Mallorca is a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Ocean. You can be forgiven if you don’t know this -- but it does produce wine.
A Spanish Enigma
At no time did I quaff a bottle of wine from Mallorca, one of the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean. That pleasure had to wait until I returned home.
More than a year ago I purchased a “mystery” case of wine from an online retailer. The ÀN/2 was one of the bottles and it provoked puzzlement on my part.
At Least There Is Syrah!
This wine comes from the Vi De Terra Mallorca region. Vi De Terra is one step below the more prestigious DO in Spanish wine classifications. Although Mallorca received Vi De Terra status in 2007, its history of grape cultivation dates back to 121 BC. For a couple decades in the 1800s, Mallorca produced wine for a thirsty Europe where phylloxera had wiped out most vines. However, Mallorca eventually succumbed to the phylloxera plague as well. In the 1990s, local winemakers decided it was time to invest in their businesses and improve the quality of their wine.
Offbeat And Tasty
ÀN/2 is fermented in a combination of stainless steel and concrete to help it maintain its fresh flavors. It is aged in American and French oak barriques for one year. In the glass it is a dark red. On the palate is is medium in body.
Its blend of grapes is unusual outside of Mallorca, but produces beautiful, soft flavors of spice and herbs. The wine has a smoky tone.
For a price of $21, this is a score for fans of food-friendly light to medium bodied reds. It also doesn’t hurt if you like to try offbeat grapes!
No comments:
Post a Comment