![\"President](\"http:\/\/217.199.187.57\/costablancawinesociety.com\/CBWS\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/IMG_3664.jpg\")
<\/a>President Andrew Johnson addressing guestsand members and introducing the presenters<\/p><\/div>\n
Keith Pacey set the ball rolling with two white wines.\u00a0\u00a0 He chose wines which came from Terres del Alforins which is situated in the most south westerly area of the province of Valencia bordering onto the Alicante and Albacete provinces.\u00a0\u00a0 The area is situated around the Serra Grossa approximately 500 to 700 metres above sea level.\u00a0\u00a0 The area has both Mediterranean and Continental weather, very cold winters and very hot summers, the soil is rich in content, both clay and sandy loam.\u00a0\u00a0 There are 11 bodegas in this very small area and they produce some high quality wines.<\/p>\n
The first wine came from Bodegas Los Frailes a family business founded in 1771 which is now in the 14th<\/sup> generation of the family.\u00a0\u00a0 In 1999 they undertook the ambitious project of reorganising all the vineyards converting the complete farm to organic methods.\u00a0\u00a0 The wine was a Blanc de Triologia 2012 comprising 70% Sauvignon Blanc, 20% Muscat and 10% Verdil.\u00a0\u00a0 The wine was fermented in French oak barrels for 4 months and 12,000 bottles are produced annually.\u00a0\u00a0 It has an alcohol by volume (ABV) of 13.5%, received 90 points in the Gu\u00eda Pe\u00f1\u00edn and can be purchased at Catarla Todo in Teulada for 7.95\u20ac.<\/p>\n The second wine was Cullerot 2011 from Bodegas Celler Del Roure, a blend of 30% Verdil, 30% Pedro Ximenez, 20% Macabeo and 20% Chardonnay it has an ABV of 13.5%.\u00a0\u00a0 The Verdil and Chardonnay are grown on sandy loam soil on 30 and 15 year old vines respectively, while the Macabeo and Pedro Ximenez are grown on clay loam on 30 and 70 year old vines respectively all the vineyards being at 600 metres.\u00a0\u00a0 In 2009 the bodega recovered an ancient winery, \u2018bodega fonda\u2019 which was an underground gallery with 97 clay amphorae \u00a0\u00a0with capacities of between 600 and 2,800 litres where wine was produced since the 17th<\/sup> century to as late as the 1930s.\u00a0\u00a0 They have recommenced this technique and the Cullerot had been aged for 6 months in the clay amphorae.\u00a0\u00a0 It was bottled in 2012 and the production is 24,000 bottles and they retail at 7.9\u20ac each and are obtainable at Vinivars in Denia.\u00a0\u00a0 The wine receives 88 points in the Gu\u00eda Pe\u00f1\u00edn.<\/p>\n Keith Pacey presenting his chosen wines<\/p><\/div>\n \u00a0<\/b>Next on the boards was Tim Fawle with the first of the red wines.\u00a0\u00a0 His two choices came from his declared favourite wine region, Ribera del Duero, because it has a solid record of producing fine quality wines, with a tradition of winemaking stretching back generations and small family bodegas exist alongside state of the art, corporate-owned wineries.\u00a0\u00a0 Both the wines he was offering, as a blind tasting, were 2010 Tempranillo Crianzas, which for Ribera del Duero means they must have had at least 12 moths in barrel.\u00a0\u00a0 In fact the first wine turned out to have spent 16 months in French and American barrels and as we later learned was an Arzuaga Crianza 2010 costing 15.95\u20ac and gaining 91 points from the Gu\u00eda Pe\u00f1\u00edn.\u00a0\u00a0 It had a fruity nose with a round elegant palate.\u00a0\u00a0 The fourth wine, produced according to a practice known as Biodynamic Viticulture had been aged for the requisite 12 months but only in French oak barrels and was made from grapes in old vineyards.\u00a0\u00a0 Having given us some characteristics of the first wine, Tim left us to make up our own minds on the second which turned out to be a Valdehermoso Crianza 2010 to which the Gu\u00eda Pe\u00f1\u00edn awarded 90 points.\u00a0\u00a0 Both wines had an ABV of 14.5% and could be purchased at A Catarla Todo in Teulada.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/a>