Editor’s Note: If you remember, a little while back, Ryan reviewed the book “Valencia, Land of Wine“, written by Joan C. Martin and translated and edited by John Maher. While, in Valencia, we asked John how he felt about writing the occasional piece for us on Valancian wine, being our resident expert and all. And to our great surprise, he agreed. You’ll see from his elegant prose and witty humor that our choice was a good one! We are very happy to have him join us and suggest you check out his profile on our “About” page for more information.

That said, his piece today is a request on my part to have him share his knowledge on the native Valencian grape, Vernil, as a reaction to a rather blah experience we had while in Valencia. Although Vernil had a nice aromatic nose, we found the palate to be a touch empty, lacking in both body and acidity. So I tried to do a little research on the grape to see if others were having the same experience, when I came across John’s description of Verdil on his website, Wines of Valencia. The proverbial light bulb went off, and it suddenly occurred to me that there would be no better person to tackle this subject than John.

John, thanks and welcome aboard!

The wine reference books I have to hand don’t have much to say about the Verdil grape. The “Oxford Companion to Wine” says it makes “rather neutral wine” in Yecla and the southernmost part of Valencia, while my much-thumbed “Dictionary of Drink” says incorrectly that it is grown in the Alicante region. …

On the Train to Valencia!
As I write, we are heading down south to the warm, sunny beaches of Valencia. We’ll be visiting with a few key people from the wine tourism industry along with a new client, who is just starting out in the world of exports. Interestingly, they own one of the largest nursery’s for vines in Spain; hence, it will be fun to see how they are grown and prepared for the vineyards. Beyond all of this, we have a tasting with an old friend whose book we reviewed here a few months ago.

We’re both excited to be able to come down here after many months away to taste new wines, as Valencia really is one of those regions that is too often overlooked, while producing some of the most exciting wines in Spain.

Joining the Rest of Iberia
Now that the weather is officially blistering hot, and Iberian businesses are closing up shop at 2pm, we felt it was appropriate to follow suit by cutting down our posting to approximately 3 times a week. I say approximately, because our correspondents now located in Andalusia, Beijing and Lisbon will be contributing as well. But keep in mind that this is only until September when we’ll return back to our normal 5 days a week publishing schedule. Hopefully our decision will help to encourage you to get outside as well this summer, far away from blinking cursors and television sets Side note: we are still looking for a correspondent in the US, and are open to anyone who has a passion for both Iberian wines and writing. Please drop us a line if you, or someone you know, …

Today, I have a treat for myself. I need a treat. It’s been one of those weeks that leaves you wondering why you even bother going to bed, since you’ll be up at back at work the minute you wake up again. Recently, my days have started to feel drawn out and full of ups and downs, and to be honest, I really didn’t want to participate in this month’s Wine Blog Wednesday even though the theme, Old World Reisling, is something I truly adore. I just don’t have the energy, but then I decided to change my attitude to become a little more relaxed and calm.

The reason I love Old World Reisling is for one simple reason, or rather one particular man, Terry Theise. If you’re not familiar with his name, please stop reading and go to his page at Skurnik Wines. Download all of his wine catalogs and start reading veraciously. I can wait. In fact, if you don’t make it back here, I excuse you, because these catalogs are too good to be true.

To be honest, I’m not much of a writer, nor am I much of a reader. And because I love them both, we call this a conundrum. I write here, and I read there, and I sometimes find myself feeling a little empty. Maybe it’s the content, the subjects or both. I’m not really sure, but when I went looking for information on one of my Reislings today, I found Terry.

Mind you, if it weren’t for this man, I wouldn’t be appreciating these bottles of wine right now. It would be equivalent to using the 100 point …

It’s been awhile since we really blogged. You know the original blog post, a wrap up of the blogger’s life and ideas that pop in their heads. Usually we write in a more educational manner trying our best to educate. Today is different. This weekend we had a perfect storm of visitors. Our old roommates from the good old days when we lived in Madrid were in town for the long weekend, which inevitably meant lots of fun foods and some unexpected card games of Liar. A wonderful weekend, as well as an opportunity throw down on a few meals since I had such an attentive audience. First night, it was port brined pork loin (that’s a mouthfull), followed by Country chicken paired with roasted purple potatoes and green beans with walnuts and cured ham the following night. Both meals deserved pictures and descriptions, but alas, the food disappeared before I had a chance. For those of you with a grill and some gumption, however, here’s how to cook the the Pork(everyone’s favorite)!

Combine in a large pot, or bucket, the following: 1 x3lb-5lb piece of whole pork loin, 1 bottle cheap Port wine(ruby), a few cloves, a few sticks of cinnamon, 2 bay leafs, a cup and a half of rock salt, a cup of sugar and half a nutmeg nut chopped coarsely. Cover the meat with cold water and let sit for approximately 8 hours.

When the meat has finished brining, get a very hot two stage …

Last night was one of the first evenings, in quite some time, that we took a big break away from drinking La Rioja wines. Sigh…it felt magical to take a massive step to the right and look adoringly at the bottle of 2005 Quinta do Vale Meão sitting regally alongside my red wine braised pork cheeks and steamed artichokes. And although we’ve had this wine before with Francisco Javier de Olazabal in Oporto last February, it was lovely to have a moment where we could enjoy a Portuguese treasure.

Quinta do Vale Meão has fashioned a remarkable reputation for itself since its inception in 1877. Dona Antónia Adelaide Ferreira originally bought the 270 hectares of land in the Douro Superior, which were later placed under the massive Sogrape umbrella. Dona Antónia’s great grandson, Francisco Javier de Olazabal, has now taken control of the 65 hectares, which are comprised of various soil types including, granite and alluvial gravel.

The 2005 Quinta do Vale Meão shows gorgeous and dense floral and chocolate notes, a complex and concentrated mouthfeel, and a long, luxurious finish. This is a fantastic wine!

Gabriella

Dark and vibrant blood red, clean in color with an intense radiance. I’m swooning right now, as the nose is just brimming with absolutely beautiful aromas of violet, pure liquid chocolate, anise, tar, wet earth, cinnamon, raw meat, etc. etc. etc. The layers and intricate nuances in the bouquet are so intense and profound that it’s almost impossible to take my nose out of this glass. In the mouth, the wine …