Upon our arrival in Barcelona, we found out that Lisa’s luggage took a detour to Belgrade.  Belgrade-Barcelona; I guess they sounded the same to Boston’s Swiss Air baggage crew.  So along with some unplanned wardrobe shopping (all together now…poor Lisa), VinoDuo found a few terrific spots to learn about, enjoy, and buy Spanish wine.

BARCELONA

Xampany Wine Shop — Valencia 200, Barcelona

Our cruise line’s rules allow passengers to bring two bottles of wine on board. So VinoDuo went shopping and  stumbled on Xampany, a marvelous wine shop not far from the hotel  This place was a real hoot;  a throwback to the 60’s with store’s “office” set up in an open loft overlooking the sales counter. The proprietor sat at an oak roll-top desk with the warm glow of a banker’s desk-lamp nearby.  Fortunately his English was better than our Catalan. We fessed up to a limited knowledge of Spanish wine and he produced two fine specimens to bring on board, one from Rioja the other from Priorat, a wine region south of Barcelona.

The stand-out was the  2006 Les Terrasses Alvaro Palacios Priorat. Priorat is a “prestigious” blend usually including Garnacha Tinta, Garnacha Peluda, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah.  Priorat almost always features relatively higher alcohol content (> 15%).

We brought this bottle to one of our dinners aboard ship, hoping to make fast friends with our table mates. Readers, it worked! We hooked up with a marvelous couple from the UK who shared our love of wine and travel. The Priorat was a hit with all of us, complementing chicken and veal dishes. This garnet/purple wine had an earthy nose with hints of leather, pipe tobacco, and black cherries. On the palate it was delicious with a slightly full fruit-forward taste followed by silky tannins for a smooth palate-feel and a long, delicious finish. An amazing value for @ $35 US. 

Cata 1.81 – Barcelona  (wine bar)

As we ambled around the streets of Barcelona near the terrific Hotel Amister we stumbled on the hip wine bar Cata 1.81. The bar wears a modern industrial look with a welcoming personality. We were immediately seated with another group at a community table with a couple from Baltimore and their local guide, who was leading a tour of Barcelona’s best wine bars. Now there’s a Career 2.0 idea for VinoDuo!

We enjoyed the Tapas menu and one wine, the 2006 Castillo Perelada Empordà Finca Malaveïna (Blend of Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Garnacha, Merlot), really stood out.  Hints of leather and cassis on the nose and blackberry-cherry licorice notes on the palate ending in a complex, fruity finish.

ON THE CRUISE

Fattoria Maionchi, Via di Tofori 81, 55012 – Capannori (Lu) 

When we docked in Livorno, most of our shipmates awoke pre-dawn and took the hours-long ride to Florence.  We chose the more civilized mid-morning drive through the centuries-old wine region of Lucca to Fattoria Maionchi, a 17th century Villa and winery featuring both apartments (for rent at estate) and several wines, Vinsanto, Grappa and olive oils.

The setting was fairy-tale perfect. Lush farmland surrounding the historic ochre and brick villa. Vibrant gardens bursting with purple, orange, and red plantings. And vineyards that took your breath away. If Peter Mayle had stopped at Fattoria Maionchi on his way to Provence, he would have spent his year here instead.

Our visit started with a tour of the wine cellar.  Its thick, mottled walls of quarry rock revealed generations of winemaking history. In this naturally temperature controlled sub-basement, the guide shared Fattoria Maionchi’s process for aging its wine.

New and old oak casks line the walls along with the leftovers from vintages past. The usually articulate Gary just kept repeating “wow.”  Perhaps he was calculating how to convert our basement crawl space cum wine cellar into something more akin to this beauty.

What We Tasted

We settled in to the modern tasting room with about a dozen other cruisemates and were treated to a tasting of the Estate’s wines plus a hair-raising Grappa.

• Rosso delle Colline Lucchesi '09 D.O.C. (sangiovese 65%, ciliegiolo 20%, canaiolo 10%, colorino 5%): Deep garnet color with a bright berry nose. Rough and rustic flavors.
• Colline Lucchesi bianco '09 D.O.C. (trebbiano toscano 65%, greco 15%, vermentino bianco 15%, malvasia del chianti 5%”): Intense color but bland on the palate; citrus finish with hint of vanilla.
• Arcangelo '06 DOC (sangiovese 70%, merlot 30%): A more intense, structured red than the Rosso delle Colline. Deep dark, inky red color; dark red fruit flavors, with a long finish.
• Lisa called the  Vin Santo (a traditional white dessert wine) “liquid gold.” Very concentrated; ideally matched with an almod biscotti
•  The Grappa, which VinoDuo first tried during a ski trip in the Italian Alps, was delicious A uniquely Italian drink made from the dregs of the grapes, Grappa can be up to 60% alcohol. One sip of the Estate’s and we had enough, but fondly remember its surprisingly nutty character.

At the conclusion of the main tasting, Gary did some undercover work and found another wine held back from the tasting. Since his family motto is “if you don’t ask, you don’t get,” he asked and we got.  The 2003 Cintello IGT (Sangiovese 85%, Canaiolo 15%) was supple and complex with deep black fruit and cherry notes A very good super-Tuscan style wine with the kind of personality that we look for in a @ $30 - $35 wine.  So we bought a bottle and shared it with our new-found friends on the ship, accompanied by a selection of cheeses.

We had a memorable day at Fattoria Maionchi. The wine was above average at best, but when the atmospherics and gracious hospitality are factored in, it was an excursion well worth taking. As for the wine, if we can find their Cintello locally we’ll certainly put it on our must-buy list.

Next stop: Cheese Tasting in Rome