A “talking” white wine which told us it was perfect, and a red, so popular it ran out, were the highlights of the first Moraira-Teulada U3A wine group tasting of the new season.
It has been five months since we last gathered in the Hill Top Bar in Moraira to sample wines, but a good number of us had already enjoyed organised day trips to bodegas in June and September to replenish our wine stocks.
The lovely Marta from Bodegas Bleda in Jumilla, travelled the long distance with colleague Pedro, to offer five wines to the 56 tasters.
First up was the 2023 Castillo de Jumilla Blanco, a pale yellow blend of Macabeo, Airén and Sauvignon Blanc grapes which produced a clean, elegant wine with the aroma of flowers, apple and fennel.
Then we had the ” talking” wine – the Intachable Sauvignon Blanc. Intachable, so the label and Marta told us, means “I am perfect, without any blemish.” Pale straw in colour and with an intense tropical fruit aroma, it went down a treat. The wine helpfully advised, “I recommend serving me at a temperature of between 8c and 10c.”
The soft blue cheese , provided with crusty bread and a selection of meats, paired perfectly with the white wine. The rather distinctive label depicted a crow in top hat and tailcoat with a pocket watch hanging from its beak. The crow apparently abounds around the Bleda vineyard in autumn and winter.
Next up was a Castillo de Jumilla Rosado, salmon pink, pale and attractive and made from 100% red Monastrell grapes. Red fruit aromas of strawberries and raspberries abounded.
The first of the reds was the Castillo de Jumilla Monastrell, Tempranillo blend. A beefy 14.5 % deep cherry red wine which had been aged in oak and which had a hint of liquorice.
Rounding off the night was the Bodega’s Pino Doncel Black. A blend of Monastrell, Syrah & Petit Verdot, it too carries a 14.5% punch and is an old favourite of many of us wine tasters. The new 2023 vintage is as good as past years, an intense, mature, complex red with soft spicy hints, aged in French oak for up to five months.
As I said, it’s a popular wine and when I went out to Pedro and his van to collect my purchases there was not a bottle of Black left. At least half a dozen disappointed tasters were assured that it would be delivered to their doors on Monday.
Price is a major consideration these days for everyone. There were some special offers on the night and all the wines were four euros something a bottle, with only the Black at five euros. Good quality wines at bargain prices.
Our thanks, as always, go to Pat and Brian Clarke for showing us yet again why we should never go near the supermarket wine racks.
Our thanks go to Ian for the excellent write-up and to Dina for the photos.