Who knew? White wine and blue cheese. Perfecto!
I like to learn something new each time I attend the Moraira-Teulada U3A wine tasting group and I did. It looks like I’ve been getting it wrong for well over half a century.
The lesson came at the final tasting of the season, held at the Hill Top in Moraira with six Corcovo wines brought from Valdepeñas by Domingo on his 15th visit to the tasting group down the years.
Domingo’s ebullient wingman, Javea based Franco, was describing the merits of the first wine, a new season Blanco Airén, when he recommended it would be great with the blue cheese from the platter on each table.
It was a light bulb moment for so many present who had long believed strong cheese should be paired with red wine.
Forty five tasters – including several new members and a couple who thought being there was just the best way to celebrate their 49th wedding anniversary – sampled the three whites , two reds and one rosado.
Three of the bodega’s wines recently won Gold or Silver at the biggest wine tasting competition in Spain and two of them were on offer.
Tasting continued with Verdejo and Moscato whites – the latter a lovely Gold award winning dry wine made from the usually sweet Moscatel grape and which is picked and crushed by night to avoid the high daytime temperatures.
The Silver winning Rosado with its hints of strawberry, raspberry and cherry was described by Franco as being ” None of that blush stuff, it’s three of your daily five”.
The young Tinto Joven was “Fruit,fruit,fruit”. Rounding off the evening was the ever popular Reserva produced and aged from the 2017 harvest.
The wine group will take July and August off, returning in September with a visit to watch the harvest at Bodegas Castaño in Yecla followed by a three course lunch and buying opportunity. Tastings resume in October.
Many thanks for another successful year must go to Pat and Brian Clarke who continue to give their time and effort to run the group. Thanks too to the staff at the Hill Top bar for the tasty nibbles provided.
Review by Ian Graham, Photos by Pat
