Merced and help with paperwork. This help is vital to their success.

See also: The Table Wines of Cadiz