La Malvar 2024

-

The year was 2016 when Aldi Nord has launched a publicity campaign which has somehow irritated me: 

 


 

 Translated to English, this would mean something like: "Uncomplicated, because you don't need 10 kinds of lemon varieties, but just lemons."

This simplification of products, its specificities and varieties to the general public is one of the main reasons why we are losing a rich heritage of fruits and vegetables a bit all over the world. There are major parts of our society which are ignoring the diversity existing in our nature and how you can use it to enrich your diet. 

Exactly the same happens with grapes. 

I was born in a wine region that still partially insists on planting "international" grapes  in order to make it more visible and understandable to the external market. Even though you can find some nice examples of Syrah around, I have tried too many Gewürztraminer or Cabernet Sauvignon that do not really reflect the characteristics of the terroir where they grow and make most of the wines anonymous.

In order not to lose this heritage and to enrich our wine experiences, I can only recommend to try to discover new grapes.

That is what I have done with Malvar. 

Originary from the spanish region of Castilla, there are only 39ha of it planted, being already inscribed in the list of threatened species.

Even though Jancis Robinson has described it as a grape that is rather rustic in its aromatic profile, I have found this La Malvar tremendously fresh dominated by elegant citrus and very far away from "rustic".

In fact, I found it fresher than I was expecting after having came across the information that the wine also had a passage in barrels.  Still, it is not really noticeable as I felt it has only given more depth to the complexity the amphora offers to it. 

Without being a tremendously aromatic wine, it offers great texture and proportionates a broad gastronomic pairing possibilities.

This was not the first time that I came across this wine and it was definitely not the last as the world needs this kind of grapes to enrich our days.  

  

 

 

16,5/20

Country: Spain
Region: Castilla
Grapes: Malvar
Winemaker: Margarita Madrigal, Gonzalo Rodriguez, Alexandra Schmedes
12,5%
Link: https://www.bodegasmasquevinos.com/producto/la-malvar-de-mas-que-vinos/

 

Location: Hamburg, Germany

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sophenia Antysynthesis Parcela Río Seco 2022

-
Image
That the world's most planted red grape is a cross between cabernet franc and sauvignon blanc is nothing new.  That an argentinian winemaker has decided to combine both grapes inside a wine that may arise a bit more curiosity. To me, at least, it has from the very first moment as a friend of mine has told me about it.  Having met shortly before Christmas I had the opportunity of trying it and it was quite an astonishing moment. Even though the Sauvignon Blanc accounts for only 6% of the cuvée it is quite interesting to feel how the methoxypyrazine character has influenced the dominant Cabernet Franc. But still not quite as intensive as Cabernet Sauvignon. But the green pepper notes were quite lively, bringing freshness into a  Cabernet Franc dominated by intense red fruits and spices as well as a tremendous intensity.  This wine is the living proof that the wine world is incredibly fascinating and that something really exciting is happening where new borders and con...
Read more

Quinta da Fata Encruzado Crú 2021

-
Image
 It is now a couple of months that I am getting a newsletter from a wine shop where a wine from this winery is wrongly written. Fara insted of Fata may seem, and it sure is, a simple typing mistake, but week after week it seems to me rather sloven as if no care is being paid to it. Another example is on this flyer that I have found at a shop where there's a picture of a Shyraz bottle, with a title of a GSM and as a grape it is given Cabernet Sauvignon. Puzzling, to say the least. What about the following?  A complete disconnection between image and content. A wine from Valencia with the description of a Portuguese Vinho Verde. I believe no further comments are needed.  Having recently been busy ordering wine online for a wedding to which I was responsible to do the wine pairing I have come across countless mistakes and texts which varied from a lyrical romanticism to pure carelessness in order to try to feed people's fantasies about what wine really is in a strange cock...
Read more

Casa da Passarella O Fugitivo Bastardo 2020

-
Image
 A couple of months ago I have gone through a rather emotional moment as a shelf I have just started putting my wines in the basement has suddenly fallen apart.  I can not really find the appropriate words to describe the shock it has taken over me as I have seen an almost literal river of wine gurgling out of the broken bottles invading the basement of my neighbours as well.   After having cleaned a mess of broken glasses that were swimming in a dark and almost viscous liquid that has left an intense smell all over the garage attracting a huge number of neighbours that have came to witness my misery, I have decided not to have a look at what I have lost.  I know there were a couple of bottles that I have bought for a special moment but, instead of looking to what I have lost, I have decided to celebrate the ones that have survived.  One of them was this Bastardo from Casa da Passarella. And I couldn't be more happy about it.  This has been a wine that...
Read more