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We lack not songs, wrote William Blake in his poem “To Summer”. Just like him, these last months I have been able to rediscover Nature, friendship and conversation, all of them much needed in covid-19 times. I have also encountered some new wines along the way that I would like to recommend.
In July I had dinner in Madrid at Berlanga, the best place in the city to enjoy rice. This great restaurant is a creation of José Luis Berlanga, an artist like his father, chef and movie director. We tried a very pale rosé called Clos de Lôm, from Valencia, a wine made with the Monastrell grape of great volume. It was an invitation to enjoy summer: red fruits, citric notes and a long finish (12 euros). Then José Luis opened for us a bottle of La Calva Malacabeza 2018, perhaps the best Ribera del Duero wine I have tasted this year, a wine of light red colour and very subtle combination of fruit and time.
A few weeks later in Majorca, we discovered a new red wine, OM, from Oliver Moragues wineries (15 euros), a coupage of two local grapes with Syrah and Cabernet sauvignon, perfect to enjoy in the garden with friends. In those magical days we also tried another island wine, this one from the Canaries, El Lance, Suertes del Marqués (14 euros) a red full of music and songs.
“Summer is Delight”, wrote Emily Dickinson. I cannot agree more with her. This is the time when life begins over (according to F. Scott Fitzgerald), when everything feels new and all makes sense. I am lucky to spend this season, once again, between Galicia and Mallorca, and to enjoy Nature every day, in its Atlantic and Mediterranean splendours. From the Sil river to the valleys of the Ulloa, from the bay of Alcudia to the mythical mountains of Sierra Tramuntana, two wines stand out these summer days.
The first one is Twenty Twelve, a Majorcan wine from the Es Fangar winery, presented in a bottle typically used for a gin or another strong liquor. It is made with the Muscat grape in Felanitx, with a touch of Prensal and Viognier grapes. It has a very smooth and lasting taste, with hints of lemon and a beautiful yellow and green colour (13 euros).
The second one is a classic Rioja, Martínez-Lacuesta Crianza 2015, in Magnum format (29 euros). This is an unpretentious and profound red that reconnects you with a time when wines were true to the terroir and did not go over their head to earn points to obtain global market recognition. Nevertheless, this old family winery has updated its wine making technique and offers amazing quality at very competitive prices.
Iberians on wine 