Out and About June 2022 -issue198
Welcome to the June 2022 edition Out and About Magazine Costa Blanca the weather is now in the 30's and summer is here! Enjoy reading our articles and finding out more about what is going on in Costa Blanca. You can find the handy A5 printed version of Out and About magazine, at local bars, cafes, shops, and restaurants which you can keep with you when you out for a walk or sitting on the beach.
Welcome to the June 2022 edition Out and About Magazine Costa Blanca the weather is now in the 30's and summer is here! Enjoy reading our articles and finding out more about what is going on in Costa Blanca. You can find the handy A5 printed version of Out and About magazine, at local bars, cafes, shops, and restaurants which you can keep with you when you out for a walk or sitting on the beach.
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40 | OUT AND ABOUT COSTA BLANCA<br />
Whining on<br />
with Steve<br />
Welcome to the sun inspired<br />
<strong>June</strong> edition of our<br />
monthly wine musings.<br />
This month’s wine term that<br />
is well used <strong>and</strong> often under<br />
appreciated is Terroir. There is no<br />
real translation for the French word<br />
terroir but terrain as you might<br />
expect comes the closest but is both<br />
less specific <strong>and</strong> emotive.<br />
In essence the terroir represents<br />
the soil, subsoil, underlying rock<br />
<strong>and</strong> chemical properties allied to<br />
the way in which they interact <strong>and</strong><br />
are affected by the geographical<br />
climate, light, shade, wind, rain <strong>and</strong><br />
all aspects of its topological location.<br />
All of these factors create a particular<br />
terroir <strong>and</strong> a particular growing<br />
culture <strong>and</strong> flavour for the grapes<br />
produced, the difference between the<br />
top <strong>and</strong> bottom of a slope will add<br />
variety to the growing conditions<br />
as any keen gardener is aware. A<br />
good wine maker takes all of this<br />
into account when arriving at their<br />
optimum yield <strong>and</strong> quality. The<br />
single most important aspect of the<br />
terroir, assuming it has the necessary<br />
climate for vines to flourish, is water<br />
supply <strong>and</strong> minerals, the balance<br />
of this being crucial as too much<br />
will cause the vines to become too<br />
vigorous in its growth of shoots<br />
<strong>and</strong> leaves that will inhibit the fruit<br />
growth. Too little which is a bigger<br />
risk in Spain has the opposite affect<br />
<strong>and</strong> the plant conserves energy <strong>and</strong><br />
under produces fruit. In short, the<br />
terroir is of upmost importance to a<br />
good wine.<br />
As for the wine itself today we will<br />
consider which reds can be drunk<br />
chilled.<br />
Many people dismiss this concept<br />
completely, but this shouldn’t<br />
necessarily be the case. The main thing<br />
to consider is which type of wine<br />
<strong>and</strong> how cold. The sense of smell is<br />
a key factor in enjoying a good wine<br />
<strong>and</strong> the fact that red wine generally<br />
has a higher molecular weight means<br />
that it needs to be warmer, in order<br />
for the bouquet to open up <strong>and</strong> the<br />
wine to present at its best, white<br />
wines are naturally more open on<br />
the nose when cold. For this reason,<br />
when considering a wine to be served<br />
chilled you should look for a young<br />
or “Joven” wine. Look for something<br />
fruity that has a lower alcohol content<br />
<strong>and</strong> steer clear of anything that has<br />
had any good length of time in an Oak<br />
barrel as this will not drink at its best<br />
cold.<br />
The most commonly known reds<br />
that serve well chilled are Beaujolais<br />
as they are produced primarily to be<br />
fruity wines drunk young <strong>and</strong> share<br />
similar characteristics with whites.<br />
For Spanish reds to drink at a<br />
colder temperature look for lighter<br />
Tempranillo’s or Garnacha, these are<br />
the main grapes of the Rioja region<br />
so a young low alcohol wine from<br />
here will work well. One region<br />
particularly good for young light<br />
reds is Galicia so you should find an<br />
interesting option from here.<br />
As for how much to chill a red the<br />
ideal temperature for light reds would<br />
be 10-12 degrees C, therefore for a<br />
bottle that’s<br />
at room temperature, fill an ice<br />
bucket with half ice <strong>and</strong> half water <strong>and</strong><br />
sit for 15 to 20 mins or alternatively<br />
place in the fridge for 20 minutes or<br />
so, place yourself in a nice shaded spot<br />
pour <strong>and</strong> enjoy.<br />
Until next time.<br />
Un Salud<br />
Until next time, Salud!