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A Glimpse of Rioja

Tue, 05 May 2020 13:08:14 GMT

Having driven 215 miles north from Madrid through vineyards, olive groves and beautiful mountainous ravines we descended to a plain as we approached the Basque country of Northern Spain. The home of our favourite Rioja – Bodegas Navajas - which has been on the wine list for more than 30 years – the village of Navarrete lay ahead – a small hilltop town rising from the flat lands around the Rio Oja and Rio Ebro in the South West of the Rioja region. The satnav took us through a maze of one-way narrow streets right to the top of the village where the views were spectacular. We then meandered back down the hill and found the Bodegas Navajas before searching out the Hotel de Camille on the edge of the village where the car park was full of classic cars and our room had extensive views across the plain towards the Basque mountains to the north. We sat in the sunny hotel garden sipping beers and watching the beautiful old motors departing one by one.

In the early evening we walked towards the sleepy town centre in search of some supper and found more than we bargained for. There were few people around and bars were quietly preparing for the evening – we found our way to the centre of town and climbed the hill to the church at the edge of the square. The evening sun shone through the magnificent stained glass window over the altar throwing its colourful light all around the church and when we emerged into the square we were surrounded by activity as musicians were tuning up on a stage in preparation for the late September Feria to celebrate the harvesting of the grapes.

Being one of the first couples to sit down at a lonely table outside a little bar near the stage we ordered wine and tapas. Very soon the tables began to fill up with sleepy looking people nursing their feet – some could hardly walk – and we soon realised their mission.

For centuries Pilgrims on route to Santiago de Compostela begin to converge and Navarrete is on one of the routes taken as the destination becomes closer. There was a group of 5 women sitting close by, hardly awake enough to engage in conversation with each other, and other small gatherings equally as insular. A single lady came to occupy the table next to us and we began to chat. She had taken the pilgrimage to Compostela before and on this occasion she was walking alone – tonight she was staying in the local hostel just round the corner from the little square where we were congregating.

The pilgrims were welcomed in the hostel where living was communal – dormitories and showers shared between men and women – yet no one was allowed to speak or communicate - silence was the order! As a small band began to play on stage and tiny children began to dance the entertainment took over and conversation became impossible. As the evening progressed more revellers join in the merriment and the town square was throbbing with energy as we wandered off through the streets towards our hotel.

Navarrete lies on the edge of the Rioja Alta in the south west of the area to the south of the Basque Mountain range. Having enjoyed a glimpse of the culture that surrounds Bodegas Navajas we prepared to meet Merche Navajas at the Bodega first thing the next morning where she filled us in on the history of the Bodega before showing us around. Merche’s great-grandfather set up the Bodega in 1918 - which was then in the centre of the village with underground cellars – the entire operation has now moved to the edge of the village to an impressive new premises. As we were exploring the smart new facilities grape pickers were picking the final red grapes for this year’s vintage out in the vineyards and hoping that the good weather would continue for a while longer. Bodegas Navajas own a lot of their own vineyards and buy parcels of vines from other vineyards owned and managed by local farmers.

The grapes are brought directly from the fields to the Bodega where they are matured in stainless steel vats in which fermentation occurs before being moved into American oak barrels and stored in the vast cellars before going to the brand new bottling plant for bottling. In the final cellar we visited each barrel was named and we discovered that it is possible to buy your very own personal barrel which is nurtured to maturity before being bottled and presented to the proud owner as their very special vintage. The bodega produces a white wine, a rose and various red vintages including Sin Crianza and Gran Reserva.

The surrounding area was also once a thriving pottery region and now Navarrete is the only remaining town where pottery production continues. The hotel gardens had been full of beautiful urns so large that one could climb inside, should one be happy to share with the flora and fauna inhabiting them. The pottery definately required a visit before we departed and as we drove towards the kiln chimneys we watched a straggle of walkers plodding weary westwards – small groups, couples, singletons – towards Santiago de Compostela.

In a brief few hours the history surrounding the village of Navarrete had engaged us and set our imaginations alight – what had seemed to be a sleeping Spanish village on a hot Sunday afternoon had, for hundreds of years, been a busy thriving community.

Australia

Fri, 13 Dec 2019 13:47:29 GMT

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Secret Garden Semillon Sauvignon 2019, Murray Darling, NSW, Australia

More like Big open space than Secret Garden. This is a powerful dry white wine with lovely

honeyed tones from the Semillon balanced by crisp acidity from the Sauvignon; if you like Aussey

glugging wines you will love this. Great with Asian cuisine or BBQ. £ 8.65

Secret Garden Cabernet Shiraz 2017, Murray Darling, NSW, Australia

Full rich Shiraz fruit with a welcoming balance of Cabernet tannins. It works well, especially with

full flavoured meat or cheese. £ 8.65

New Zealand

Fri, 13 Dec 2019 13:43:38 GMT

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Pretty Paddock Sauvignon Blanc 2019. Marlborough, New Zealand

Every so often one picks up on a real winner, this is one of those occasions. This classic southern

Hemisphere Sauvignon is a joy to drink with a fresh crisp acidity balanced by mouth-watering fruit

extracts from mature low yielding vines. £13.65

South America

Fri, 13 Dec 2019 13:31:08 GMT

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A rgentina

Malbec, Wine of Mendoza, Argentina 2017/18

“La Vaca Gorda” From the high altitude vineyards in the foothills of the Andes this full flavoured red

wine would accompany a good steak very we ll. £ 8.95

Chile

Caballo Dorada Sauvignon Blanc 2017, Colchagua Valley, Chile

Clean fresh Sauvignon aromas of cut grass and nettles abound in this lovely dry white wine. £ 8.65

Caballo Dorada Carmenerre 2016, Colchagua Valley, Chile

Lovely ripe rounded red berry fruit flavours woven with a hint of chocolate and light tannins. £ 8.25

Italy

Fri, 13 Dec 2019 13:25:52 GMT

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Cantina Paolini, Gurco, Marsala, Sicily

Rosato Conte di Matarocco 2018

This is a fulfilling, substantial rose which is perfectly dry and would accompany a seafood

Plata very well indeed. £ 7.95

Nerello Mascalese Terre Siciliana 2018

Warm red berry flavours with a hint of cherry. £ 8.95

Grillo Bio Terre Siciliana 2018

Lovely organic dry white wine, perfect with seafood. £ 7.95

Pinot Grigio San Antonio 2018 Friuli Italy

This very popular aromatic dry white wine is perfect with lightly flavoured pasta. £ 7.95

Spain

Fri, 13 Dec 2019 13:16:35 GMT

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Bodegas Navajas. Navarette, La Rioja. Spain

Navajas Tinto Sin Crianza Rioja 2018

We have stocked this wine for 34 years and it has been c onsistently of the highest quality.

Made of mainly Temprenillo grapes the Joven wine is blended with a little of the mature

Crianza wine to produce a fruit driven, mildly tannic balanced red wine. £ 8.75

South Africa

Fri, 13 Dec 2019 11:14:40 GMT

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Boars Kloof Winery, Western Cape. South Africa.

Chenin Blanc 2018 Lovely crisp acidity with a hint of Tangerines. £ 7.95

Shiraz Cinsault 2017 Lovely ripe red berry fruit with a crisp balancing acidity. £ 7.95

Pinotage Rose 2018 Crisp Sun drenched fruit with pleasing palate cleansing finish. £ 7.95

La Bri Winery, Franschhoek ,South Africa.

Affinity 2014 A lovely mellow red wine, perfectly balanced in all aspects. £19.95

Double Door 2017 This four varietal dry white wine is a real mouth filler. It is truly multi faceted

with a long and lingering finish. In some ways it is reminiscent of a good Mersault. £19.95

England

Fri, 13 Dec 2019 10:54:56 GMT

England

English Oak Vineyard, Flowers Drove, Poole, Dorset. England

English wines of the highest quality lovingly made by Andrew & Sarah Pharoah

Chinkapin Sparkling Rose, 2017 Delicious, and made in Dorset!! £27.95

Englemann Sparkling Brut, 2017 Perfectly dry with lovely balanced fruit. £27.95

FRANCE

Fri, 13 Dec 2019 10:49:11 GMT

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Les Vignes d’Oc. Southern France

White Varietals

Chardonnay 2018 Superb buttery Chardonnay with a mouth-watering acidity. £ 7.95

Sauvignon 2018 Lovely fresh citrus driven Sauvignon, great fruit and perfectly dry. £ 7.95

Red Varietals

Merlot 2018 This delicious red wine is the product of an exceptional terroir. £ 7.95

Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 Luscious ripe red berry fruit with good balancing tannins. £ 7.95

Grenache, Syrah Rôse 2018 Totally unpretentious crisp, dry Rose of superb quality. £ 7.95

Riviera Wines of France

Fantastic value everyday quality drinking wines of France

Sauvignon 2018 Classic Sauvignon with a gentle rounded finish £ 6.99 Merlot 2017 Rounded ripe fruit with a hint of almonds £ 6.99 Pinot Noir 2017 Truly delicious Pinot Noir that could pass for a Burgundy any day. £ 7.95

Chateau Martouret 2016

Nerigean. Entre-Deux-Mers. Bordeaux. France

The sty le of this delightful claret is more akin to the St Emilion area than the Medoc,

We have stocked this wine form over 36 years !!!! £11.95

Domaine Andre Colonge

Lancie. Beaujolais. France

Fleurie 2016

This is a rich and gutsy red wine but is still defined by its finesse and style. £15.95

Domaine Sylvain Bailly

Bue, Sancerre.

Sancerre Blanc 2017

Distinctly minerally with delicious fresh Sauvignon fruit & great finesse. £19.95

Sancerre Rosé 2017/18

This fruity Pinot Noir based Rosé is a joy to drink. £19.95

Domaine Vincent Girardin

Meursault. Burgundy. France

Bourgogne Pinot Noir Terroir Noble 2016 £19.95

This Biodynamic red wine from the heart of the Burgundy is truly a testament to this producer’s skill.

Domaine Roger Sabon, Chateauneuf du Pape

Southern Rhone

La Sabounet Rouge

This delightful light red wine is the product of some very clever wine making £ 9.95

Lirac Rouge 2018

I always detect a fragrance of Lilac and Rosemary in these delicious gentle wines; this

fine example would drink well with Lamb or light Game. £17.95

Domaine De La Charbonniere

Vacqueyras Rouge 2016

Classic Southern Rhone style showing a little oak barrique ageing. It is a little closed

at the moment but another year will pay dividends. £19.95

Domaine de Boissan

Cuvee des Princes d’Orange

Cotes du Rhone Villages 2016

Wow, Rich ripe fruit flavours of Grenache with a crisp balancing acidity. Just like

Southern Rhone used to taste. £13.45

Domaine Christian Bonfils

Fontvive, Vin de Pays de Vaucluse 2018

This is a delightful light red wine with real vigour and Joie de Vivre. £10.85

Le Haut de Vignes, Delalande

Chinon Rouge 2018

Mellow Cabernet Franc Fruit with light and manageable tannins £15.95

La Grand Cru Blancs

Macon Loche 2016

The obvious rounding out of acidity by malolactic fermentation is evident in this

s ophisticated white Burgundy. Chardonnay fruit is balanced with generous alcohol. £14.95

Domaine Du Haut Bourg, Loire

Sauvignon 2017/18

Lovely fresh Sauvignon from a great vineyard near the Grand Lac. £ 9.95

Cabernet 2016/17

Cab Sauvignon & Franc, what a delicious blend, spicy with soft tannin £ 9.95

Gamay 2017/18

Very easy drinking red wine, a bit like sturdy Beaujolais!! £ 9.95

Champagne Gallimard Pére et Fils. Les Ricey, Aube Valley. France

Cuvée Reserve Brut nv

This is a Pinot Noir based Champagne . It is not your austere cuvee typical of some of

the more northern growers but a perfectly dry, fruit driven white sparkling wine of

impeccable balance. £29.95

Beau Rocher Vin Mousseux NV

This is a great example of these lovely sparkling wines from France, light, refreshing

and perfectly dry. £ 9.25

A Great Grape Experience

Mon, 25 Nov 2019 15:53:45 GMT

Not many wine drinkers and probably fewer wine merchants have taken the trouble to discover the toil that goes into making a bottle of wine. For over three thousand years the making and imbibation of wine has been undertaken and enjoyed. Many talk of the climate, the vinification process and the technology involved, but few go to find out what happens in the beginning. It is a constant source of amazement to me that wine making must be one of the most ancient industries in history and although methods have progressed the basic requirements of planting, pruning and picking have changed very little. O.K. we have tractors and trailers, sharper blades and rubber gloves to aid us in our work yet there are certain jobs that can only be done by hand and carried out in the same manner as they would have been thousands of years ago.

September 1998 - “La Vendange”

Having travelled down through France to Beaujolais I was escorted from Macon Ige station to a rather beautiful rustic Chateau nestling in the hillside, surrounded by hectares and hectares of vines resembling a patchwork of green.

“What on earth do your want to do this for?” - I was asked.

“What had I let myself in for?” - I asked myself.

I had been told that I would be well fed (no cooking, no washing up! – a bonus), that I would be expected to drink copious quantities of wine (home from home), and I had been advised to bring my oldest clothes which could be discarded when the job was finished!

I woke in the dark the following morning, dressed, breakfasted and donned a large green “impermeable”. Armed with a black bucket, a pair of secateurs and rubber gloves I followed a group of similarly attired “grape pickers” out into the rain only then did I begin to wonder what I was doing! The atmosphere was, however, reminiscent of the mountains, the fresh air, freedom and a promising day ahead mixed with the feeling of duty and direction overrode.

I saw what needed doing, found a row of grapes and started to snip. “Pas feuilles – no leaves” I was told as I wended my way along my first row of vines. The rain continued and my anxieties grew. My family was cosily ensconced at home in England probably still in their beds drinking tea and eating biscuits and I had chosen to come here and do this.

In Beaujolais so as to conform with the laws of “appellation” it is imperative that the grapes are picked by hand and that excludes the use of modern grape picking machines. There were 2 teams of grape pickers who worked in different parts of the vineyard. Each picking team consisted of 2 tractors and trailers, about 40 pickers, 4 jarlots (hod carriers), a very French gentleman who sorted the grapes in the trailer and “Monsieur” the boss. I knew no one except the 2 girls with whom I was sharing a room and had met the previous night.

The work was to continue until all the grapes had been picked and that could be 12/14 days, the wine making process begun and the harvest had to be gathered in. Even in my student days I had never undertaken such menial work as this, 8 hours a day come rain or shine. I stopped looking too far ahead! – the repetition, the monotony! - I had been promised a cheese and chocolate break at 8.45 am and I looked forward to that!

Cheese, chocolate, meat, “long bread” and hot strong black coffee soon became a ritual to welcome each morning. On the first morning the break was spent sheltering in a barn where I was to meet the only other English speakers on the vineyard, 3 lovely Dutch girls fresh from school – we shared the same jokes but I was definitely old enough to be their mother! Convinced that the day’s work must be curtailed due to the weather conditions we waited patiently to be sent back to the Chateau – this was not to be and as soon as there was a small break in the rain we returned to the vineyard where once again we hid inside our raincoats and with our snippers at the ready we began to refill our buckets.

At last lunchtime arrived, all were hungry, aching, not to mention wet! Forty grape pickers wended their way back towards the Chateau for repas. Communal meals became a highlight in the day. The Refectory was in the central courtyard; it felt warm and inviting and was a pleasure to enter. The English-speaking contingent gathered together for company and found amusement by finding suitable names for the other folk at the tables.

To relieve the monotony of the hours in the fields we decided to arm ourselves with walkmans and our favourite music, yet knowing that there was no way we could get to the shops to replace our batteries the need to conserve them was important. I saved my enjoyment for the beginning of the second or third row of grapes, depending on the company I was working with. Sometimes conversation was enjoyable but in selfish moments I allowed my thoughts and the music to take over. Pickers could be heard across the vineyard as they sang in Karaoke style along with their favourite artists.

As the buckets were filled the ”Jarlots” would come down the rows, they carried their large hods on their back into which the pickers would tip their full buckets, “En vide - any to empty” they would call. If the going was slow they would put down their hods to help a poor tired picker with her chore by working alongside until she had caught up with those faster more experienced members of the group further along the row.

The pecking order of the pickers soon reared its ugly head as two of us were roughly pushed aside one afternoon by an older group of workers – the issue was obviously important! Having been thus treated our new French acquaintances gathered round us in support and we enjoyed half explained stories and much revelry as we communicated in each other’s languages. The ice had been broken, new friendships were emerging along with some very interesting characters.

The mass of unfamiliar faces was beginning to fall into groups. There were the itinerant workers, who when unemployed roamed the countryside taking on casual agricultural jobs. One new friend had been grape picking locally for eight years, his plan was to move on to apple picking, cherry picking then olive picking presumably moving south towards Spain as the autumn progressed. In November his idea was to come to England and become a barman in London.

There were many students studying different subjects in various French cities. Gwynille and her two brothers had been at the Chateau the previous year with a large group of friends from their hometown and had returned – this had obviously been an enjoyable experience. They partied in the evenings and I was invited to join them on the occasion of Stefan’s birthday. Stefan turned into a star, he had been the first French student to come and talk with me and on the final afternoon of work he appeared in the fields dressed in a borrowed T-shirt with suitable stuffing and a lace skirt, hilarity took over as he posed for a photo call and proceeded to pick dressed in his newly acquired attire

There was a “lost soul” who twitched nervously at the dining table and chain smoked, he made his departure one afternoon by striding purposefully away from the Chateau in his black leather jacket with his ruck sack on his back. He looked cheery and expectant and waved at his friends who responded with approval. He appeared elated with his newfound freedom, yet knowing that the village lay 4 kilometres ahead I wondered how long his high spirits would last.

The groups were slowly diminishing yet the hard core of pickers worked on. The weather had not been conducive to outdoor work and the cold and wet of the first few days had indeed discouraged some from continuing. Only a hot shower at the end of the day could revive spirits and this was only possible if one was first back to the Chateau. Once the daily ration of hot water was exhausted one had to tolerate a cold shower after which one day I climbed into my only set of clean clothes and clambered into bed for warmth. However, when the sun shone, which it did after the first week, and bunches of grapes began to feel warm in out hands the beauty of the surrounding area and romantic nature of the work held me spellbound.

At the end of the day a highlight was to clamber onto the trailer and hitch a lift back home. Towed by the vineyard tractor with its long “legs” which allowed it to straddle the vines as it ploughed down the rows, we would bump along the tracks laughing and joking as we bounced over the ruts and wended our way up through the walnut avenue towards the Chateau as the shadows lengthened. We then washed our sticky grape stained buckets out in a large container of welcoming warm water – this became an enjoyable chore and there was usually some poor fool who got wet or even thrown into the tub. Friendships formed and developed and as the work drew to a close all began to discuss their future plans. Some would move on elsewhere to another harvest, others would return to their families, there were those who planned holidays and students who would be returning to their studies. Everyone had a different experience to look forward to.

The final picking took place in a special private garden that nestled around the Chateau. The “Close” was always picked last and was followed by the choosing of the “Queen of the Harvest” who took her flowers into the cuvage, where the wine was made, and placed them on the final vat to have been filled with grapes.

Spirits were high as “grape picking clothes” were discarded and clean happy faces waited to receive their remuneration. Harvest supper awaited and all joined in the revelry. I asked my French friend why everyone was standing on their seats singing in loud interaction across the Refectory. He had no idea although he was part of the chanting party. Soon everyone was joining in and the celebration continued well into the night.

My sabbatical over I reflected on my experiences with nostalgia. The initial outrage at the sheer repetitiveness of the work had been overridden by the sheer delight of the atmosphere. The solidarity of supportive team spirit and the romantic aura of communal chateau life had proven completely addictive.

Could it be that this industry will remain unaltered for yet another thousand years for future generations to discover? I hope so!