Spain: A Study in Small is Beautiful

In 2011, it's Spain's year and while the lineup of Spanish wineries is spotty, it more or less reflects the strength of Spain in the market. Spain is really a good news/ bad news story in British Columbia. The good news is it doesn't have any big wineries that tend to attract the interest of multinational wine companies whose specialty is gobbling up wineries and vineyards and then producing a whole lot of mediocre dross that usually ends in the downfall of the label, the winery and eventually the category. The bad news is that without any cheap, hokey wines bearing bulls, flamenco dancers and castanets, Spanish producers can't get enough listings to make a difference in government wine shops. In fact, when it comes to Spain, the private wine shops are likely have the best selection of Spanish wine in the province.

Daniel Castaño, one of the biggest brands in the market, is passing on the festival citing exorbitant fees to participate as the host country and suggesting he could use that money far more strategically in the market, throughout the year. That attitude has to be a worry to festival organizers given there is little reason to believe this market will not remain one of the most expensive in the world to sell wine.

That said there will be a small but well-rounded contingent of suppliers at the festival including some global superstars who are behind the new face of Spain. It's hard to point to any one factor behind the emergence of the New Spain. Maybe it's the small producers as mentioned earlier. Maybe it is the lack of conformity that is the charm, or the plethora of almost unknown grapes that is fuelling its success. Then again there is a diversity of regions and the seldom acknowledged fact that while Spain has the most vineyards in the world, it does not produce the most wine. Naturally, a low-yielding vine that simply won't overproduce has to be an asset.

One of the marquis producers coming to Vancouver is the legendary Miguel Torres. Torres has slowly spread the company vineyards out from its Vilafranca-base in Penedès with some terrific new labels: Salmos in Priorato and Celeste in Ribera del Duero. They join some formidable forerunners: Mas La Plana, Vina Esmeralda and Torres Coronas.

Torres Vina Esmeralda 2010, first created in 1961, is an Upper Penedès white blend that is a delicious mix of 85/15 moscatel/gewürztraminer. Now under screw cap, it displays an even brighter level of minerality. Expect a bright, zesty wine with lychee, green apple, lemon lime notes. The styling is delicate yet it is suited perfectly to calamari or mussels or curried chicken.

Rich, round, warm, fresh and enticing on the palate describes the Torres Celeste 2006. The tannins are supple with smoky, spicy, chocolate, orange, plum and liquorice flavours. Still a touch youthful and even rustic but with lots of flavours and concentration. Try this with a grilled leg of lamb.

Martinez Bujanda has a long history of coming to Vancouver and his Conde de Valdemar Crianza 2006 deserves a better reception from the city than it gets. Look for a well-structured wine with clean tempranillo fruit as its focus. A touch of mazuelo, the secret weapon, fills out the wine lending complexity and depth. It spends about 14 months in American oak. Another fabulous wine for lamb chops or osso buco.

A more recent discovery is Eternum Viti 2008, a wine from the emerging Toro region made from 30 to 40-year old Tinta de Toro vines, 50 per cent of which is aged in new French oak barrels. Expect an inky-black red wine with a dollop of vanilla on the nose and bits of earth and black fruits. The palate is smooth with more blackberry/blueberry fruit flavours. This wine needs five years to further mature but a T-bone steak would easily tame its fine-grained tannins if you want to drink it now. Great value.

Still in the Toro, legendary Ribera del Duero producer Vega Sicilia's Pintia Toro 2005 is made from one hundred per cent tempranillo and is now in its fifth release. Expect a big, brawny and muscular red with a palate full of black fruit, chocolate and vanilla. Still smothered under young and somewhat obvious oak flavours, you could drink it now with a steak or roast lamb or better yet, lay this down for another five years.

By any measure, winemaker Telmo Rodriguez is a risk taker and a breath of fresh European air. One example is his Telmo Rodriguez Basa 2009, a Rueda white made from the verdejo, once thought to be an unremarkable regional grape. Basa, which loosely translates as "foundation," is the Rodriguez money maker and it is a delicious bottle. Look for floral, passion fruit, grapefruit, melon, lime and jalapeno aromas and flavours, and a super fresh, crisp, juicy palate with creamy textures and plenty of finesse, finally, under screw cap.

All this and we didn't even mention cava, the classic Spanish sparkler, sherry, the Spain's historic elixir and, well, so much more. A good reason to look into festival tickets this week at www. playhousewinefest.com.

Price: $14.49

UPC: 08410113001139

Score: 87/100

Remarks: A fine match with assorted seafood pasta dishes and Indian curries.

Torres Celeste 2006, Ribera del Duero, Castilla-Leon, Spain

Price: $25

UPC: 08410113003508

Score: 90/100

Remarks: Big peppery red with flecks of vanilla, black cherry jam and chocolate.

Conde de Valdemar Crianza Tempranillo - Mazuelo 2006, Rioja, Spain

Price: $19

UPC: 745641054004

Score: 88/100

Remarks: Another fabulous tempranillo for lamb chops or osso buco.

Eternum Viti 2008, Toro, Castilla-Leon, Spain

Price: $25

UPC: 008437002948153

Score: 91/100

Remarks: Eternum Viti grapes come from 30- to 40-year-old Tinta de Toro vines.

Pintia Toro 2005, Toro, Castilla-Leon, Spain

Price: $70

UPC: 008436028610297

Score: 92/100

Remarks: Drink now with a steak or roast lamb or cellar for another five years.

Telmo Rodriguez Basa Rueda Blanco 2009, Rueda, Castilla-Leon, Spain

Price: $19

UPC: 08420759900017

Score: 90/100

Remarks: What a delicious bottle of white wine for drinking now.