Our Christmas/Holiday orders here at Castro Martin can usually be split into more or less two main categories – palletised orders that are shipped overseas, and the domestic gift market.

Our overseas orders are already long-gone, indeed, the planning and preparation of these orders started some months ago. Of course transit times vary according to where the importer is located, but obviously they have to make sure that their stock is already in place long before the holiday rush begins. (Bear in mind that for our restaurant customers the office Christmas party season starts long before 25th December).

On the other hand our Christmas gift market here in Spain is quite another story. Whilst we are very grateful for every order that we get, we actually receive quite a number of them at the last minute. In these circumstances all we can do is to make sure that we have all the materials (and people) available to set up our mini ‘production line’ for making gift packs. Today’s photo shows a large, recent order, thankfully received in plenty of time and already with our customer.

In recent times I have noticed that a few reputable journalists have started to question our popular, and sometimes long-held beliefs about wine. Some of the doubts being raised are, for example, the use of points to rate wines, and more recently, the development and definition of ‘natural’ wines.

As you may already know I have never been a big fan of wines being rated or categorised by points – there are just too many possible anomalies. Some fear that the worldwide influence of the points system will eventually mean that certain styles will dominate (and possibly all taste that same), and that lighter wines could lose out, simply because they are less likely to get a attract good scores. Wine shop managers sometimes dismiss ratings as overly simplistic — numbers devoid of context, such as a wine merchant’s sense and knowledge of individual customer tastes. Finally, I have to add that over the years, points and medals have occasionally (in a few proven cases) been abused in order to mislead consumers. Conclusion? That the points system just might not be as effective as we have all come to expect.

It is the lack of official regulation or certification for using the phrase “natural wine” that has now created something of an existential crisis. It’s up to winemakers and those who sell, promote and drink their wines to decide whether a bottle fits the ‘natural’ bill. In an effort to distance themselves from this watered-down, misused and sometimes abused term, some producers who truly work with minimal intervention are now turning their backs on this new movement as a whole. For consumers, that only results in further muddying of a term and ideology that’s already steeped in confusion.

In our business we already have organic, biodynamic and sustainable wine making – the first two of these can be certified, and the third simply relies on producers to use common-sense and mindful wine making practices. However, this should not mean that we abandon or ignore the advances in wine making technology that has been made over the last decades – certainly we all want wines with character, but we also want wines that are reasonably stable and will not fall-apart too quickly!

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)!

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!

MY TEAM – NO WORDS!!!

Another amazing European night at Anfield!! OK, so I am sure that maybe a few people don’t even know what Anfield is (nothing to do with wine, by the way)… it is the home of my beloved Liverpool FC.

A few weeks ago I drove down to Porto to watch them in their last Champions League game, which they won 4-1. Last night, in the semi-final, it was a completely different story. After playing the first game of a two game tie in Barcelona, they were 3-0 down, and so in the return game at Anfield they had to win at least 4-0 to qualify for the final. Which is exactly what they did!

Few experts gave them much chance, and certainly none of the Barcelona team or supporters expected it, but in a breathtaking, pulsating game, they were blown away by a brilliant Liverpool team, and an atmosphere that was so electric I could feel it in Pontevedra!

It could take me a few days to recover….

Assuming that you don’t drink a full bottle at every sitting, then what is the best way to preserve your wine and keep it as fresh as possible? Of course, there are hundreds of gadgets on the market, each one claiming better results than the competition, but in reality, you can start by doing two simple things. Push the cork back in, or find something airtight to reseal the bottle, and put your bottle in the fridge – by far the simplest solution that usually works pretty well (and can be applied to both red and white wines).

How long the bottle will actually keep, once it has been opened, really depends on a number of factors, such as the quality of the wine, how it was made, and how old the wine is when first opened. Without getting too technical if a wine is made correctly and has a good ‘structure’ then it will usually survive a bit longer than a cheap and cheerful wine that gives it’s all as soon as it is opened and then can deteriorate quite quickly.

In the case of our own albariño the structure, and therefore it’s ageing potential, is enhanced by the extended lees contact. The lees at the bottom of the tank absorb oxygen, protecting it and adding complexity. It also sets the wine up for maximum protection against oxidation (this is the very simplified version of what actually happens!). Suffice to say that our ‘sobre lias’ process adds to the shelf life of our wine.

Despite wine bottles being sealed with a cork (or some other form of closure), oxidation starts in the closed bottle. This can be influenced by the type of closure used, but it never stops completely. Indeed, a perfectly hermetic seal can potentially cause other types of problems – but that’s a whole other story. The point is that oxidation (the main reason why wines deteriorate over time), is an ongoing process during the life of a bottle, and this is simply accelerated enormously by removing the cork. If the wine in question has spent several years in bottle, it will already be slighty oxidised, and once opened will tend to fall apart rather more quickly. Hence that fact that younger, fresher wines will usually survive longer in your fridge. Heat, or even warmth, will also help to accelerate the ageing process, which is why a fridge is recommended. Simply remember to take out a red wine shortly before you want to drink it, or otherwise just let it warm up a little in the glass.

To be honest, I was scratching my head trying to invent a story for April Fool’s that would be both funny and yet plausible, but then it happened all by itself. A trivial story, but so stupid that it’s almost beyond belief.

I am expecting an envelope from Portugal (Porto to be more accurate), which was sent on Friday via UPS.

It left Maia, the main UPS depot just north of Porto on Friday evening (only about 150km from it’s destination here in Pontevedra), and arrived back in Maia at 4 o’clock this morning. Apparently it had been for a little weekend excursion to Köln in Germany (for reasons best known and understood only by logistics companies), adding a mere 3,200 km to it’s journey.

And here we are doing as much as we can to reduce our carbon footprint!

Imagine walking into a restaurant where the information on the wine list was restricted to merely the wine colour and country of origin. For example, you would be offered French red or white, Spanish red or white, Chilean red or white and so on. It would be a complete lottery and you probably wouldn’t be too happy about it… By simply adding the grape variety it would add a whole new level of information, and you might be at least be a little more confident about your selection.

Of course, the importance of varietal does not only apply to grapes, but also to many other fruits and vegetables. However, the problem is that retailers don’t always pass this varietal information on to the consumer. In the case of apples, pears tomatoes and a few other products variety is usually clearly indicated, but there are still just too many exceptions for my liking. Here in Spain there is one, nearly always omitted, that particularly annoys me. Potatoes!

Over here, potatoes are usually only distinguished by use or recommendation. For example, for frying, for boiling, for garnish (whatever that means), and my personal favourite, potatoes for cooking! The latter leaves me wondering how many people eat them raw?

Whilst I realise that for the majority of people this might be sufficient information, there are still two problems that arise. Firstly, the potatoes sold under each grouping are not always consistent, and more importantly, they are not always as advertised. For example, ‘frying’ potatoes that simply do not brown and refuse to crisp (even at super high temperatures). By simply including the variety it would then be much easier to avoid repeating this mistake again it the future.

Anyway, enough about potatoes!

Before you read my text, take a look at the picture and see if you can spot the glaring mistake (from the Guia Peñin).

Did you see it? Well, apparently Mexico City is now in Russia, or perhaps Moscow is in Mexico, there certainly seems to be some conflict in the message (but hopefully no conflict on the ground). The only things I can say is that it’s a good job that Peñin make wine guides and not atlases!!

Meanwhile, back in Spain, we have had a short week. Tuesday was Father’s Day (or San José), and so in at least some parts of the country it was a festivo (bank holiday). Of course, many businesses, including ourselves, added a ‘bridge’ day and enjoyed a long weekend.

I can safely use the word ‘enjoyed’ because the weather is extremely sunny, and will be for at least the whole of the coming week. Our vines are already well advanced for the time of year and the sunshine will only help to accelerate this even more. The only (slightly) good news is that the air temperature is deceptively cool, especially at night. The airflow that we have is from the north, meaning that night time temperatures are falling as low as 6°C (42°F) and during the day barely reaching 20°C (68°F). Certainly, if it wasn’t for the cooler airflow we would probably be well into the mid-20’s. If this continues we could be in for an early harvest in 2019.