We wish all our friends and customers in the United States a very Happy Thanksgiving!

So what are we in Europe thankful for? Perhaps for Donald J. Trump for keeping us all entertained? (I was very tempted to post the photo of his latest incarnation as Rock Balboa, but decided that I should add a serious picture instead!)

Today’s picture features the latest marketing campaign from our D.O. office, claiming that the albariño of Rias Baixas “Goes with everything”…. Whilst I might not personally agree 100% with that claim, it would certainly not go too badly with your Thanksgiving turkey!

Only a few days ago I said that points and medals were not our ‘raison d’être’ here at Castro Martin. Of course, as luck would have it, just a few days later, we win accolades for two or our wines!

Back in the summer I submitted a couple of bottles to the Wines from Spain Awards, organised by ICEX in London. These awards were quite different in that they were judging all the wines of Spain and not only albariños. Of course, the wines were categorised and tasted in organised flights, but the objective was to simply identify the best wines of Spain, regardless of whether their origin was Catalonia, La Mancha or Galicia.

In the end, there were no Gold, Silver of Bronze medals, just the top 100 Wine from Spain (judged by a few notable MW’s) Result?……

The two wines that we submitted were BOTH voted into the top 100, and we were the only Bodega in Galicia to achieve this distinction!

The UK Prime Minister has aged noticeably during his short term in office!

…….that is the question:
Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take Arms against a Sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them: to die, face down in a ditch…..

Sorry! I studied Shakespeare many years ago at school, and could not resist taking this well-known soliloquy and giving my own twist at the end. If you have been following Brexit then you might just understand my ditch reference.

My point is that Brexit was scheduled for today, and in the end it simply did not happen. It all now hinges on a UK General Election, the result of which is also in the balance. To say that it is a period of uncertainty would be something of an understatement. The only thing that I can say for sure is that both Castro Martin and our UK importers are prepared (or at least as best we can be)!

Without any doubt, for the people of the UK, Brexit has become the biggest political debate of all time. It has divided friends, families, regions of the country, businesses and most significantly, the politicians of the UK Parliament. Never have opinions been so polarised, and never has one subject dominated the headlines for such a long time. I think it’s probably fair to say that the majority of British (and some EU) citizens have had enough, and are simply tried of hearing about it every waking moment of the day (despite the fact that it will ultimately determine the future of their country).

Without mentioning the pro’s and con’s of Brexit, my intention is simply to write briefly about how this might effect the way in which we trade with the UK.

Firstly, if the UK does not remain a part of the Customs Union, then the export process itself will be come slightly more complicated. Whilst, in theory at least, there is currently free trade between member states and goods can circulate freely within EU borders, there is still a significant paper trail that needs to be completed. However, once this is done our wines can move quite easily from ‘tax warehouse’ to ‘tax warehouse’ (warehouses using the system need to be inspected and approved). If the UK drops out of the union, then not only will the paperwork change, but potentially there could be huge queues of trucks waiting to have their loads (not just wine) checked and cleared at the port of entry. Motorways approaching the ports could quickly become huge lorry parks…..

The final complication is currency. Whilst the UK has never entered the monetary system, and still retains the GB Pound, money markets are now more volatile than ever. Uncertainty has resulted in a significant drop in the value of Sterling against the Euro, meaning that all goods purchased abroad have now suddenly become more expensive for UK importers. This increase will have to be paid by someone, and I’m very afraid to say that this will most probably be the poor end consumer!

The relationship between the church and wine making is, of course, common knowledge. When the Popes themselves were installed in Avignon in the 14th Century they had a great fondness for the wines of Burgundy, and it wasn’t too long before the they established their own, slightly more local vineyards, around the newly constructed castle of Châteauneuf, mid-way between Avignon and Orange. By 1936 Châteauneuf-du-Pape became the first official wine-making Appellation (AOC) of France. This was done not only to improve quality, but also to protect the name and the reputation of their wines from fraudulent copies.

Today there is still a wine made in the region (by Château Sixtine) called Cuvée du Vatican. and it is no secret that the current Pope, Pope Francis, is quite fond of an odd glass of wine (also sustainable coffee), although we can’t confirm any personal leanings toward the wines of Rias Baxias. He recently said “Water is needed to live, but wine expresses the abundance of the banquet and joy of the celebration,” and later concluding, “Wine is necessary for the celebration.”

It is a sentiment that certainly has my blessing!

Last weekend we braced ourselves for a blast of super-hot weather, swept up from Africa. Whilst many parts of Europe were experiencing record temperatures for the month of June, Galicia escaped almost completely unscathed with temperatures only reaching the mid-20’s C. In some parts of the South of France however, the thermometer hit an incredible 45.9°C (114.6°F), not only posing a threat to human life, but also quite devastating for farmers, including the local grape/wine producers.

When tasting wine we sometimes refer to it having a ‘cooked’ or overripe flavour, which can often originate from exposure to excessive sunshine. It is irreversible – once the fruit is burnt, it’s burnt, and if these grapes are used in making a wine, they can and will produce a marked flavour (which is usually quite unpleasant). For example, cooked or burnt Syrah grapes will produce a smoky, black, rubbery taste.

So whilst grapes require heat and sunshine to reach the correct maturity, these periods of excessive temperature will only serve to damage the vineyards.

The aviation research firm Skytrax announced its 2019 ranking of the best airlines in the world on Tuesday.

In first place was our newest customer – Qatar Airways, where our Castro Martin wine will very soon be served in their First Class cabins. We send them our warmest congratulations!

It goes without saying that we have offered our own services at any time to conduct free in-flight tutored tastings!

MY TEAM – NO WORDS!!!

Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of New Zealand, but most especially with the friends and families of those who were so senselessly killed and injured on this terrible, black day.

Anyone who knows me will know that (at best), I am just a bit sceptical about some wine competitions. Of course, there are some very reputable events, judged by professionals who know what they’re doing, but then equally, there are now a lot of  second rate and fairly worthless competitions, that spring up out of nowhere with monotonous regularity. Nearly every week there is some new ‘International’ wine competition contacting us, asking us to send samples (not to mention sending money for them to taste our wine). The average price of submitting a single bottle these days can be well in excess of 100 euros.

The consequence is that every year or so, I have a moan about it.

One of the problems of these new competitions is that they all claim to be ‘International’, even when they are just starting up. Often they are held in some obscure corner of the country, and sometimes not even mentioning the address/location at all, merely adding mobile telephone numbers and e-mails as a point of contact. Call me an old cynic, but I often wonder if at least some of these could be elaborate scams. Think about it….. a great way of financing a huge party with free wine![:es]Anyone who knows me will know that (at best), I am just a bit sceptical about some wine competitions. Of course, there are some very reputable events, judged by professionals who know what they’re doing, but then equally, there are now a lot of  second rate and fairly worthless competitions, that spring up out of nowhere with monotonous regularity. Nearly every week there is some new ‘International’ wine competition contacting us, asking us to send samples (not to mention sending money for them to taste our wine). The average price of submitting a single bottle these days can be well in excess of 100 euros.

The consequence is that every year or so, I have a moan about it.

One of the problems of these new competitions is that they all claim to be ‘International’, even when they are just starting up. Often they are held in some obscure corner of the country, and sometimes not even mentioning the address/location at all, merely adding mobile telephone numbers and e-mails as a point of contact. Call me an old cynic, but I often wonder if at least some of these could be elaborate scams. Think about it….. a great way of financing a huge party with free wine!