Tag: mackerel

Spain’s new wave of white wines

Botijo Blanco Garnacha Blanca, Valdejalón 2019 (Spain)

Though Spain is best known for its red wines, it is quietly, yet assuredly, making a name for itself as a key white wine producer, with lots of interesting indigenous whites to discover. Albariño from Galicia in the north-west and Verdejo from Rueda in Castilla y Leon have already begun to make their mark but there are also several less familiar grape varieties that are bringing a wide diversity of styles to Spanish white wine. Garnacha Blanca is one of them.

Garnacha Blanca is not a new grape variety. A cousin of the red Garnacha Tinta (Grenache) variety, it has been around a long time and is believed to have originated in Aragón in north-eastern Spain. It is also widely planted in Catalonia, where it is known as Garnatxa Blanca and where the Denominaciones de Origen (DOs) of Terra Alta and Alella are producing some very appealing wines, as well as in Rioja and Navarre. It is also found across southern France, particularly the Rhône Valley, where it known as Grenache Blanc, and in other regions of the world such as the US and Australia.

This Botijo Blanco Garnacha Blanca from Valdejalón in Aragón was recently awarded a score of 93 points (Highly recommended) in a Decanter panel tasting (May 2021). It is a dry, medium (+) bodied wine with high acidity, medium alcohol, and a medium (+) finish. It has aromas of blossom, apple and peach on the nose, and flavours of lemon, grapefruit and peach, with a hint of spice and minerality on the palate. An excellent match for seafood dishes, particularly oily fish. We had it with grilled mackerel and it went down a treat.

Available from Jascots (£10.85)

If you’d quite like a change from Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio, how about a Picpoul de Pinet?

Picpoul de Pinet, Duc de Morny 2019

It’s the weekend and you’re looking for something to go with your fish dish. Or perhaps it’s a Wednesday and you just fancy something refreshing to drink on its own. Either way, you’d quite like a change from Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio, so how about a Picpoul de Pinet?

Picpoul de Pinet is produced in the Languedoc region of southern France, close to Montpellier, where the Picpoul (Piquepoul Blanc) grapes that are used to make the wine can enjoy the area’s wonderful sunshine and the cooling maritime influences of the nearby Bassin de Thau (Thau Lagoon) and the Mediterranean Sea. The very name Picpoul de Pinet conjures up summer holidays, seafood restaurants right by the sea, and pure indulgence. Just the ticket for a cold and grey February night. Well, any night in fact!

Lemon-green in colour, the Picpoul de Pinet Duc de Morny is a dry wine, with high acidity. Crisp apple, pear and grapefruit aromas on the nose with pleasant hints of acacia and blossom, and flavours of crunchy apples, grapefruit and melon, with a touch of tangy, saline minerality on the palate. This is a well-balanced wine with medium alcohol, medium (+) body, and a long finish.

The Thau Lagoon is the most important site for shellfish cultivation along the Mediterranean coast and so not surprisingly, Picpoul de Pinet from the neighbouring vineyards is a perfect match for oysters. But not being in the South of France, we settled for grilled mackerel and it paired very well. The fresh, lively acidity cut through the oily richness of the mackerel, and the wine and the fish were a textbook accompaniment for each other. It is also perfectly fine by itself.

Sandhams Wine Merchants £9.49

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