portfolio ➜ origin
Spain
Categories: Vermouth, White Wine, Rancio Sec/Vi Ranci, Garnatxa d’Empordà
While France and Italy are often recognized for their diversity in all matters culinary and vinous, Spain is too often overlooked in these regards, viewed as a monolith, despite the distinct regional and cultural differences within that are reflected in its gastronomic and winemaking traditions. Occupying most of the Iberian peninsula, it extends from the Pyrénées in the northeast to Gibraltar in the southwest, just nine miles from Africa. The country’s regional diversity is reflected in its wines, which range from light, dry whites in the cool Atlantic regions of the north; traditional and modern expressions of Tempranillo extending west from Rioja; and the robust, Monastrell-dominated wines of the Levante. While Catalunya led successive Spanish winemaking revolutions in the late eighties and early nineties, it continues to honor its heritage and traditions, including Vermut de Reus as well as its taste for the gentle, oxidative rancio wines that reflect some of the world’s oldest forms of winemaking. That revolutionary spirit has likewise finally arrived in Andalusía and the Marco de Jerez, where a new generation of winemakers engage traditional bodegas to both question and renew the spirit of one of the world’s most complex wines, Sherry.
Vermouth
Timbal Vermut de Reus Extra Dry
Spain ➜ Catalunya ➜ Vermut de Reus 17.0% ABV
17.0% ABV
This vermouth has a distinctly Catalan character, and embodies many of the savory flavors found in the famed olives of the region. Truly dry—with no added sugar—it is made with herbs sourced from the Pyrenees mountains and citrus of the Mediterranean. Its wine base of Airén (La Mancha) and Macabeo (Penedes) adds a nice minerality. Enjoy neat, with a splash of tonic, or in a 1:1 Martini. The town of Reus (near Tarragona in Catalonia) is the historic epicenter for vermouth production in Spain, where for over a century the producer Miró has set the benchmark for its wormwood-forward style. Full details
Timbal Vermut de Reus Sweet Red
Spain ➜ Catalunya ➜ Vermut de Reus 15.0% ABV
15.0% ABV
This well rounded and wormwood-forward sweet red vermouth has earned great admiration. Its easy style is ideal for the Catalan tradition of the ‘vermouth hour’, enjoying a glass on the rocks with olives. Timbal Sweet Red also marries beautifully with rye or bourbon, revealing notes of baking spices. The town of Reus (near to Tarragona in Catalonia) is the historic epicenter for vermouth production in Spain, where for over a century the producer Miró has set the benchmark for its wormwood-forward style. Full details
White Wine
Mas Peyre Cotes du Roussillon 'La Cuvée Peyre' 2021
Spain ➜ Catalunya ➜ Côtes du Roussillon AOP 12.8% ABV
12.8% ABV
‘La Cuvée Peyre’—‘the stone wine’ in the Occitan dialect of its historic denizens—is a wine of place, of terroir. Predominantly Grenache blanc with a small percentage of Vermentino, it is farmed organically and harvested from the Bourrel family’s schist-laden Espanel vineyard in the high, windswept Agly Valley of northwest Roussillon. Fermentation is in new 220L Allier oak, followed by five months on the lees in INOX, and it is bottled without added sulfites, heightening the wine’s transparent expression. Full details
Rancio Sec/Vi Ranci
Espodol Vi Ranci Sec NV
14.0% ABV • Fully Oxidized, Oxidative
While the tradition of Vi Ranci and Rancio sec has survived in both Catalunya nord and sud along the French-Spanish border, the large majority of those now produced in Spain are fortified. Espodol Vi Ranci Sec is the rare unfortified expression: Old-vine Garnatxa blanca and Garnatxa rosat, hand-harvested and co-fermented under the rafters in epoxy-lined concrete tank. The wine destined to be bottled as Vi Ranci Sec then enters a languorous three-tier solera that was inaugurated in 1950, where a portion of the slowly oxidizing wine is transferred from tank to large foudres and finally to 300-600L barrels. These movements typically occur only once every 3-4 years, with small quantities from the solera bottled just once per year. Full details
Garnatxa d’Empordà
Espodol Solera Garnatxa d’Empordà NV
Spain ➜ Catalunya ➜ Empordà DO 15.5% ABV
15.5% ABV • Fortified, Oxidative
Celler Espolla’s Solera Garnatxa d’Empordà is regarded as one of the finest and most prominent of its tradition in Catalunya. Late harvest Garnatxa blanca and rosat grapes are picked by hand and co-fermented with native yeasts in epoxy-lined concrete tank. The fermentation is arrested via mutage, and the wine begins a lengthy, oxidative odyssey through a four-tier solera that was inaugurated in 1950; small quantities are bottled a maximum of once per year. Dark amber, seamless and layered, it shows dried apricot and cherry, roasted hazelnut and sweet/smoky baking spices. Served at cellar temperature, it can be enjoyed with a wide variety of cheeses and desserts. Once opened, it will keep well for 8-12 weeks. Full details
