Jean Smullen reviews 2018 Vincente Gandia Ostras Pedrini Verdosilla DO Valencia and 2018 Rapaura Springs Pinot Noir
With Spring just around the corner there are lots of great wine sales coming up that are worth mentioning. Lidl’s French Wine Sale will be starting on March 2nd and will be running in store while stocks last. They have a wonderful selection of wines from Alsace, Burgundy, Loire, Rhone, Bordeaux, Languedoc and South West France. O’Briens Wines have an Italian Wine Sale starting on March 4th and running to March 18th with some of their big Italian names on offer including Rizzardi, Masi, and a selection of super regional wines. SuperValu’s Spanish Wine Sale started on February 13th and will run until March 4th and we’re featuring a wine from that on the show today.
2018 Vincente Gandia Ostras Pedrini Verdosilla DO Valencia €10.00
The city of Valencia in South Eastern Spain is a modern vibrant city Tourism and wine are the most important features of the local economy. Most of the vineyards are in the Province of Valentia and the region is divided into four sub zones. North east of the city you will find the sub region of Alto Turia where this wine is made. Vicente Gandia winery was founded in 1885 and today is one of the largest wineries in Valencia.
This is a very unique white wine. It is made by winemaker Luís García Severino from a local grape called Verdosilla, a rare golden yellow grape unique to this region. The grape has very distinctive lemon and lime flavours and you’ll find plenty of those lovely fresh flavours in this wine. The ABV (alcohol by volume) is light 11.5% which means this is a perfect wine to serve at lunch, especially if you’re counting calories. The wine also has a lovely grassy character to it, not dissimilar to Sauvignon Blanc and a lovely ripe fruit flavor that goes on forever. This wine is ideal to serve with any sort of oily fish, especially smoked mackerel or salmon.
2018 Rapaura Springs Pinot Noir €15.00
This wine is made by one of New Zealand’s top wine makers Matt Thompson and is exclusive to Dunnes Stores. The fruit is grown in Marlborough, on the South Island, one of New Zealand’s best known wine regions.
The winery is owned by the Neylon family who have a long association with premium exports from the Marlborough region. Before getting into wine they pioneered the green lip mussel industry. They were the first family to grow, process and export this premium product from New Zealand to a global market, in the early eighties. In 1985 they bought the vineyard at Rapaura and in the Dillons Point sub-region which eventually evolved into the modern winery which they run today. Their Classic Marlborough Pinot Noir has lovely dark cherry and plum flavours with lovely vanilla, spice and herbaceous nuances showing through. This wine is perfect to serve with Roast Venison or for vegetarians, why not try it with Beetroot and Goats Cheese quiche.
Wine Events: Looking for a Spring Break with a difference, then why not check out Kelly’s Hotel Wine Week which will run from 1st- 6th, March, 2020 at Kelly’s Hotel Spa in Rosslare. Wine Appreciation with Benjamin Leroux, a gifted wine producer from the Côte d’Or will feature tastings of his wine on the 2nd & 3rd of March. Benjamin will be joined on 4th & 5th of March by Sommelier and wine consultant Julie Dupouy for a special tasting. More details in the Wine Diary https://jeansmullen.com/
