Catavino Iberian Tasting at Vinoteca

Vinoteca
7 St John Street
EC1M 4AA

Date of Last Visit: Friday, February 27, 2009

The Victims: Siri, Andy. And many others.

The Damage: £10

The Background: The other week, I wrote about the fantastic German dinner I was invited to at Vinoteca. That night, @vinoteca told me about the upcoming wine tasting they were hosting with Catavino. For only £10. I signed up, and convinced Siri and Andy to come along.

The Entrance: We're back in Vinoteca's private room, and there are 23 wines for us to taste, plus three sherries. 8 whites, 15 reds. Yes, a little overwhelming. Siri and I pick our way through (her more than me, I still managed to hit most of the wines), while Andy found a spot at the end of the table and powered through all of the wines in a very impressive fashion.

The Social Media Bit: Ryan and Gabriella Opaz from Catavino noted that the event was planned entirely online. No marketing. Just word-of-mouth through social media. Pretty impressive. They had a great turnout. Robert from Wine Conversation was there, live blogging and live twittering and all that good stuff. I attempted both, but was easily distracted.

My Favorite Wines: With 26 to taste, picking favorites was a bit hard. But here's what I made particular note of:

Whites
2007 Rueda Verdejo Viura, Nava Real (Castilla y Leon). The tasting notes provided describe it as "A blend of Verdejo and Viura, this crisp, delicately scented dry white has long, fresh fruit flavours and a fine texture. Perfect as an apertif or with food."
2007 Vinho Regional Minho 'Morgado do Perigao,' Quinta de Pacos (Minho). "A very impressive white from the beautiful northern coastal area of Minho, made from a blend of Alvarinho and Loureiro. The nose is delicately scented with good citrus notes and floral nuances. The palate is well structured, with pure fruit, not overripe, and pleasing minerality. The finish almost has a touch of fresh, homemade lemonade."

Reds
2007 Mestizaje, Bodega Mustiguillo (Utiel Requena). 50% Bobal and 50% a mixture of Garnacha, Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Tempernillo and aged in barrique for 8 months prior to bottling. A modern and utterly delicious Spanish red.
2007 Vinho Regional Alentejano, Azamor (Altenejo). A blend of 40% Syrah, 40% Touriga Franca and 20% Merlot from the uppoer Alentejano region of Portugal, near Estremoz. Elegantly structured wtih soft plummy fruit and lovely purity on the nose.

This was a great night out and an excellent value. Keep an eye on Vinoteca's Web site and blog for more event details.