“Money is like muck, not good except it be spread” Sir Francis Bacon
Hello fellows,
Here I am again writing in the blog which I have ignored for a while due to personal and sport reasons.
The topic today is to be aware with the new printout wine labels since not long ago the only request was for the mandatory information to be legible, such as; bottler, producer, contains sulphites.. and this was totally subjective.
Size will also matter when in 2013 the new Regulation 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers on more legible labels will come into force. Pointing out the following:
More legible labels
The European rule points out that the labelling should be clear and legible. Therefore, a minimum font size of 1,2mm is required for mandatory information. However in case of packaging or containers largest surface with an area of less than 80 cm2, the font size shall be equal to or greater than 0,9 mm.
In the case of packaging or containers where the surface is less than 25cm2, nutrition information is not mandatory. In the case of packaging or containers largest surface with an area of less than 10 cm 2 it is not necessary to include neither nutritional information nor ingredients list. However the name of the food, the presence of possible allergens, net quantity and the “use by” date will always have to be provided despite the containers size.
Therefore, now you know, “measure” the amount of this information just in case…
Regards and I promise I will write more often.
Botany is not a science; it’s the art to insult the flowers in Greek and Latin” Jean Baptiste Alphonse Karr.
Hello fellows and friends,
One more day and I am ready to write about something that attracted my attention these last few days.
In my last journey to Toro I was able to taste a wine Peñamonte Colección Privada 2008, which is delicious and represents the good job done with the Tinta de Toro and a good quality wood in which the back label read; crianza twenty months with a 200% of new barrels, I said this was wrong but they replied to me as follows;
The label is correct, what it means is that for its elaboration we have used new barrels and after a period of time another new barrel, therefore the 200%.
The explanation can be right but I believe it is more confusing rather than clarifying. Also, under my point of view, I think it would have been more convenient to use the French oak barrel first since it has a bigger input of tannins and then the American oak one, and not the other way round.
I hope my friends you have a nice holiday and drive safely, we all have to return home safe and sound.
“Before a list of candidates it is happily thought that only one can be the chosen one” Noel Clarasó.
Hello friends and companions,
Here I am again after a few days of drought without writing since I have been busy with one of my hobbies, the triathlon and my family, of course.
I wanted to comment that a few days ago I assisted a round table about the oenologist work as a communicator.
My opinion is totally defined: social networks, blogs, youtube… are some weapons the oenologists should use to dignify our profession and not only stay in the winery or the vineyards. Be the describer of our wines since we are the only ones that best know about them.
With this I mean that we should take example of Fernan Adriá, Martin Berasategui, Juan Roca, Pedro Subijana, Juan Mari Arzak, and a long etcetera of known Spanisnh chefs that have left their kitchens to be ambassadors not only of their restaurants but also of the Spanish haute cuisine.
If we had to mention known oenologists by the consumers I am afraid the list would be empty.
We will have to work a bit harder on this communication skill issue, but I am convinced that it will not only be for our personal benefit but also for our business and increase the consumption of wine.
Hoping that in a few years we the oenologists will be something more than just “ wine makers” but also good communicators.
Have a nice week.
“Young men’s love then lies not truly in their hearts, but in their eyes.” William Shakespeare.
Hello friends and fellows,
Today’s post is about the new street furniture which is showing in our cities at bar entrances, in Spain.
As many of you are aware with the new anti- tobacco law ,smokers who wish to smoke have to do it in the streets, so what better than to fill the entrance to the bars with barrels, but they aren’t those old barrels , all the opposite the design and image is a window show for the wines.
Many barrel making companies are adapting to the new changes since many of their clients have requested not only new barrels but also their own or others second hand ones to add their name.
As I have been told a small bodega in Rioja Alavesa lost one of its clients because it didn’t want to deliver an ornamental barrel; therefore immediately sent to prepare 25 barrels with its brand to stop losing clients.
Anyway, we hope that the city halls will not start charging the bars because
of putting the barrels in the street, although I am afraid that due to their eagerness to collect tax they will end up charging for every barrel that is placed in the street.
An advantage of these barrels is that you already know which wine every bar has, since it is assumed that the wine will be of the displayed barrel although you never know.
Well dudes, I leave you now, till next time.
“The infinitely little have a pride infinitely great.” Voltaire
Hello friends and colleagues, Here I am again once more writing mi opinion about the wonderful world of wine .
A few days ago we went to a winery which we have in the Denominación de Origen Toro, named Bodegas Torreduero and together with their oenologist, Felipe Nalda, we tasted a wine that in my opinion is without doubt one of the best rosé in Spain.
It’s got nothing to do with “Viña Tondonia Gran Reserva 2000” voted as the best rosé in 2010 at the Verema meeting. In my opinion a totally unfortunate award; since it’s not included in what is known as rosé wines: fruit, aromatic intensity, freshness…
Probably this rosé would be spectacular in bouquet, reduction, toasted…therefore it would have been better if given an honorific award or similar.
On the other hand, the wine that I introduce to you has a beautiful pinkish intense reddish colour; well achieved after a small extraction, since we are talking about Tinta de Toro and if you macerate it too much you get too much colour.
In the nose its strawberry gum, raspberry, liquorice… very intense. In the mouth it not only has a wine freshness but also sweetness due to its alcohol content is near 14% vol with a very expressive palate reminding the strawberry taste.
After tasting this wine we talked about what a pity it wasn’t white or red since due to its high quality it would guarantee a good sale. It seems as if the rose is out of place, neither with fish or meat; but someone replied that he felt the opposite way, since he like the rosé either with fish or meat; so it really depends on how you look at it.
Once we finished tasting this and other great wines, they have a Verdejo de Toro that must be tasted; we went back to Rioja, after lunching a wonderful Zamora paella. Which we really shouldn’t because of our training but once in a while isn’t too bad.;P
Have a nice weekend and enjoy all you can.
The beautiful thing about learning is that nobody can take it away from you.” B.B. King
Hi friends,
First of all I want to apologise for not having attending you lately.
Today’s post is about a trip we did a week ago to ENOMAQ a fair in Zaragoza, where we caught up with the latest updates in the wine industry.
The first thing that grabbed my attention was the small number of visitors and expositors; I believe everyone knows the reason why.
Inside the fair, the first thing which surprised me was to be able to see a Monte Real bottle which I have included in the picture; the amazing thing is that nobody knew of its existence and they never asked for permission to do it, although its okay, since publicity is always welcomed and above all the product is good.
In the fair we weren’t able to taste all the wines we would have liked to since we hadn’t a lot of time and we can’t be everywhere and greet everybody; therefore I apologise to those we didn’t pay lots of attention to. Blog sobre salud
We did manage to taste the following wines: Riesling 2009 “Jesuiten Garten” and a Californian Zinfandel 2008 “Frank Family Vineyards“.The quality of both wines is outstanding in the nose as it is in the mouth.
The Riesling is a fantastic wine and has nothing to do with other Spanish Riesling where the only aromas which stand out are the fermentation ones.
The Californian Zinfandel, an all meaty and ripe fruit wine, is not like other zinfandels which I had tasted and seemed light; it’s a very good wine.
After thanking M. A. Silva for his marvellous wines we continued our tour.
After walking around we ended up tasting a Chardonnay 2010, named Care; D.O.
Cariñena.
About this wine I have to say it didn’t surprise me the least: a correct wine with nothing else. However I did like the bottle design.
At the end we checked out the new system developed by Ekinsa and JMP Engineers, its about a machinery to inert barrels.. It’s based on the microwave technology. The first tests seem encouraging but there is still the most important part and that is having the prototype at an industrial level.
Therefore, after a not very heavy lunch, cause afterwards we have training, we drove back to Cenicero.
Have a nice weekend to all.
“For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them.” Aristoteles
Hi friends,
Today we are going to write about a very interesting topic from an environmental point of view, this is carbon footprint.
This is a non official stamp which isn’t compulsory through different entities and by using certain homologated methods. It’s done by calculating a company’s or products CO2 emissions due to the use of burning fossils fuels, electricity, materials…. in our case the calculation is done per bottle.
Once the calculation is done you have to commit to reduce in the measure you can what you can; for example encouraging employees to use public transport, use renewable energies, hybrid vehicles..
Once you cannot reduce anymore your CO2 emissions you compensate this by financing tree planning projects to balance the atmosphere’s CO2.
In the companies this is standard but it’s not the case for the bodegas, which is a bit more complicated since we have to consider the following points which aren’t very clear:
1. The vine’s harvest gives out CO2; therefore, to produce grape has a questioning balance? ; taking into account the tractor’s emissions during the treatments and the harvesting, I do not know if finally this balance is positive or not.
2. It is clear that the fermentation process gives out important CO2 emissions during the transformation of the sugar to alcohol.
3. In the use of oak barrels to age the balance is positive since previously the CO2 has already been calculated although not without an incredible effort.
Nowadays there is a bodega Grupo Matarromera, which has calculated the carbon footprint for certain wines such as Emina Verdejo, Emina Crianza and Matarromera Crianza. Also, other companies directly related to the wine world such as Tonelería Intona, have also calculated the carbon footprint for its barrels.
I think it is a good start that some companies are beginning to worry about the greenhouse effects and the carbon footprint; amongst all we have to take care of our Earth.
“All virtue is summed up in dealing justly” Aristotle
Hello folks,
Lately I am making some trips to Ribera del Duero, since I am going to take care of the technical area of a small winery in Villatuelda; Peter Sisseck and Vega Sicilia be aware!
So far I am getting used to the Ribera wines that are so similar and at the same time so different from those of La Rioja; and mainly to the area that I have covered a couple of times.
Here you can see a photo of the entrance of one of the most prestigious wineries in La Ribera: Bodegas Protos with the Castle of Peñafiel in the background, which I tried to visit but due to my lack of time I couldn’t. I have pending a visit to the premises, since they told me it’s worth it. By the way, I bought some bottles of Protos Verdejo 2009 to taste something different and sincerely it isn’t bad but I have tasted many better Ruedas.
What can I say about La Ribera … the landscape is completely different from La Rioja; they surely have bigger land plots, there is one in Pagos del Rey where you drive pass in your car and it seems endless. You can see many more cereal plots inserted reason why they are not monoculture as we can be in La Rioja.
Actually I wish to start going to the vineyards to select the best plots and harvest them separately, working straight where I like it most; that is in the vineyard.
I enclose a curious photo, where you can appreciated the more than considerable height of the formation wire, it’s probably 1.20 m and with vegetation covers, it has a drip irrigation system since surely it will be necessary to water it during the summer so it keeps the vegetation the maximum time possible.
Okay then, see you soon. I have a pile of things to explain to you although I need to make a little more of time to write all the experiences that happen and cross the mind of a technician in La Rioja.
“Beware of the person of one book.” Saint Thomas de Aquinas.
Hello dear friends,
As you all well appreciate, spring has arrives, therefore the habit of having a vermouth from the German wermut “ajenjo” is back.
The reason of this post is to let you know that in Spain we also produce very good vermouths such as: Martinez Lacuesta (Haro), Pascali (Cenicero), Yzaguirre, Vermuts Miró…
According to Wikipedia, the vermouth was invented by Hippocrates a well known doctor of the ancient times. He soaked Artemisia flowers and dictums leaves in wine and he obtain what in the Middle Ages was called “Hippocrates wine” or simply “herbs wine”.
Since the end of the 18Th century with the arrival of new technology, the aromatised wine entered a new productivity dimension, where the experience of the Piedmonts pioneers excelled, but it was from the 19th mid century when the Luigi and Giuseppe Cora brothers´, founders of the very well known brand “Martini”, the preparation of the vermouth acquired a industrial nature.
With the pass of time, the word also acquired a generic meaning to define aperitif – any drink with tapas- before lunch.
A very local synonym “Tiroles” is known as Vermouth in the area of Cenicero-Haro (Rioja Alta).
The vermouths I like the most are Pascali and Martinez Lacuesta Reserva, they are infinitely more complex so much in aroma as in the mouth compared with the other more commercial ones like Martini, Cinzano o Campari.
On the other Spanish ones I cannot comment since I haven’t tried them.
Anyway gentleman, you know it is not only Martini, there are other wineries that are doing things well.
” From the sublime to the ridiculous is only one step “.
Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821).
There is a Spanish saying “If you want the vine strong prune it with leaf” , the people of Cenicero said it to me twice, and I was trying to look for a reason why our elders were saying it.
Everybody knows that once the harvest has finished, and before the leaf fall all the Carbohydrate Reserves that could remain stored in the leaves and in the shoots, are going down slowly towards the root to use as nutrients for the following year to bud with more force, due to the fact that they have to use these reserves until the new leaves are active photo synthetically with a positive balance meaning they generate more energy across the photosynthesis than they consume.
I have not found bibliographical references on this topic; but I am sure that if we have a vineyard in a poor soil that needs to optimize all the resources of nutrients to bud on the following year, in the first year surely we will not notice anything but I am sure that this vineyard will age worse than that vineyard which we prune as soon as all the leaves have fallen and it stores all the Carbohydrate as starch.
I am very surprised that the old men are confused, I believe it is that we are confused with the Spanish saying, or maybe some people. When the word is “prune”, it does not refer to the current moment winter pruning, it is summer pruning or shoot thinning. Due to the elimination of these water shoots we are removing shoots that are often not fruitful,not only that but the operation of pruning is going to be easier in the future.
Finally I hope that this has helped you understand a bit more about the topic of the popular Spanish saying.
At the same time because I like to write my blogs I have decided to create a blog with my own domain www.puntovino.es/en/ I hope that it will be finish soon.
Have a good weekend.
Enology
Here I am again writing in the blog which I have ignored for a while due to personal and sport reasons. Hello fellows, Hello fellows, “Money is like muck,
ancomar
es
https://ancomar.es/static/images/ancomar-enology-482-0.jpg
2024-11-28
