Like others here, my palate has been moving toward lighter red wines with a more complex flavor profile. The Envinate Albahra from Almansa is a wine to look for, being a blend of Moravia Agria and Alicante Bouschet.
It’s not hard to find those high octane Jumilla Monastrell wines. But there are some well made ones, such as Juan Gil. But there’s a noticeable trend towards fresher styles. Julia Casado’s La del Terreno Monastrell is another for your notebook. Also is nearby DO Bullas, check out the wines of Bodegas Saura: https://bodegassaura.com
Of course, as well as Ribeira Sacra, there are the amazing tintos being made in DO Ribeiro. Luis Anxo Rodriguez is the name to know. His entry level red Eidos Ermos is tremendously good.
Interesting discussion about lighter style Spanish reds and Jumilla Monastrell in particular. As Jason said in the past I found them to be too heavy and alcoholic, and not that food friendly.
I have had better luck with Bobals from Utiel Requena and Garnacha dominated blends from different regions in Spain. My favorite light Spanish red so far though, has to be Mencia from Bierzo. Medium bodied Rioja Gran Reserva reds are a delight and great QPR.
Moving on from Spain my wife and I were in Villany, southern Hungary on holiday with her family. Tasting the Kekfrankos/Blaufrankish, Cabernet Franc and Bordeaux blends was pretty cool. As I always imagined them being quite heavy and alcoholic, but I was pleasantly surprised
Because they all had good acidity, well managed tannins, earthiness, herbal nuances, etc. Yes, they weren't 12.5% ABV, but they were all very well integrated and balanced. As always with wines the 2017s edged out some of the younger wines and the some of the whites were very refreshing and crisp as well.
Another fantastic lighter Monastrell is the Depaula from Bodegas Ponce in Manchuela. Can’t believe I left that out in my comments above. The price is also astonishing here in Spain: €7,50.
I don’t doubt those wines are great, well balanced and light, but in general I just wonder… we keep hearing more and more about light reds with high acidity and not too-high-alcohol made in either hot places or in hot vintages. And we hear about high altitude, old vines, earlier harvest time, better winemaking techniques etc. But honestly, you can do only that much with summer temperatures over 35 or 40 degrees C, and those 200 meters more above see level do not help much. So my question is: how often winemakers add water to their wines? I think it’s legal practice in California, but it’s not allowed by most European appellations, right? What do you think? Is it a common practice now in Europe too?
Well for sure these wines still have 14+% abv. You're never going to make 12.5% abv red wine in these places. But all the things you cite (high altitude, growing techniques, earlier harvest) are still big factors. Adding water is I believe still not permitted in the EU wine laws, but I guess that could always change.
Like others here, my palate has been moving toward lighter red wines with a more complex flavor profile. The Envinate Albahra from Almansa is a wine to look for, being a blend of Moravia Agria and Alicante Bouschet.
That's a very good one!
The Fuerza Bruta garnacha from A Pie De Tierra is also very much worth seeking out. For fresher, lighter Monastrell check out Parajes Del Valle.
Excellent, thank you - I will look for that. So many of the monastrell are just so forgetable though, right?
It’s not hard to find those high octane Jumilla Monastrell wines. But there are some well made ones, such as Juan Gil. But there’s a noticeable trend towards fresher styles. Julia Casado’s La del Terreno Monastrell is another for your notebook. Also is nearby DO Bullas, check out the wines of Bodegas Saura: https://bodegassaura.com
Awesome, thanks for the recs
Of course, as well as Ribeira Sacra, there are the amazing tintos being made in DO Ribeiro. Luis Anxo Rodriguez is the name to know. His entry level red Eidos Ermos is tremendously good.
Yes that's a whole other future newsletter.
Definitely looking forward to that.
Interesting discussion about lighter style Spanish reds and Jumilla Monastrell in particular. As Jason said in the past I found them to be too heavy and alcoholic, and not that food friendly.
I have had better luck with Bobals from Utiel Requena and Garnacha dominated blends from different regions in Spain. My favorite light Spanish red so far though, has to be Mencia from Bierzo. Medium bodied Rioja Gran Reserva reds are a delight and great QPR.
Moving on from Spain my wife and I were in Villany, southern Hungary on holiday with her family. Tasting the Kekfrankos/Blaufrankish, Cabernet Franc and Bordeaux blends was pretty cool. As I always imagined them being quite heavy and alcoholic, but I was pleasantly surprised
Because they all had good acidity, well managed tannins, earthiness, herbal nuances, etc. Yes, they weren't 12.5% ABV, but they were all very well integrated and balanced. As always with wines the 2017s edged out some of the younger wines and the some of the whites were very refreshing and crisp as well.
Another fantastic lighter Monastrell is the Depaula from Bodegas Ponce in Manchuela. Can’t believe I left that out in my comments above. The price is also astonishing here in Spain: €7,50.
I don’t doubt those wines are great, well balanced and light, but in general I just wonder… we keep hearing more and more about light reds with high acidity and not too-high-alcohol made in either hot places or in hot vintages. And we hear about high altitude, old vines, earlier harvest time, better winemaking techniques etc. But honestly, you can do only that much with summer temperatures over 35 or 40 degrees C, and those 200 meters more above see level do not help much. So my question is: how often winemakers add water to their wines? I think it’s legal practice in California, but it’s not allowed by most European appellations, right? What do you think? Is it a common practice now in Europe too?
Well for sure these wines still have 14+% abv. You're never going to make 12.5% abv red wine in these places. But all the things you cite (high altitude, growing techniques, earlier harvest) are still big factors. Adding water is I believe still not permitted in the EU wine laws, but I guess that could always change.