Saint Vincent of Saragossa is honoured every year on the 22nd of January as the patron saint of winemakers. Originally a Christian Martyr in Spain, legend has it that while travelling one day Saint Vincent stopped to talk to some workers in a vineyard and his donkey nibbled on the vines. That year those vines produced the best crop. From this, the workers discovered the benefits of pruning. Nowadays, according to tradition in some areas pruning does not start until after the feast of Saint Vincent.

So here is a selection of Spanish wines to honour Saint Vincent this weekend!

Gran Vendema Rioja Crianza
After spending 12 months aging in oak, this Crianza has plenty of oaky vanilla notes on the nose mixed with raspberry and strawberry finished off with a soft palate.

Marqués de Cáceres Rioja Blanco
This white Rioja has an impressively aromatic nose of apple and pear with a touch of floral notes, following with a fruitful palate with a delightful freshness.

Marqués de la Concordia Rioja Reserva
Aged for 24 months in oak barrels this wine has a complex nose blending ripe fruits, spices and cedar. With black fruits dominating the smooth palate which has hints of coffee and chocolate.

Martin Codax Albariño
This delicate white wine has hints of spices and sweets fruits on the nose with a refreshing palate of stone fruits with a slight hint of honey and a floral finish.

Marqués de Riscal Rioja Reserva
Regarded as one of the top examples of traditional Rioja this reserva has been aged for a 26 months in oak, with further bottle aging. Toasted oak combining with vanilla and red fruits on the nose are rounded off with smooth tannins and a fruity palate.

Viña Muriel Rioja Gran Reserva
Oaked aged for 24 months and a further 3 years bottle aging having given this wine a wonderful complexity. Dried fruits like figs and raisins blend with subtle spice notes on the nose and are rounded off by well integrated tannins that add a smoothness to the palate with a lingering finish.

Say hello to Jaymi in Evesham on twitter @majesticevesham

Shortly after being woken by my alarm at 5 am I left the sleepy shores of the United Kingdom with a group of Majestic staff and embarked on a trip to Spain for a tour of the Codorníu winery. The winery itself is conveniently situated just twenty five minutes outside of Barcelona near Sant Sadurní in North Eastern Spain. Clear blue skies and a cool Mediterranean breeze welcomed us for our onward journey to the vineyard itself. Driving through a sea of manicured vineyards up to the main house was an impressive sight indeed; vines basking in sunshine and avenues of busy workers enveloped by rolling hills.

Upon our arrival to the main house, which dates back to the fifteenth century, we were invited for a short lunch consisting of intricately made tapas and a glass of finely chilled Pinot Noir Cava. This was the perfect beginning to the tour after an early start to the day. We were introduced to the winery’s centuries-old family history in perfect English by our Spanish guide, who seemed to be as passionate about Codorníu as its early pioneers would have been.

Their cellar collection consists of deep caves spanning five floors. Some caves date back to when the winery was founded in 1551 and were dug out by hand, whilst the new floors have been built on a much grander scale. Contained amongst the caves in an upper level is a small, delightfully decorated chapel for private use to the family and its workers. As a visitor experiencing the winery for the first time, the chapel felt like the heart of the place, pulsing the lifeblood of the Codorníu family into the character of the wine. Unique to Codorníu is the train ride, which showcases the sheer size of the deepest and oldest cavity encompassed with sparkling wines of different vintages. Not being gimmicky at all, it’s the perfect solution to experience the vast warren of avenues en-masse.

The tasting took place under the careful supervision of chief winemaker, Bruno Colomer. He was most welcoming and incredibly passionate about his job. Working in unison with his surroundings and his dedicated team of oenologists, he has produced some sublime products, all of which were laid out in front of me and inviting me to dive in and have a taste. Bruno informs me that he is driven by excellence and holds a strict graded grape selection process to make the base wine for all of their Cavas. Unlike some producers of Cava that buy a base wine from various producers, Codorníu prides itself on producing sublime single varieties of their own to assemble their Cavas. Growing their own grapes to be vinified gives the winery’s ethos a true understanding of hierarchy and uniqueness, which focuses on the heart of the product, good quality estate produced wine.

My Favourite Cavas from Codorníu:

Codorníu Extra Brut is a delicately dry, light bodied Cava which displays notes of green apple, citrus and almond, and finishes with a light brioche character. It’s reasonably priced and great value for the money when you look at how much effort goes into producing it. I’m a huge fan.

Reina Maria Cristina Brut Reserva Vintage. This award winning brut Cava was originally launched in honour of the regent Queen of Austria who granted Codorníu the official provider of the Royal House in 1897. Beading fine, persistent bubbles, this Cava is deliciously dry and has fresh, light floral aromas. Being well rounded with a luscious mouth feel, the RMC embodies pear and brioche flavours. This was my overall favourite from the tasting.

Get yourself a ticket to Barcelona, go to the winery and give yourself the whole day free to wander around and experience the magic of Codorníu. Or just pop in and try what I tasted. Celebrate, experience, enjoy.

If you’d like to hear more about what Tim and the rest of the Majestic Bangor team are up to you can follow them on twitter @majesticbangor or visit their store webpage www.majestic.co.uk/bangor

I’ve always loved the pungent and full flavour of the very popular Sauvignon blanc grape, but I was on the search for something a bit different in my white wine drinking experience. Being a big fan of Asian cuisine after my travels to Thailand and being quite obsessed over all styles of curry and spiced food, I was introduced to the wonders of Gewürztraminer, a perfect partner to my favoured meal. It made sense with Gewürz meaning spicy in its name! It was then that I discovered the complexities of the flavour that this grape can show in the glass and how very aromatic and delicious the wine is… especially with a red Thai prawn curry. It also has the ability to match with blue cheeses, foie gras and even tropical fruit salads.

When a new Gewürztraminer to the Majestic range came into our store, I felt compelled to write about this fantastic grape variety. We at Majestic have all been talking about the Tiefenbrunner Castel Turmhof Gewürztraminer from Alto Adige, which is simply stunning. It will join the ever-growing list of wines from this fantastic grape that I have tasted and enjoyed since I joined Majestic six months ago.

A grape variety that is distinct and bold, Gewürztraminer is easily recognisable with its highly perfumed aromas and unique flavour. Styles can vary from dry, to some wonderfully sweet dessert wines. It is a serious wine that delivers an array of plentiful and delicious exotic flavours, especially lychee and its hall-mark of heavily scented roses. Once you have tasted wines from this great grape variety, there will be no going back.

Alsace in Eastern France is where the wine makers have focused much attention in producing some fine examples of this aromatic grape variety, where it is the second most planted variety. Other great wines from this grape are made in the mountainous Northern Italian region of Alto-Adige, bordering Australia and Switzerland - rumoured to be the true origin of Gewürztraminer. The New World has also started to plant this grape variety with great success, which can be found as far-flung as New Zealand and Chile. Here are my top Gewürztraminers from around the world:

Viñas del Vero Gewürztraminer 2009 Somontono, Spain

Lighter in body than the others, this wine has an intense lifted floral nose, with rose and honeysuckle amid a burst of tropical fruit. There is a hint of sweetness on the finish, which would match perfectly with fragrant seafood dishes or spiced fish dishes.

Villa Maria Private Bin Gewürztraminer 2009/2010 Gisborne, New Zealand

This wine is off dry in style, with the classic aromas of lychee and spice. It is a full-bodied wine with a fruity palate, with low acidity levels which is often found with this grape variety giving the wine a rich and soft mouthfeel. Perfect with Asian cuisine. more info

Domaine Zind Humbrecht Gewürztraminer  2009 Alsace, France

From a prestigious producer, this wine oozes tropical fruit and gingery spice. Off dry, with a well-balanced level of residual sugar helping bring out all the flavours in the wine. Still withplenty of acidity providing the wine with a fresh and crisp finish. Perfect with smoked fish. more info

Tiefenbrunner Castel Turmhof Gewürztraminer 2009 Alto Adige, Italy (New to Majestic)

A complex wine showing the fruits full character; aromas of honey, ginger and tropical fruit fill the nose. The palate is continues from the nose with lychee and stone fruit more dominant, it’s rather delicious! Pair with my favourite cheese, gorgonzola or Asian spiced seafood, mmm yum. more info

Now it is time for me to relax at home with some delicious Asian cuisine and a glass of wine made from this very charismatic grape variety!

If you’d like to hear more about what Leigh and the rest of the Majestic Swansea team are up to you can follow them on twitter @majesticswansea or visit their store webpage www.majestic.co.uk/swansea

Last month I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to visit a couple of our suppliers out in Spain, Bodegas Bilbainas (famous for their Vina Pomal range) and the Cava giant Codorniu. Both wineries are now part of the same family owned group, but both have a long history which, in the case of Codorniu, goes all the way back to 1551!

First stop was Haro in Rioja, where it was illuminating to see that many of the wineries, including Bodegas Bilbainas, are clustered around the train station. Rioja enjoyed its first boom when the Railway arrived, opening up a trade route to the port at Bilbao. From there the wines were shipped to far flung corners of the Spanish Empire. The importance of this trade is reflected in the winery’s name, which comes from the fact that it was established by a group of Industrialists from Bilbao, in order to keep their workforce well lubricated!

The railway north also helped Rioja to its second boom in the 1860s, when vine diseases devastated Bordeaux. French winemakers headed south over the Pyrenees, and brought with them the techniques that made Bordeaux so highly regarded, such as small barrel aging. By the end of the 19th century, Rioja was exporting 13 million gallons of wine per month to France.

Although these days all the wine is produced and matured in temperature controlled warehouses, the original cellars (or Calado, as they are known here) are an astonishing sight. Dug out of the bedrock by hand over 100 years ago, there is an eerie stillness as you enter. A black mold coats the walls, and the smell, aside from the expected mustiness, is reminiscent of dried fruit and an almost oloroso sherry like nuttiness. What is most astonishing the the scale of these cellars, which seem to go on for miles. It is no surprise that a few years ago they found a batch of Gran Reserva Rioja from 1978, which nobody knew existed, but had been maturing happily for 30 years! It was apparently drinking beautifully, although there was a lot of sediment.

We move through the cellars until we reach another room. The walls here, rather than being black mold encrusted rock, are white mold encrusted tiles. Asked why, our guide reveals that this was the room that was originally used for removing the yeast from bottle fermented Cava. This was a messy process, so the room was tiled so they could be easily rinsed down. Judging from the mold in this room this had not happened in this room for decades. Its a good job that all the Cava was produced in the modern winery.

Of course, most people do not associate Cava with Rioja, because most Cava comes from Catalunya, to the east, which is where we were heading next…

… we will catch up with Will and his journey to Catalunya soon!

The team at Majestic Ealing will be taking a look at various grape varieties over the coming months and posting articles on their store page. We’re posting their first instalment on the Majestic blog for all to see. Follow them here on Twitter to keep up to date with any new articles Majestic Ealing release…

This Month:  Mencia

Although it rarely makes its way to the UK, Mencia has been used for wine-making in Spain for a number of years.  Until recently it has been a case of quantity over quality, with high yielding vines producing light, relatively fragrant wines with no ageing potential. The good news is that the situation is rapidly changing and Mencia is beginning to be used to make unusual and interesting quality wines.

Mencia is predominantly grown in Ribiera Sacra and Bierzo, two sub-regions of Galacia, traditionally a very poor region of Spain. Today however the wine industry is beginning to flourish with the coastal region of Biaxas producing some excellent white wines from the floral Albariño grape. Ribiera Sacra and Bierzo are further inland, away from the cooling influence of the Atlantic ocean and therefore warmer and better suited for growing red grape varieties, and it is here Mencia is grown on steep vineyards made up of mainly schist soils where the vines are carefully managed to avoid yields becoming too high. This careful cultivation helps produce quality grapes and allows Mencia to fulfil its potential.

Majestic has a great example of the Mencia grape, the 2008 Pétalos Bierzo, Descendientes de J. Palacios, a balanced, aromatic wine with violet aromas on the nose and black cherry and cassis friut on the palate as well as subtle oak flavours. The wine is made by Alvaro Palacios, one of a group of winemakers who started producing world class wines in the Priorat region in the late 80s, and who is now succeeding in turning what was once an underused grape from a poor region in Spain into a fantastic wine.

Pétalos Bierzo 2008 Descendientes de J. Palacios

£15.99
Buy any 2 still Spanish wines between £5 and £20 save 20% = £12.79*

*Price valid until 2nd May 2011

This wine is a brand New Arrival to our Spanish range – which has 25% off this autumn!

Torres Floralis Moscatel Oro
£9.32

Buy any 2 Spanish still wines £5 – £25 save 25% = £6.99*

The Torres family have been making this Moscatel Oro, or ‘Gold Muscat’ since 1946. A non-vintage wine, created by blending to achieve a consistent signature. This wine is made in the style of a Vin Doux Naturel, similar to the dessert wines of the Languedoc. Trademark Moscatel aromas of orange blossom and honeyed fruit, accompanied by delicious spicy notes of tobacco leaf and clove. Indulgently sweet, with an enduring candied citrus zest finish. Drink with fruit puddings, crème caramel, or even ripe blue cheeses.

Buy this wine
See Torres Range

*Price valid until 1st November 2010

Working on my WSET diploma, I was very interested to work on a harvest, and so when the opportunity to work at the Martin Codax winery, in the Rias Baxas DO area of North West Spain, came up, I was thrilled to be chosen to represent Majestic.

Day 1, Monday:
Having met up with Tiffany, George and India for the very first time at Stansted airport, I knew I was going to have a great trip. We were met at Santiago airport by Pablo, the head of marketing for Codax. After checking us in to the Hotel Casa Rosita, we made our way to the winery, where we were given a tour by Maria and shown the modern technology, mixed with the traditional practices. After lunch we were driven to the first vineyard that we would be working on. A beautiful large vineyard, where the vines were trellised, so picking the grapes meant stretching and craning your neck. All the grapes were being hand picked, and placed in 20kg containers (we’d be seeing a lot of these containers over the next few days). We filled a lot of these crates over about 3 hours. We were then taken back to our hotel for a good Galician dinner of fresh shellfish; delicious with the Albariño.

Day 2, Tuesday:
Following a good breakfast we were driven back to the winery to change into our dungarees. We were then taken to a vineyard owned by Juan, the CEO at Codax. During the day we would be picking the grapes with Ivan and Pilar, (Juan’s son and wife), and a family friend. Between the seven of us we picked forty of the 20kg crates before lunch. After lunch, the vineyard was filled with more local workers, who were all very friendly and obviously worked really hard. India was the only one of us who spoke Spanish, so she spent most of the trip translating for us. Interestingly, most locals were speaking Galician, rather than Spanish, which reflected the pride the locals took in the area. We finished the day at our own leisure, and had a look round the local town, tasting some of the local wines with tapas.

Day 3, Wednesday:
Today we were given a more in-depth view of the winery by one of the winemakers, Catya. What became clear was the high standard demanded throughout production. There are two “Reception of Grape areas” where all grapes are sorted, de-stemmed, and made ready for pressing. We were then shown the vast stainless steel vats where the wine is kept to settle before bottling, and also the lab, where work was being carried out with local and national Spanish universities experimenting with many different aspects of the wine.
We then went on to the “Experimental Vineyard”, which has a number of different trellising systems, from wood, to the local and readily available, yet still fairly expensive granite. The idea here was to find out which system worked best. Again, all grapes here are hand picked. Though hard work, the weather was warm and sunny, so the four of us were happy to get stuck in with the local pickers, filling 5 crates from each of the different experimental systems, which would then be taken to the ‘micro winery’. Here, grapes from the different plots were being experimented on, and different kinds of yeast were added and the results monitored.

Day 4, Thursday:
Today began in the micro winery, collating the results from the wines we had worked on the day before. We then went for a tasting session with Mariola and Luciano, a 9th generation winemaker who really knew his stuff! We started with a vertical tasting of three Martin Codax wines, then some other local albariños, followed by the rest of the Codax wines, some of which are not available in the UK. We finished with three spirits also made by Codax. In all we tasted nearly twenty different wines. Luciano was very keen to hear our feedback, and we all certainly learned a lot. After our goodbyes at the winery we were driven back to Santiago, by another Maria. We spent the evening at leisure, having tapas and tasting different Albariños, Riojas and beers. The highlight of the night was a restaurant that stocked over 4000 Spanish wines. Pepe, the retired owner of the restaurant was very keen to see if we agreed that one of the Codax wines was better after being decanted. He was truly a larger than life character, typical of the people we met in the area. Relaxed, friendly, and very proud of their local wines, with good reason.

Looking back this was much more than a visit just to pick grapes, although there was plenty of that. Seeing a winery in full working order during the busy harvest is an awesome experience, one I heartily recommend.