Today’s picture shows my happy little taster….. Angela! Actually, I shouldn’t make fun as it’s quite clear that she’s concentrating and being the consummate professional in her role as an a taster on the official D.O. tasting committee. Just in case you didn’t already know, every tank that we bottle has to be submitted in advance to this committee to be judged for quality. Those wines that pass the tasting will then be given their official ‘tirilla’ – the small, numbered strip label found on the back of every bottle, bearing the logo of Rias Baixas.

Anyway, last weeks tasting included a brand new product for our D.O., sparkling Rias Baixas, and just in time for Christmas! These new sparkling wines will be made by only a handful of Bodegas in our region, and will be made from a blend of the permitted varietals of our denomination (red and white). Bodegas will be required to use the traditional ‘methode champenoise’ with a minimum ageing of 9 months. I understand that the degree of sweetness will also be controlled using the traditional method and that the wines will be classified in the same way as Champagne – Brut Nature (sometimes known as Brut Zero, with no sugar at all), Extra Brut, Extraseco, Seco, Semiseco and Dulce (sweet). The head coach of our denomination Lake Augustine explained that Bodegas will not be required to show a vintage on the label, nor will they be required to disclose the grape varieties that they have used in the blend, which seems a bit odd.

(By the way, the technical director (not head coach) of our D.O. is called Agustin Lago, but I just loved the way that Google translated his name and job title – sorry, I couldn’t resist!)

Today’s picture shows my happy little taster….. Angela! Actually, I shouldn’t make fun as it’s quite clear that she’s concentrating and being the consummate professional in her role as an a taster on the official D.O. tasting committee. Just in case you didn’t already know, every tank that we bottle has to be submitted in advance to this committee to be judged for quality. Those wines that pass the tasting will then be given their official ‘tirilla’ – the small, numbered strip label found on the back of every bottle, bearing the logo of Rias Baixas.

Anyway, last weeks tasting included a brand new product for our D.O., sparkling Rias Baixas, and just in time for Christmas! These new sparkling wines will be made by only a handful of Bodegas in our region, and will be made from a blend of the permitted varietals of our denomination (red and white). Bodegas will be required to use the traditional ‘methode champenoise’ with a minimum ageing of 9 months. I understand that the degree of sweetness will also be controlled using the traditional method and that the wines will be classified in the same way as Champagne – Brut Nature (sometimes known as Brut Zero, with no sugar at all), Extra Brut, Extraseco, Seco, Semiseco and Dulce (sweet). The head coach of our denomination Lake Augustine explained that Bodegas will not be required to show a vintage on the label, nor will they be required to disclose the grape varieties that they have used in the blend, which seems a bit odd.

(By the way, the technical director (not head coach) of our D.O. is called Agustin Lago, but I just loved the way that Google translated his name and job title – sorry, I couldn’t resist!)