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Forbes
18-05-2025
- Climate
- Forbes
Trepat In Conca De Barbera, A Catalan Grape Variety In Tune With The Times
Korni, Trempat (Trepat) and La Musa from Vins de Pedra, Conca de Barbera, Catalonia, copyright BKWine Photography You may not have heard of Conca de Barberà. The region has had its own appellation in Spain, known as Denominación de Origen (DO), since 1985. However, a significant portion of the grapes has been used in the production of sparkling Cava, and a relatively small amount of still wine has been made under the DO Conca de Barberà label. But it seems that this will soon change. The producers in Conca (as they say locally) want to focus on their own appellation and more on still wines. And they should. They have a unique grape variety, trepat, which is exclusively grown in Conca de Barberà, and which gives a style of wine that many people are seeking today. Additionally, they produce superb still wines from the Cava grapes, especially parellada and macabeu. Mas Forster vineyards in Conca de Barbera, Catalonia, copyright BKWine Photography Conca de Barberà is located inland, north of the coastal town of Tarragona. It takes just over an hour to drive here from Barcelona. The area is beautiful and mountainous, with the more famous Penedès region just to the east. Conca, like Penedès, has a Mediterranean climate with hot and dry summers and mild winters. However, the vineyards in Conca are located at 400–500 meters (1,300-1,600 feet) above sea level, which means that the temperature drops significantly at night. Marta Pedra runs the Vins de Pedra winery, and she talks about the advantage of the cool summer nights and the constant breeze, both in preserving the acidity and preventing fungal diseases. The soil contains limestone, which has good water-holding properties, so the growers are well prepared for new dry periods. A three-year drought has just ended in Catalonia. Marta Pedra and Josep Serra i Pla of Vins de Pedra, Conca de Barbera, Catalonia, copyright BKWine Photography Conca de Barberà produced a significant amount of wine in the 19th century, with large areas planted and wine exported to both northern Europe and America. However, all of this ended abruptly with the arrival of phylloxera in 1893. The following year, an agricultural cooperative was formed, the first in Spain. Through the cooperatives, the winegrowers managed to survive this challenging period. Many cooperatives were founded during the first decades of the 20th century. Today, these cooperatives remain essential for the production and the many smaller grape growers in the region. They are also a spectacular feature in the small towns. Several of the cooperatives in the Conca de Barberà region are housed in so-called wine cathedrals, built of brick with high ceilings in the Catalan modernist style, whose most notable star is Antoni Gaudí. The architect Cèsar Martinell, a student of Guidi, is famous for his wine cathedrals built around 1920. Martinell studied viticulture and vinification and specialised in constructing wine cellars. He understood the requirements, such as long, narrow, and open windows (without glass) to provide natural ventilation and coolness. El Celler Coop de l'Espluga de Francoli, "wine cathedral" in Conca de Barbera, Catalonia, copyright BKWine Photography Cellers Domenys cellar, "wine cathedral" in Conca de Barbera, Catalonia, copyright BKWine Photography 'Before the phylloxera, a third of the grapes in Conca were trepat,' says Bernat Andreu who runs Celler Carles Andreu together with his father, Carles. 'The cooperative kept trepat but mainly to make Cava Rosé, but also some still rosé wine.' Trepat makes excellent and flavourful rosé wines, but it is as a red wine that it shows its fascinating side. But it would be a while before the red trepat wines got their chance. Bernat and Carles Andreau, Conca de Barbera, Catalonia, copyright BKWine Photography Conca de Barberà received its DO in 1985, and around this time, things slowly started to change. Small independent producers began to appear, and new grape varieties were planted. Traditionally in Conca there were mainly trepat, parellada, macabeu, tempranillo, here called ull de llebre, and garnacha. Now, they also planted the internationally popular cabernet sauvignon and merlot. Trepat was still primarily used for rosé. 2000 was the next milestone. Carles Andreu started making cava in 1991. Ten years later, he wanted to make still wines as well, and in particular, he wanted to make red wine from trepat. 'In 2000, he made the first one, and for several years, this wine was the only red wine from trepat,' says Bernat, his son. But not anymore. A few years later, the red trepat trend began. 'In the 1980s, people planted tempranillo', says Josep Almirall, export manager at Cellers Domenys. 'Now they plant trepat.' Carles Andreu Parellada de Vinya l'Era del Celdoni, Conca de Barbera, Catalonia, copyright BKWine Photography 'People today want a lighter style of wine with food,' says Gonzalo Cle de Diago, national commercial director at Castell d'Or. He uses his Red Trepat, which sells for 7 euros on site, as an example. 'This one is easy to drink but still has character.' And with lots of fruit in a juicy and pleasant style, I might add. Gonzalo's description is spot on, although, of course, there are nuances of 'light' and 'juicy.' In wines such as Le Trempat from Vins de Pedra or Elixir from Celler Vidbertus, there is more complexity and intensity. But the typicality of the grape is still there. Celler Vidbertus, Elixir Trepat and 996 Garrut, Conca de Barbera, Catalonia, copyright BKWine Photography Winemaker Martí Magrinyà at Celler Vidvertus describes Trempat as follows: 'It is a light wine with a light body, fresh, not acidic, but with low alcohol, so you feel the acidity. The aroma varies depending on the vintage, but it often features notes of strawberries, a spicy note, and a hint of black pepper.' Notably, the low alcohol content in these wines is worth mentioning, as certain consumers nowadays reject wines with an alcohol content of 14% and above. Even when the grapes are picked ripe, Trepat typically has an alcohol content of no more than 12-12.5%. Harvest can sometimes occur in late October. Another advantage of trepat is its adaptability. 'It is a hardy plant, well adapted to the environment here. It can withstand drought. During the three years of drought recently, trepat and garnacha survived almost completely,' says Martí Magrinyà. Ricard Sebastìa Foraster at Mas Foraster agrees: 'Trepat has good resistance to heat and drought, just like garnacha. Garnacha has disappeared a bit in Conca because it is not used for cava, but we are planting garnacha again now to be able to blend it with trepat.' Kepa Martinez and Ricard Sebastia Foraster of Mas Foraster, Conca de Barbera, Catalonia, copyright BKWine Photography Sometimes producers put their trepat in oak barrels. This can be a good thing, although Martí Magrinyà advises caution with trepat and oak. I have tasted several lightly oaked trepat wines that are excellent, such as Domenio Trepat from Cellars Domensys and Le Trempat from Vins de Pedra. As always, oak should be used in moderation, and the lightest trepat wines tend to do best without oak. From north-facing slopes and 84-year-old vines, Mas Foraster makes its Julieta Trepat. They destem but then reintroduce 40% of the stems back into the fermentation tank, which, according to Ricard Sebastià Foraster, 'gives texture.' The result is an elegant wine with great aroma complexity. Julieta Trepat, Josep Foraster, Montblanc, Conca de Barbera, Catalonia, copyright BKWine Photography Trepat is not the only grape in Conca de Barberà, and it is common to blend trepat with other grapes. Domenio Anima Nua Cor Viu from Cellers Domenys blends tempranillo and trepat, resulting in a pleasant, refreshing fruity style after a short ageing in old oak barrels. Celler Rende Masdeu makes a white wine from trepat and blends it with garnacha blanca. The wine, called Genuïna, ferments and ages in barrels with a bit of lees stirring (batonnage), resulting in a lovely, structured wine. La Nimfa, Genuina, El Follet from Celler Rende Masdeu, Conca de Barbera, Catalonia, copyright BKWine Photography Wines from Cellers Domenys in Conca de Barbera, Catalonia, copyright BKWine Photography Of the three Cava grapes, parellada and macabeu dominate, xarel-lo does less well here. The still wines from parellada and macabeu made in Conca de Barberà are impressive and show what these grapes are capable of in a completely different way than what you would notice drinking a cava. This is evident in the vibrant Entre2 Parellada from Celler Vidbertus and the fresh, citrus-scented Folls Blanc Macabeu from Vins des Pedra. With six months of ageing on the lees, Cellers Carles Andreu Parellada has acquired a lovely mouthfeel. Another grape I came across in Conca de Barberà is garutt, which is the local name for monastrell, also known as mourvèdre in France. Vi de Fang from Celler Rendé Masdéu shows a powerful and flavourful side of the grape. 996 from Celler Vidbertus, from 100-year-old vines, has an extraordinary freshness and concentration. For many producers in Conca de Barberà, Cava remains the main product. However, the excellent still wines are increasingly demanding more attention. Producer profiles and additional wines will be featured in an upcoming article about Conca de Barberà. Stay tuned. —Britt Karlsson
Forbes
21-04-2025
- Forbes
Virginia Wine Goes To Paris
Octagon 2007, Barboursville Vineyards, Central Virginia, copyright BKWine Photography BKWine Photography The United States is the world's 4th biggest wine producer. Outside of the country, people tend to know only California wines. If you are a non-American wine enthusiast, you would probably also know the wines from Oregon, Washington, and perhaps New York State. And possibly soon, the wines from Virginia. Virginia has caught the attention of wine people despite its small production (several other smaller wine states produce more wine than Virginia). There are multiple reasons, including Virginia's focus on premium wines and its investment in wine tourism. However, their wine producers' ambition and many initiatives to make themselves known also play a part. They are proud of their wines and the potential of their wine industry. One such initiative was going to Paris in February and presenting their wines at Wine Paris, a trade fair. This also meant my first opportunity to taste the wines from Virginia. The biggest concentration of vineyards is in the de northern and central parts of the state. Virginia has 10 regions and 8 AVAs, American Viticulture Areas, the American equivalent to the French wine appellations. Monticello AVA near Charlottesville is the oldest, created in 1984. The total vineyard acreage in Virginia is 5,000 acres, planted with approximately 30 different grape varieties. Some of the most planted are well-known varieties such as chardonnay, merlot, and cabernet sauvignon. Still, we also find some more unusual ones here, such as cabernet franc, petit manseng, viognier, petit verdot, to mention just a few. More than 80% of the varieties are Vitis vinifera (European vines). That was not always the case. Thomas Jefferson brought European vines to Virginia in the late 1700s. The vines did not survive, however, probably due to the presence of phylloxera, the vine louse, in the soil. In the end, they had to contend with native American grapes. But when the modern pioneers got things going in the 1970s, they did it with Vitis vinifera vines, this time properly grafted onto American rootstocks. In this Forbes article you can read more about the phylloxera crisis : How Texas Saved The French Wine Industry. The rebirth of the Virginia wine industry started on a small scale. In the mid-1990s, Virginia had around 50 wine estates. The industry grew as the region developed, and the number of estates doubled in ten years. Today, there are more than 300 wine estates. Together they attract 2,5 million visitors a year. Barboursville Vineyards, one of the pioneers, was, in 1976, the first winery to successfully plant European grapes, says Luca Paschina, the manager. Barboursville Vineyards is a 900-acre estate, 170 of which are vineyards. Their superb top wine, Octagon, is something of a reference for Bordeaux blends in Virginia. 'Octagon is a classic Bordeaux blend, 'says Luca, 'merlot and cabernet franc adapt very well to our soil. We have now skipped cabernet sauvignon as cabernet franc gives greater consistency.' I tasted Octagon from 2007, a 'great vintage' according to Luca. Octagon 2007, Barboursville Vineyards, Central Virginia 60 % merlot, 22 % cabernet franc, 14 % cabernet sauvignon, 4 % petit Verdot. A very well-balanced wine with a smooth and silky mouth feel, black currant and dry herb aromas and a good freshness. European influence is not uncommon in Virginia. Italians founded Barboursville. King Family Vineyards was established in 1998 and has a French winemaker, Matthieu Finot, originally from Crozes-Hermitage in the Rhône Valley. He travelled the world before settling in Virginia, which he did in 2003. He is a very keen promoter of the Monticello Wine Trail. Brut Blanc de Blancs 2021, King Family Vineyards, Monticello AVA, Virginia A delicious sparkling made with the traditional method with a second fermentation in the bottle. Chardonnay gives freshness, lightness, and complexity. (~30$ from the estate) Brut Blanc de Blancs 2021, King Family Vineyards, Monticello AVA, Virginia, copyright BKWine Photography BKWine Photography Loreley 2021, King Family Vineyards, Monticello AVA, Virginia This sweet wine is made from petit manseng, originally from southwest France. 'We used to do this wine with viognier, but it is better with petit manseng,' says Matthieu. 'It is made with the vin de paille method, the way they do it in the Jura and the Rhone Valley. The grapes are picked very ripe and are dried for three weeks before pressing.' The wine ferments and ages in barrels, 50% acacia and 50% French oak. The acidity is particularly refreshing, which is precisely what Matthieu is looking for. Delicious aromas of white flowers and apricots. (32$ half bottle, from the estate) Loreley 2021, King Family Vineyards, Monticello AVA, Virginia (back label), copyright BKWine Photography Luca Paschina at Barboursville Vineyards likes cabernet franc, and he is not the only one in Virginia. Justin Rose at Rosemont Vineyards believes their soil is optimal for cabernet franc. The 450 acres of the Rosemont Estate have been in the Rose family since 1858. The family used to have cattle, dairy farming, corn, and other crops, but in 2003 they developed the vineyard and started making wine on a small scale, blending different clones and rootstocks. The vineyard of 30 acres is ideally situated between two lakes. Cabernet Franc 2017, Rosemont Vineyards, La Crosse, Southern Virginia This is quite a powerful cabernet franc with spices, tobacco, violets, and dark cherries on the nose and palate. It is structured with firm tannins but still with a certain smoothness in the finish. (~30$) Cabernet Franc 2017, Rosemont Vineyards, La Crosse, Southern Virginia, copyright BKWine Photography BKWine Photography Only three wine estates in Virginia were founded before 1980. Chateau Morrisette is one of them. The family Morrisette planted its first vines in 1977 and made their first wines five years later. David Morrisette, the third generation, now runs the estate. The production has grown fast, from the 650 cases the family made in the beginning to the 50,000 cases made today. I tasted Chateau Morrisette's white wine made from the vidal grape. Vidal blanc is a high-quality hybrid. The Vitis vinifera parent is ugni blanc (trebbiano in Italy). Vidal is generally very resistant to cold winters, and it resists downy mildew, a common fungal disease, and grey rot. The grape does very well in Virginia. Vidal Blanc 2023, Chateau Morrisette, Blue Ridge, Virginia Vidal Blanc 2023 is delicious and dry, with citrus flavours and a certain salinity. David uses only stainless-steel tanks to enhance the freshness and the fruity flavours. (~30$ from the estate) Vidal Blanc 2023, Chateau Morrisette, Blue Ridge, Virginia, copyright BKWine Photography BKWine Photography Hark Vineyard's winemaker, AJ Greely, is also the current president of the Virginia Vineyards Association, so she is constantly promoting the region, helping the producers with communication, informing them about research, helping expand the Virginia wine industry and so on. Before taking the helm at Hark Vineyards, she worked ten years with different Virginia winemakers, so she is well suited for the job. The family Hark bought their first land in 2015. 'In 2016, we planted 10 acres of vines, chardonnay, merlot, petit verdot, and cabernet franc', says AJ. 'One and a half acres was petit manseng. 2019 was our first harvest in our own winery.' From the petit manseng, she now makes a very pleasant off-dry white wine. Petit manseng lends itself perfectly to both crispy dry whites, off-dry whites, and sweet wines. Hark Vineyards Petit Manseng 2021, Earlysville, Central Virginia Excellent wine with notes of honey, a good structure and a full body. Fermented in stainless steel and aged in concrete tank which, says AJ, gives the wine a certain roundness. (~34$ from the estate) AJ Greely of Hark Vineyards and Luca Paschina of Barboursville Vineyards, Virginia, copyright BKWine Photography BKWine Photography Petit Verdot is an interesting and unusual grape that is present in Virginia. It is originally a Bordeaux grape that almost disappeared from Bordeaux but started making a comeback there some 15-20 years ago, especially in Médoc. We can now find it in small quantities around the wine world. It is one of the varieties Michael Shaps planted in his vineyard in the AVA Monticello. 'The vineyard is at 900 feet altitude, it gives a good quality potential and a true sense of place', says Michael. 'We can do a nice varietal wine; the tannins ripen lovely, and we do a two-year oak ageing with 50% new barrels'. Michael Shaps Wineworks Petit Verdot 2017 This is an excellent example of a petit verdot wine: dark in colour, intense and concentrated, long taste, warm spices and a high, fresh acidity. (~40$ current release from the estate) —Britt Karlsson Michael Shaps Wineworks Petit Verdot 2017, Monticello, Virginia, copyright BKWine Photography BKWine Photography
Forbes
20-04-2025
- Business
- Forbes
The Comeback Of Sherry, The Remarkable Spanish Wine
Barrels in a cellar in the sherry region in Andalucia with Manzanilla, copyright BKWine Photography BKWine Photography For many people, sherry is sweet, high in alcohol and old-fashioned. Sherry is indeed a fortified wine, so it is higher in alcohol than a normal wine. However, much of the sherry production is dry and not that high in alcohol. And even though some of the high-quality sweet sherries are magnificent wines, we are particularly fond of the dry ones. These are truly unique wines. And they go surprisingly well with food. Sales of sherry have declined since its heyday. People drink less but are more demanding and ask for higher quality. Premium sherry is increasing its sales; inexpensive sherries and cream sherries (many will remember Bristol Cream) are decreasing. Carlos Gonzalez-Gordon from Gonzalez-Byass is confident: 'Sherry is coming back, and dry sherries are growing. These are gastronomic wines, and there is a lot of interest from young consumers, for instance, to combine the dry style with salty food.' Carlos Gonzalez-Gordon of Gonzalez-Byass in the sherry region, copyright BKWine Photography BKWine Photography In recent years, a new dynamic has been palpable in the three sherry towns that form the famous sherry triangle: Jerez de la Frontera, Sanlúcar de Barrameda and Puerto Santa María. More or less, all of the producers, small or large, have their cellars in one of these towns. Sanlúcar and Santa María are on the Atlantic Coast, and Jerez is half an hour inland. Traditionally, it has been the big houses that have ruled, just like in Rioja and Champagne. Still, smaller producers have emerged, adding new dimensions to this old and classic wine region. Gonzalez-Byass is one of the most famous sherry houses. It was founded by Manuel María González Ángel in 1835. Their delicious Tio Pepe, a fino, the driest style of sherry, is found in most markets around the globe. So, what is so special about sherry? Carlos Gonzales Gordon talks about five factors that stand out and make sherry the wine it is: the soil, the grapes, the solera and the two kinds of ageing, biological and oxidative. Sherry is made in Andalusia, Spain's southernmost region, where the sun is abundant. The summers are hot and dry, and it is hard to understand how the vines can survive here. The secret is in the soil. This calcareous soil, called albariza, soaks up water like a sponge when it rains and supplies the vines with moisture during the rainless summers. 'Despite the dry climate,' says Carlos, no producers here irrigate.' The white albariza soil in the sherry region in Andalucia, Spain, copyright BKWine Photography BKWine Photography A white grape, palomino, is the most important and most planted variety. It is used for all styles of sherries, fino, manzanilla, amontillado, oloroso, palo cortado. Only the very sweet sherries are made with another grape called pedro ximenes, also a white variety. Palomino thrives in the albariza soil of the sherry region. It gives a wine with a relatively neutral taste. But a sherry is much about the winemaking and the ageing in the cellar. The finished product is complex and intense in style, anything but neutral. The harvest and fermentation proceed as usual, and the wine ferments completely dry to an alcohol content of 11–12%. It is then placed in barrels that are not filled completely. After tasting, the barrels are carefully checked and divided into two main groups: a group for fino and manzanilla, the lightest wines, and a group for oloroso. Sherry is not sold with any particular vintage, but once the casks have been classified by style (fino, oloroso, etc.), they are placed in a so-called solera where casks of wine from different ages are stacked on top of each other. The oldest wine is at the bottom, and from here the wine is bottled and then topped up with the same amount from the cask above, which in turn is topped up, etc. This way, you can maintain a constant quality year after year and get a certain amount of old, characterful wine in all the bottles. A barrel cellar in the sherry region with a solera of manzanilla, copyright BKWine Photography BKWine Photography The fino/manzanilla group is fortified with spirit up to 15%. This allows the flor to develop, which will protect the wine from oxidation and at the same time give the wines a very special character. This aging is called crianza biológica. Flor is a yeast film that forms on the surface of the wine as a barrier between the air and the wine. The yeast consumes the glycerol in the wine, contributing to a fino's special, very dry character. The flor also helps the alcohol in the wine to oxidize. This produces acetaldehyde, which gives the wine a kind of saltiness and aromas of almonds. The difference between a fino and a manzanilla is that the manzanilla has aged in Sanlúcar de Barrameda. 'The flor gives taste and elegance,' says Mercedes Cantos Ruiz, owner of Bodega Juan Piñero, one of the newer cellars in the region, located in the centre of Sanlúcar. 'Here in the area, we have always made wines with flor. The yeast comes naturally thanks to the climate.' Mercedes and her team make some lovely salty, fresh and very dry manzanillas. A favourite is Maruja Manzanilla Pasada En Rama with 12 years of ageing. It is intensely delicious and complex, with a great length. Mercedes Cantos Ruiz, owner of Bodega Juan Piñero and two cellar workers in the barrel cellar, copyright BKWine Photography BKWine Photography The Oloroso group is fortified with spirits to raise the alcohol content to around 17%, thereby killing the yeasts that could have developed flor. Instead, the wines undergo oxidation during ageing, which causes the colour to darken and the aromas to concentrate. This aging is called crianza oxidativa. Oloroso is sometimes sold dry (dry oloroso/oloroso seco), a fantastic wine, but can also be sweetened with pedro ximenes wine. A barrel in a cellar in Jerez de la Frontera, Andalusia, filled with sherry where you can see the "flor", copyright BKWine Photography BKWine Photography Amontillado is a stronger variant of fino. An amontillado has undergone three years of crianza biológica. After these three years, the wine is fortified up to 17-18%, and oxidative ageing occurs instead. An amontillado is also a dry wine, but richer than a fino. Sherry is adapting to new consumer trends. The minimum alcohol level will probably soon be lowered from 15 to 14 %. A few innovative producers now make non-fortified wines with flor in the same style as fino. A fino or a manzanilla will taste very different from anything else the first time you taste it. But after the second sip you realize just how well it pairs with salted almonds, olives, Iberico ham, tuna, grilled octopus, gazpacho, gambas in garlic olive oil… And it is a wine you cannot gulp down; every sip demands reflection. —Britt Karlsson
