Actually this was back in June this year, but I decided to shelve writing it up until the autumn as both tastings involved mainly red, very autumnal wines. And very nice they were as well. I made sure that I took copious notes, so that I wouldn’t forget in between then and now how the wines tasted. I was quite impressed with myself as, on both occasions, the wine makers were Spanish and delivering their spiel in Spanish (and rightly so) with a smattering of a translation here and there. It was like being back at school doing a language exam, and I think I got a B+ !

   So, which buses eventually turned up, you ask? Well, both ‘buses’ were operated by Lewis Stagnettos Ltd (41 Main Street, tel: 78666) and whilst they were going roughly in the same direction (that’s typical of buses that turn up at once), as in Rioja and Ribera del Duero in Northern Spain (I hope they’ve got comfy seats and aircon), one was a genteel old Routemaster and the other was a transcontinental boy-racing bendy bus!

   Let’s deal with the boy-racer first. My destination on this occasion was Ribera del Duero. Initially, when I found it was a new wine to be imported into Gibraltar by Stagnetto’s, I thought ‘does Gibraltar really need another Ribera del Duero?’ The answer in my opinion is a resounding NO! (C’mon guys, there are other regions in the world (and Spain), let’s have a little imagination!) However, after the tasting I was prepared to lift my veto for this vineyard, as long as we got rid of another one (how about the ubiquitous Protos ?). The vineyard in question is, rather enigmatically, named Emina (not Vina Emina or Bodegas Emina, just Emina). This is a thoroughly modern bodega with spanking new facilities, including a state of the art bottling line housed in a glass pyramid. They have a wholesome and earthfriendly approach to their winemaking, which is refreshing. They say, and I quote, “ It is the first Integrated Sustainable Development project that uses the latest technology to make use of and recycle all the natural resources that take part in the wine making process water, grapes, energy, etc.” To that end, they burn the vineyard trimmings to produce energy, no doubt to fuel their (and the only one in the region) Aguadiente distillery. Not only that, they also do some fancy extraction of polyphenols (the chemicals that deter cells from aging) from the red grapes and produce a range of beauty products for men and women. Amazing! Imagine going to the winery expecting to come away with three cases of crianza and ending up with bottles of ‘tonic milk with vineyard extract’ and ‘foaming red wine bath gel’. It’s true! Fantastic — I always knew wine was good for the skin!

   Anyway, the wines they produce happen also to be very good for you, in moderation of course! The first, entry point wine is their Emina ’03. This has been aged in both French and American oak for 12 months and, like all their wines, is 100% Tinta del Pais (the regional pseudonym for Tempranillo). As you would expect this is a modernstyle, fruit driven wine. At only three years old, it displays its youthful character in its inky opaqueness, green fruit and spice aroma and apparent tannins. It has a lovely mouth feel and notable extract. All of this indicates to me that in about 3 or 4 years it will mature into a beautifully balanced and supple wine of good varietal character, but that’s not to say you can’t enjoy it right now.

   Their second offering is Emina Prestigio 2003. Again 100% Tinta del Pais, this time aged for 16 months in French Allier oak barrels that have undergone a ‘medium toast’. Barrels can either be natural and un-toasted, or be charred on the inside to a greater or lesser degree. The level of toast gives the winemaker more flexibility to produce different styles of wine with what is, essentially, the same product. Here the ‘medium toast’ gives a sweeter and softer oak character, with notes of vanilla and cloves. The fruit character is also softer and there is an underlying balsamic quality, which pulls all the other elements together. This is a classy wine, and again will only continue to improve with a few more years ageing.

   Finally, the last stop on this particular journey is Emina Atio 2003. Although this is produced from the same grape variety and has undergone the same length and type of oak ageing, this is a different style again to the Prestigio. The difference is due to the smaller, higher quality yield of fruit from 70 year old vines. Vines this old are probably at their optimum in terms of the quality/yield ratio. The wine displays an intense character all round, from the very aromatic nose, with ripe fruit, toasty oak and spices, and a touch of cocoa. The palate is broad, with outstanding fruit character and a long persistent finish. This is a big heart-warming and rather special wine with lots of lovely autumnal flavours and I think deserves to be served with something rather special, like maybe a suckling pig or roast rib of beef. Delicious!

   I must point out that, at the time of the tasting, all of these wines are only available wholesale from Stagnetto’s, and so I don’t think you’ll see them in the shops, but look out for them in the better restaurants and hotels in Gibraltar in the coming months and I’m sure any one of them will improve your dinner.

   Well, I’ve enjoyed the scenery from this particular bus and I can see the terminus ahead, so I better put away my pen and get ready to disembark. I will write about the other tasting in the next issue.

   So, Ding - Ding, move along the bus please! Next stop Rioja!