Spanish tasting unveils some gems

Ola, Spain!  Last night I conducted a public wine tasting for 55 eager tasters and rediscovered some gems from a region that is relatively new to the wine world.

Grapes have been grown in this country since the year 875, but internal strife -- Spanish Civil War and World War II to name two -- has curtailed wine production and the export industry.  Not until the root louse phylloxera devastated French vineyards did Spanish wine gain a foothold in the European wine market. Even then it wasn't until the mid 1950s that we began to see more and more Spanish wines in our market. 

Today, there is no shortage of great values from the Iberian Peninsula. Rioja is the most well known (although it's one of the smallest regions), but mencia wines from Bierzo and albarino from Rias Baixas are being discovered.

I like to consider first the name of the importer. For instance, Eric Solomon, Jorge Ordonez and Steve Metzler select top wines that have become reliable go-to's. You can bank on their quality when faced with a sea of labels. Look on the back of the labels for their names.

Here are a few wines from the tasting that I loved:

Burgans Albarino Rias Baixas 2016 ($13)  Many albarinos are way too simple to match with food, but this gem -- made at the cooperative Martin Codax -- is round, layered and long in the finish. Tropical fruit and peach with balanced acidity.

Gotin de Risc Mencia Bierzo 2016 ($16). Very aromatic with violate and blackberry notes.

Montebuena Rioja 2015 ($13). What a steal. Full in body, it has copious raspberry and cherry flavors with a good dose of vanilla. It is made entirely from tempranillo grapes.

Bodegas Borsao Tres Picos Garnacha 2014 ($16).  I've been tasting this wine for years and it never fails to please. Very rich and forward in plum and blackberry fruit.  The heavy use of oak gives it a good dose of vanilla and leather, which may not appeal to everyone.

Bad weather likely to spur price increases

A combination of extremely hot and cold weather is expected to spur a dramatic price increase for 2017 European wines. The three countries most affected are Italy, France and Spain -- producers of some of the least expensive wines.

Frost damage has lead to a 40 percent reduction in Bordeaux -- the worst hit coming in merlot-dependent St. Emilion. Rioja in Spain and prosecco in Italy were also hard hit. Experts say prices will rise as much as 30 percent for the least expensive wines. 

Reported the Guardian, “We’ll start to see those [2017] wines coming to the market now and I think for higher volume, lower price wine you will see cost increases,” says Dan Jago, chief executive of high end wine merchant Berry Bros & Rudd.

“Prices for things like pinot grigio or generic Spanish reds will rise by between 10% and 30% and it’s [a question of] how much of that retailers will pass on,” says Jago, who previously headed up the Tesco wine business. “Prosecco was very hard hit by frost, so there will be less of it and the price will go up.”

These weather patterns show the impact of climate change and are likely to continue, in my opinion. Regions once thought to have perfect climate are experiencing more challenging conditions.  Unfortunately, the prices of everyday wine for the masses are most impacted.

Producers of expensive wines, such as those in Bordeaux, may suck up some of the costs just to move their wines -- but price increases will not be avoided.