Wine Focus: We'll do Spain for June

[David M. Bueker]

Gamay anyone?

(Edited May 30 by Robin: We'll do The Wines of Spain for June. I'll post the new topic tomorrow or Sunday. Thanks to all for your thoughts and ideas!)

Meritage?

Southern Italian.

[David M. Bueker]

I suppose we could, though the components of Meritage have been focused a couple of times in recent months. See the most recent topics below. I had forgotten we did Beaujolais so recently.

5/14: Alsace
4/14: Merlot
3/14: Value WInes
2/14: Cabernet
1/14: CNdP and GSM Blends
12/13: Sweet/Fotified/Bubbly
11/13: Piedmont
10/13: Zinfandel
9/13 Beaujolais
8/13: Muscadet
7/13: Pinot Blanc/Gris/Grigio
6/13: Rosé
5/13: Aromatic Whites
4/13: Pinot Noir
3/13: French Mountain Whites
2/13: Riesling
1/13: Merlot
12/12: Sweet Wines
11/12: Merlot/Cab Franc
10/12: Syrah

Spain!

+1 for Spain! Some lovely whites on the shelf around here plus the usual high quality reds .

[Robin Garr]

We've had a couple of winners lately ... Alsace this month, and our "Wine Values" outing a couple of months earlier, started a lot of conversations and stayed busy all month.

Looking back, Merlot and Beaujolais were rather week topics, averaging no more than one post per day and pretty much fizzling before months end. There may be a lesson in that, but I'm not quite sure what it is.

Looking back over the list of topics that David so kindly provided, it seems that most (but not all) topics over the past couple of years have been varietally focused. Given the success of a regional topic on Alsace, it might make sense to try Spain (or other region) for a month and see how that approach goes.

I could get behind Spain.

[David M. Bueker]

It's an incredibly broad topic, but I can handle that.

Mediterranean whites: Spain, France, Italy and Greece.

Or maybe Spanish and island whites (corse, Sardinia, Sicily and the Greek Isles).

This wouldn't be any narrower than Spain.

[David M. Bueker]

And potentially much broader.

Both Spain and Meritage (if by that we mean any Bordeaux blends) are very wide topics. If I were still living in Belgium where there is a good availability, I would have favoured Spain, but here availability is almost nil and my cellar now only contains about 10 bottles, all Rioja. Don't let that deter anyone, but I'll probably only do one post, if it's Spain.

I like the idea of Gamay, particularly if we can get some more Spring-like weather.

[Robin Garr]

I would have favoured Spain, but here availability is almost nil and my cellar now only contains about 10 bottles, all Rioja. Don't let that deter anyone, but I'll probably only do one post, if it's Spain.

Tim, I hate to have you locked out, but I was really startled to notice the story that the numbers tell in past months when we've done Gamay and/or Beaujolais. Wine Focus simply lies down and dies in those months, suggesting this is a better topic for an Open Mike or extended WTN discussion.

I have an idea, though! If we get on to Spain and you'd like to play, I'm sure no one would object to a "flexible border." Personally, I am fascinated by the idea of investigating the kinship between the wines of Catalunya and the Basque country and the similar wines of the nearby French Pyrenees and Roussillon. Would those wines be more available to you in your current location, or are they as scarce as Spain?

(In fact, thinking out loud, I can think of lots of similar "boundary wines" where wine styles cross national boundaries. Alto Adige and the SudTyrol and Austria. Slovenia's Brda and Italy's Collio. Germany and Alsace. New York's Finger Lakes and Ontario's Niagara Peninsula ... and so it goes. Grist for a future Wine Focus, maybe?

I have an idea, though! If we get on to Spain and you'd like to play, I'm sure no one would object to a "flexible border." Personally, I am fascinated by the idea of investigating the kinship between the wines of Catalunya and the Basque country and the similar wines of the nearby French Pyrenees and Roussillon. Would those wines be more available to you in your current location, or are they as scarce as Spain?

Interesting idea,Robin. Any "étranger" wine is a difficulty here. (Increasingly "étranger" people too; 25% voted for the racist and anti-European Front National in the recent European elections and 44%! in the rural commune in which I live . I have to say, nevertheless, that so far most people seem very friendly.) I've seen plenty of wines from Roussillon on the shelves and there should be some Irouléguy, though I don't recall having seen any. However to make it really interesting, I'd like to have some Priorat or Montsant to compare and I doubt if I can find them closer than Lavinia in Paris. Still I'm looking for an excuse to open one of my bottles of Muntada from Gauby and this could be it .

I have an idea, though! If we get on to Spain and you'd like to play, I'm sure no one would object to a "flexible border." Personally, I am fascinated by the idea of investigating the kinship between the wines of Catalunya and the Basque country and the similar wines of the nearby French Pyrenees and Roussillon. Would those wines be more available to you in your current location, or are they as scarce as Spain?

Interesting idea,Robin. Any "étranger" wine is a difficulty here. (Increasingly "étranger" people too; 25% voted for the racist and anti-European Front National in the recent European elections and 44%! in the rural commune in which I live . I have to say, nevertheless, that so far most people seem very friendly.) I've seen plenty of wines from Roussillon on the shelves and there should be some Irrouléguy, though I don't recall having seen any. However to make it really interesting, I'd like to have some Priorat or Montsant to compare and I doubt if I can find them closer than Lavinia in Paris. Still I'm looking for an excuse to open one of my bottles of Muntada from Gauby and this could be it .

Off topic, Tim...but France is not alone. http://www.boilingfrogspost.com/2014/05 ... ower-bloc/

[Robin Garr]

Just in case there's any remaining doubt, let's definitely plan to go with The Wines of Spain.

This will incorporate both red and white winess (and rosado!) from all regions, but we will try to keep it Spanish with the small exception that those in other European countries who have a hard time finding Spanish wines may go for the nearest geographic or stylistic neighbors. Pyrenees or Roussillon in France, for instance, or non-Port Douro reds and Portuguese whites bordering on Galicia, maybe. If you have to. (Hi, Tim! )

Should be a fun month. To be honest, when I think of Spain lately, I tend to think huge, hot, global-warming and Parkerized bombs, so I'm eager for an opportunity to reconnect with reality if possible.

Please don't start posting in this topic, though. Sunday - or maybe even tomorrow - I'll put up the new discussion.