NORTHERN SPAIN 2008
Les Caves de Pyrene on Tour: Spain 2008
Last year saw the first Caves de Pyrene company trip in recent memory, when about 30 of us descended on an unsuspecting Gianpaolo Paglia from Poggio Argentiera, and spent a memorable weekend wreaking havoc in Tuscany. Wild, unpredictable and chaotic, it was a triumphant success (with a great deal of excess) and will live long in the memory.
This year – at alarmingly short notice - Eric decided it was high time to pay a visit to Alberto and Kathie, our Spanish counterparts at La Cava del Pyrene, which continues to progress in leaps and bounds. Up at the crack of dawn on a Saturday morning to be on the road for some unearthly hour, we made our various ways to convene at Stansted airport. Besides a moment of mild panic, when Eric found himself negotiating with airport staff to hold the flight for a number of us whilst we tore across to the departure gate, the journey was exemplary. Over in Bilbao we were divvied up into an assortment of cars and vans and set forth into Basque country, making haste towards the small fishing town of Getaria for the first taste of Txakoli in situ that many of us had experienced. Disregarding the dark clouds forming overhead on the way - presaging downpours which we believed we had left behind us in the UK – we arrived at Bodegas Ameztoi, where we were warmly greeted by Felipe. Eric tells me the winery is barely recognizable from the place that he and Doug visited some years before, having spent the greater part of a day trying to find the place, and then upon arrival being forced to fend off a pack of over-eager hounds of varying degrees of ferocity. The dogs are still there (albeit a little longer in the tooth and now securely chained), whilst the winery itself has undergone dramatic changes, and is now a glitzy, sophisticated affair of palatial proportions. It is the scenery that truly impresses here, even on such a dank, wet day: steeply sloped pergola vines blanket undulating hills as far as the eye can see, and huge waves crash fiercely against the distant headlands of the Bay of Biscay. Whilst the majority of vines in the vicinity are trained in the old pergola system, Ignacio (the boss) eschews this method since the grapes do not attain the desired ripeness. They work according to organic principles and the vines are not weeded, nor are any chemical treatments used.
Having made the tour around the immaculate, state of the art winery, we crowded around Felipe, each of us grasping a beaker of frothing Txakoli in one hand and a fistful of anchovies in the other, as he told us about the wine. To understand Txakoli, Felipe explained, one must recognize that it is a wine of the sea, deriving its character from the spray which permeates the vines inland. The varietals are Ondarrabi Zuri and Ondarrabi Beltza, which blended together make a truly belting wine. Served properly, one pours Txakoli from a height in order to maintain its effervescence. The wine is a shimmering pale-green with flecks of chalky white; taken with its lively, spritzy disposition one can easily form comparisons with the sea itself. On the palate, flavours of green apple abound, backed by a real kick of acidity; the finish provides a refreshing, comprehensive sourness. This is a wine that sings of terroir, and I saw my excitement at what we were drinking reflected in the faces of those around me. Make sure to serve with salty fish: the match is sublime.
Reluctantly we left Ameztoi behind us and made our way down to the harbour in Getaria. There we sat down to an extended lunch, replete with a wealth of fish courses (hake, red mullet, dorada, plaice, monkfish, turbot, sea bream, cod…) and an inexhaustible supply of local wines, which were outshone by the arrival of the stellar “O Rosal” from Terras Gauda – what a meal! We spent a convivial afternoon merry-making amongst ourselves, before discovering that the people at the table alongside us were in fact good friends of Michel Riouspeyrous (from Domaine Arretxea in Irouleguy). And then commenceth the singing! To our dismay we found ourselves unable to match the fine harmonies of our neighbours, although Eric had a good stab at it (motion to YouTube that). The promised “Macarena” from our camp never materialized – probably for the best really, guys.
After we had checked into our hotel in downtown Logroño, we took to the streets for a night of partying. The atmosphere in town was electric and we hit bar after bar, wolfing down plates of tapas, and washing them down with plenty of Rioja Joven. Try as we might, we failed to drink the town dry, and, suffice to say behaviour was impeccable throughout and disgrace was minimal.
Sunday morning entailed a visit to the Museum of Wine Culture, situated in the heart of Rioja, just next to the small town of Briones. Admittedly the prospect lacked appeal initially, but it turned out to be a genuinely enthralling place. The product of 40 years of obsessive collecting by the Vivanco family, owners of the adjoining Dinastia Vivanco estate, what impresses most is the pride, confidence and quality of execution of the whole affair. Spread over four massive floors, there are terrific interactive displays on winemaking, wine aromas and flavours, barrel and cork-making, and heaps of rich offerings besides. The breadth and significance of the collection, and the unflinchingly beautiful style of the whole project, come together to create a wondrous experience for the wine lover. Not to be missed.
Our hangovers vanquished by colossal in-take from the in-house Nez du Vin exposition, we took off for Alberto and Kathie’s house in Navarrete. Set amidst swathes of vines, it is a place of peacefulness and beauty, and an enchanting place in which to bring up their young children, Sam and Alicia. We feasted heartily and whiled away a pleasant, sunny afternoon. Thank you, Alberto and Kathie, for such a wonderful weekend, and thank you, Eric, for making it all possible.