MALLORCA….Always Beautiful Sandy Beaches with lots of Sunshine and now Wonderfully Delicious Wines

With regard to great holidays in the sun, Mallorca is well known all around the world, but with regards to Mallorcan wines outside this beautiful island, they are not so well known. Maybe the reason for their limited availability outside the island is that only a dozen or so years ago most of the red wines produced were boardering on the harsh side and lacking finesse, while the white wines were mainly dry, thin and too acidic, only being enjoyed by the locals with most tourists sticking to beer, Menorcan gin and of course jugs of fruit filled sangria.

Although the wine making state of affairs has dramatically changed for the better in recent years, even so, the wines are sadly still relatively unknown outside the Ballearic Islands. There are many vineyards large and small around Mallorca with about twenty now producing stunning red and white wines along with some very decent rose, wines of such quality would command at least double the price if they were produced in Rioja or Ribera del Duero. Many of these vineyards I have visited over the past four to five years and can truly testify to the huge changes made to both facilities and the processing of wine e.g. modern stainless steel equipment and storage tanks, refrigeration and proper control of the fermentation temperature, automatic irrigation systems, much experimenting and more use of oak barrels for maturing wines and most importantly greatly increased planting and quality spacing of the more popular grape varities like cabernet sauvignon, syrah, merlot, chardonnay, viognier and malvasia and these varities are now producing many deliciously tasting varietal wines as well as carefully crafted blends.

Mallorca is perceived by most visitors to be an island in the sun, with many fine and interesting coastal resorts and beautiful golden beaches with crystal clear and seductively tainted azure waters and then to be arid,dry and uninteresting further inland where even today very few venture. For certain that is not the case, many parts of the central plain are extremely fertile, lush with ever ending fields of natures flowers, sweet smelling herbs and tiny leaved shrubs. Follow the ever winding narrow roads lined either side with wild poppys and you will also come upon acres and acres of fields of deep red soil producing each year successions of crops like strawberries, artichokes, potatos and green salads. Further on you could find huge orchards ripe with growing peaches, nectarines, oranges, lemons, almonds and we must not forget to mention thousands and thousands of olive trees. The whole island is a paradise, sadly to so few visitors.

The centre of the island around Inca and Manacor (note, Nadal territory ) is where the majority of Mallorcan vineyards are located, although you can find small industrious and successful growers around other parts of the island. Traditionally the grape of the island has and still is Monastrell, on its own it simply does not produce good red wines, but blended with other varities, the results can be simply outstanding.

Out of the many first class vineyards in Mallorca our favourite has to be MORTITX, a sleeping beauty and that is why we import, retail and wholesale six of their wonderfully complex, deep and rounded wines. Mortitx is located in the quiet North East of Mallorca a few kilometors from Pollensa on the steep rising road from Pollensa to Soller up in a hidden valley within the Tramontana mountain range. An awsome and captivating location with panoramic views looking down on to the enormous and attractive bays of Pollensa and Alcudia. Visitors are most welcome to taste and buy wines at the winery whose location is breathtakingly sited below rugged and steep pinky mauve coloured mountains with eagles and kites souring high above the sun baked pine trees and cliff tops and all around you take in the inviting scent of wild rosemary, thyme and juniper. This most appealing winery is owned by a number of private shareholders,many of whom own hotels and fine restaurants on the island and make available these exceptional Mortitx wines for sale in their own establishments.

From this magnificent vineyard we list the following wines:

Mortitx Negre Anyada Tinto

 Mortitx Rodal Pla Tinto

Mortitx Syrah

Mortitx L’u Tinto

Mortitx Rosat

 Mortitx Blanc

Mortitx Dolce de Gel

These wines can be purchased via our website or by visiting our Retail Outlet near Southampton

For Food Matches with the Mortitx Wines please check on https://www.ahadleigh-wine.com/wine-and-food/ which takes you to our websites specialist section on ” Matching Wines with Foods” then just type in the name of the wine in the box located under “TYPE IN WINE”.

Happy Mallorcan Days

Updated 23 September 2010

 TOP TIP FOR WINE ENTHUSIASTS

Be very careful when opening old bottles of wine, port, madeira or even an expensive bottle Bordeaux or Burgundy. ( these wines tend to have longer corks than normal ).  As illustrated always use a double lever corkscrew.

Just follow these three simple steps:

1. Make sure the screw enters the centre of the cork.
2. Drill down to the maximum.
3. Always utilise both levers, then one has a much better chance of successfully extracting fragile and long corks.

HAPPY TOP TIP WINE DAYS

Graham D

FOOD and WINE PAIRING—SEAFOOD SALAD
(continuation from blog  “ Food and Wine Pairing”  dated 19 December 2011)

 
INTRODUCTION:—–this blog and the many more following will examine the pleasurable and often complex relationship between good food and wine, with the ultimate aim to assist our many discerning customers evolve the convivial bonding of good food and wine.

FOOD BEING FEATURED:—–SEAFOOD SALAD, delicious either as a light starter or a more wholesome main course. Seafoods included would be prawns, crab, lobster, crayfish, clams, gravadlax and lightlty smoked fish such as salmon, sea trout and halibut.

CHALLENGES:—–Make life easy by staying clear of seafood sauces that are too acidic, bitter salad leaves such as chard and endive and also undiluted lemon or lime juice. By following these recommendations the door is open to a much more varied selection of white and red wines and of course champagne and good quality sparkling wines.

RECOMMENDATIONS:—–Babich Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, a dry white wine with hints of gooseberry and melon, a character most suitable for smoked seafood. Waterstone Bridge Chardonnay Reserve, a medium bodied white wine with a delicate richness, a wonderful match for prawns and lobster. Borgo San Leo Pinot Grigio, a light bodied white wine, gently aromatic with palate-cleansing fruit, an appropriate and well matched for various cold crab dishes with green salad.

If red is your favourite wine, then try a chilled Beaujolais Villages, Domaine de Franc-Pierre. In Beaujolais that’s how they enjoy this wine with cold food during their hot Summer months.

A safe bet is always a good quality sparkling wine, Cuvee Pierre Legendre, it will pair well with most seafood dishes and cold salads, or try this wine as an aperitif  before your meal. 
 
MAIN DIRECTORY:—–click on THE MARRIAGE OF FOOD AND WINE to access our quick search facility to locate hundreds of other food/wine/food pairing options, including hors-d’oeuvres, starters, soups, main courses and desserts. Also view GREAT FRIENDS-CHEESE AND WINE for cheese and wine pairing.

 
NEXT ARTICLE:—–BAR-BE-QUE DISHES

HAPPY  SEAFOOD SALAD DISHES AND WINE PAIRING DAYS
Graham D

Domaine Dupont is situated in the heart of the Pays d’Auge Calvados. This is a region which has long been considered as to adding a little extra to the finesse and delicacy of the calvados because it only permits the use of apples and insists on double pot distillation.

In 1980 Etienne Dupont took over from his father and has worked hard to improve the orchards and distillation methods.The orchard is now a mixture of old taller trees as well as small standard trees. Varieties such as Saint Martin, Doux Normandie and Noel des Champs have been specially cultivated to provide the maximum aromatic qualities from their small fruits.

Etienne studied the methods of distillation from Cognac. These techniques and his inherited knowledge combine to produce a spirit that represents the flavour and ripeness of the apple alongside the mellowness and warmth of a well aged spirit. He has also experimented with ageing in different cask sizes and oak types to ensure that the flavour extracted through distillation is further enhanced during maceration.

Domaine Dupont uses three types of apples in a set formula : 30% sweet, 30% bitter and 40% are apples with high acidity, this gives the correct balance of flavour.The apples are cropped manually and stored in open wooden crates to allow them to rest and mature for up to a month before fermentation.

We list these fine calvados from this prestigious producer.

Calvados Pays d’Auge VSOP
Aged for around six years in 400 litre oak casks. This oak comes from the Loire Valley and is lightly toasted to help the capture the subtle vanilla aroma.The nose has fine oaky spice , touch of vanilla and balsam with an abundance of fresh apple and touch of butterscotch on the palate finishing with a little kick from the spirit.

Calvados Hors d’Auge
This is aged for 12 years. A fresh and elegant nose with intense vanilla apple, some floral notes of jasmine and rose and touches of sturdy oak and dried fruit. A smooth palate with good persistence, fine fruit with complex oaky flavour showing baked apples, vanilla, spiced fruit and good structure with a long finish and some mouth-tingling grip. 

Calvados Vintage 1989 Half Bottle
A nose of dried fruits, apple and vanilla, preserved oranges and a little hint of rosewater. These aromas come back on the palate, baked apples and tarte tartin, a touch of raisins and spice with some classic oak structure and a fine layered finish.

Also Calvados Pays d’Auge, Vintage 1989 700ml and Calvados Reserve Pays d’Auge 1500ml
 

HAPPY CALVADOS DAYS

Del

 MALLORCA….Always Beautiful Sandy Beaches with lots of Sunshine and now Wonderfully Delicious Wines

With regard to great holidays in the sun, Mallorca is well known all around the world, but  with regards to Mallorcan wines outside this beautiful island, they are not so well known. Maybe the reason for their limited availability outside the island is that only a dozen or so years ago most of the red wines produced were boardering on the harsh side and lacking finesse, while the white wines were mainly dry, thin and too acidic, only being enjoyed by the locals with most tourists sticking to beer, Menorcan gin and of course jugs of fruit filled sangria.

Although the wine making state of affairs has dramatically changed for the better in recent years, even so, the wines are sadly still relatively unknown outside the Ballearic Islands. There are many vineyards large and small around Mallorca with about twenty now producing stunning red and white wines along with some very decent rose, wines of such quality would command at least double the price if they were produced in Rioja or Ribera del Duero.  Many of these vineyards I have visited over the past four to five years and can truly testify to the huge changes made to both facilities and the processing of wine e.g. modern stainless steel equipment and storage tanks, refrigeration and proper control of the fermentation temperature, automatic irrigation systems, much experimenting and more use of oak barrels for maturing wines and most importantly greatly increased planting and quality spacing of the more popular grape varities like cabernet sauvignon, syrah, merlot, chardonnay, viognier and malvasia and these varities are now producing many deliciously tasting varietal wines as well as carefully crafted blends.

Mallorca is perceived by most visitors to be an island in the sun, with many fine and interesting coastal resorts and beautiful golden beaches with crystal clear and seductively tainted azure waters and then to be arid,dry and uninteresting further inland where even today very few venture. For certain that is not the case, many parts of the central plain are extremely fertile, lush with ever ending fields of natures flowers, sweet smelling herbs and tiny leaved shrubs. Follow the ever winding narrow roads lined either side with wild poppys and you will also come upon acres and acres of  fields of deep red soil producing each year successions of crops like strawberries, artichokes, potatos and green salads. Further on you could find huge orchards ripe with growing peaches, nectarines, oranges, lemons, almonds and we must not forget to mention thousands and thousands of olive trees. The whole island is a paradise, sadly to so few visitors.

The centre of the island around Inca and Manacor (note, Nadal territory )  is where the majority of  Mallorcan vineyards are located, although you can find small industrious and successful growers around other parts of the island. Traditionally the grape of the island has and still is Monastrell, on its own it simply does not produce good red wines, but blended with other varities, the results can be simply outstanding. 

Out of the many first class vineyards in Mallorca our favourite has to be MORTITX, a sleeping beauty  and that is why we import, retail and wholesale six of their wonderfully complex, deep and rounded wines. Mortitx  is located in the quiet North East of  Mallorca a few kilometors from Pollensa on the steep rising road from Pollensa to Soller up in a hidden valley within the Tramontana  mountain range. An awsome and captivating  location with panoramic views looking down on to the enormous and attractive bays of Pollensa and Alcudia. Visitors are most welcome to taste and buy wines at the winery whose location is breathtakingly sited below  rugged and steep  pinky mauve coloured mountains with eagles and kites souring high above the sun baked pine trees and cliff tops and all around you take in the inviting scent of wild rosemary, thyme and juniper. This most appealing winery is owned by a number of private shareholders,many of whom own hotels and fine restaurants on the island and make available these exceptional Mortitx wines for sale in their own establishments.

From this magnificent vineyard we list the following wines:

Mortitx Negre Anyada Tinto 

            Mortitx Rodal Pla Tinto  

             Mortitx Syrah 

Mortitx L’u Tinto 

Mortitx Rosat  

 Mortitx Blanc  

Mortitx Dolce de Gel

These wines can be purchased via our website or by visiting our Retail Outlet near Southampton

For Food Matches with the Mortitx Wines please check on https://www.ahadleigh-wine.com/wine-and-food/ which takes you to our websites specialist section on ” Matching Wines with Foods” then just type in the name of the wine in the box located under “TYPE IN WINE”.

Happy Mallorcan Days

 Updated 23 September 2010