Out and About July 2022 issue199
Welcome to the July 2022 edition of the most popular free leisure read in Costa Blanca Spain, Out and About Magazine Costa Blanca. Read and relax with interesting articles and to find some great restaurants and local businesses. What is going on in the local areas of Moraira, Calpe, Javea, Benissa and Altea the \areas is known as the Marina Alta 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 are out for a walk or sitting on the beach.
Welcome to the July 2022 edition of the most popular free leisure read in Costa Blanca Spain, Out and About Magazine Costa Blanca. Read and relax with interesting articles and to find some great restaurants and local businesses. What is going on in the local areas of Moraira, Calpe, Javea, Benissa and Altea the \areas is known as the Marina Alta 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 are 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 />
With summer now in full flow,<br />
today’s wine sipping turns<br />
to Rose or more accurately<br />
Rosado here in Spain.<br />
A chilled Rosado is a lovely crossover<br />
as we move into the hotter days. The<br />
three we have chosen to taste are Flor<br />
de Muga, Pago del Vicario Petit Verdot<br />
<strong>and</strong> Marques de Riscal Rioja rosado, all<br />
delightful <strong>and</strong> each very different.<br />
Rose wines are very often associated<br />
with France <strong>and</strong> in particular Provence<br />
where you find some lovely pink wines<br />
perfect for a warm summer afternoon.<br />
As with all wines however Spain is a<br />
great producer of beautiful rose wines<br />
in a variety of shades <strong>and</strong> flavours.<br />
The three we are looking at today<br />
offer a great insight into the variations,<br />
delicacies <strong>and</strong> strengths.<br />
Rose or Rosado wines, although<br />
seemingly popular to a modern audience<br />
are actually some of the oldest wines<br />
produced. These wines are made from<br />
red wine grapes produced in the same<br />
way however the time spent fermenting<br />
(or macerating) with the skin is reduced,<br />
the shorter the time together the paler<br />
the colour.<br />
As result of this, from a flavour<br />
perspective Rosado tends to resemble a<br />
light red but with brighter crisper tasting<br />
notes, primarily red fruits, flowers <strong>and</strong><br />
citrus depending on the terroir.<br />
Despite the similarities with red wine<br />
most Rosados are better drunk young to<br />
fully appreciate the youthful fragrance<br />
although some st<strong>and</strong>out Rosados can<br />
age for up to 10 years.<br />
Blush wines are actually not the same<br />
as these are made with a combination of<br />
red <strong>and</strong> white wines.<br />
Our first example to try is Flor de<br />
Muga Rioja Rosado, this is a really<br />
delightful delicate Rosado made from<br />
Garnacha grapes using only the flor<br />
must with a short maceration that<br />
creates it’s delicate pale, elegant colour<br />
<strong>and</strong> flavour. It’s wonderfully smooth<br />
<strong>and</strong> incredibly drinkable but be warned<br />
despite it’s subtle appearance it packs 14%<br />
alcohol. This is a great wine not unlike<br />
good Provence Rose, the price is around 20<br />
euro but very well worth it.<br />
The second option we have is Pago del<br />
Vicario Petit Verdot Rosado, this is a great<br />
option for red wine drinkers who find it<br />
hard to let go of their drink of choice. A<br />
deep red Rosado this is a really interesting<br />
wine, full bodied <strong>and</strong> yet light it packs all<br />
the punch of a red with all the summer<br />
freshness of a Rose whilst topping off with<br />
an impressive 15% alcohol! This wine is<br />
100% Petit Verdot from grapes grown near<br />
to Ciudad Real. At around 7 euro it’s a<br />
very interesting option to try.<br />
Our third choice today comes from<br />
the well know Marques de Riscal. This<br />
fine Rosado sits comfortably between<br />
the last 2 in both colour <strong>and</strong> taste. This<br />
is an example of a blended wine, using<br />
Garnacha, Viura <strong>and</strong> Malvasia all from<br />
young vines producing a very pretty <strong>and</strong><br />
balanced soft pink wine with aromas of<br />
strawberry <strong>and</strong> raspberry <strong>and</strong> balanced<br />
acidity to taste. This is a good allrounder<br />
that should suit most tastes.<br />
So if you are dining light this evening<br />
with a wonderful vista before you I would<br />
opt for a Flor de Muga, to accompany a<br />
delicate plate of fish perhaps a Marques de<br />
Riscal or gathering around the barbeque<br />
maybe a Pago del Vicario.<br />
Whichever you choose…. Enjoy, as it’s<br />
my birthday this month I’ll take the Muga!<br />
Un Salud<br />
Until next time, Salud!<br />
Our wine term for today is corked!<br />
This is the term used to describe a musky<br />
smelling wine that has been tainted by TCA<br />
or trichloroanisole, this is usually transferred<br />
into the wine via a cork that may have come<br />
into contact with both chlorine <strong>and</strong> mould<br />
so developing TCA. Many wine producers<br />
have tried to reduce the instances of cork<br />
taint by adopting alternative stoppers such<br />
as plastics or screw caps!