The Bar Tini wine list is set out a little differently from the other MoVida lists, in fact it’s different from most other wine lists in general. MoVida has been running for nearly fourteen years now and over this time we’ve learnt that the most logical way of breaking Spanish wine into meaningful categories is geographically. It’s how we teach our new staff and it’s how we think about the Spanish wine world, so it made sense to us to use this as the guiding principle for this wine list. What this means is that we have three broad chapters; Atlantic, Continental, and Mediterranean, with red and white wines from each region thrown in together. We’ve also realised that while we’re obsessed with Spanish wine not everyone is and it’s boring to be a zealot, so we’ve got wine from Australia and the rest of the world at the back of the book but to make it onto the list they had to be wines that we felt needed to fill a particular gap that the we just couldn’t nail with a Spaniard.
By Atlantic we mean the North and North Western corner of Spain, starting with the Txakoli’s of the Basque Country near San Sebastian and ending in the Albariño territory of Rías Baixas above the Portuguese border, it’s generally a wet, cool climate area. Whites from this area tend to have more acidity than the rest of Spain, there’s plenty to love here for Riesling or Pinot Gris fans while the most inland climes of Galicia, like Ribeiro or Valdeorras, are capable of producing wines of weight and texture underpinned by crunchy acidity that recall the palate weight of Chablis. Atlantic reds tend towards bright acidity, lower alcohol and delicacy, they should be the first port of call for Pinot and Nebbiolo fans. (Pg 2-5)
Continental for us basically covers everything that rests on the central plateau of Spain. Generally it’s Tempranillo country although there’s some other stuff around that is stonkingly good too if you know where to look. Continental Spain mixes the warmth and sunlight of the day with bitter winters and freezing nights, resulting in red wines that have weight, texture, and depth yet retain freshness and structure. There’s a lot to like here if you’re a fan of Victorian Shiraz or Cabernet. All the Spanish classics, like old school Rioja or seriously deep and meaty Ribera del Duero Tempranillo are Continental wines, but there’s fascinating things happening in obscure corners here too. In the last few years the Sierra de Gredos area has become Spain’s most exciting region by producing amazingly pure, ethereal Garnachas. Whites here are rarer, there’s only really one region that is famous for white in Continental Spain and it’s Rueda – a troubling area that produces both beautiful, complex Verdejo, and bright but simple faux Sauvignon Blanc. Rueda aside, Continental whites tend to be textural, ranging from Albillo which recalls the whites of the Rhone through to complex age worthy whites of Rioja. (Pg. 6 – 10)
The Mediterranean side of Spain has the oldest viticultural history of the entire country, Romans and Greeks planted vines the whole way along the coast before moving inland. It’s the warmest region and without the altitude of the Continental shelf the wines here tend to be fuller, rounder and offer plenty of stuff for fans of South Australian regions like McLaren Vale or Barossa. The best stuff from Mediterranean Spain comes from grapes which naturally cope with the warm climate – like Garnacha, Monastrell, or Carignan. Mediterranean Spain, with the exception of Priorat, has never received the critical acclaim or attention of some of the Continental regions, which means there’s heaps of really good value booze to be found here. There’s also some fascinating old, almost extinct, varietals that pop up along the coast here providing a glimpse into historical drinking habits and that add diversity to the Mediterranean wine scene. (Pg. 11 – 15)
Eventually we’d like to have a takeaway license here as well so we’ve structured the pricing like a wine bar and takeaway place. When/If the VCGLR gives us a new license you’ll be able to take a bottle home for $15.00 less than the price listed here.
WINE REGIONS OF SPAIN
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CONTENTS
DRINK NOW SELECTION A synopsis of staff favourites and highlights of the list ...... Pg. 4 SHERRY Dry and Sweet Sherries and Other Curios ...... Pg. 6 BUBBLES Cava and Other Sparkling Wines ...... Pg. 7 ATLANTIC WHITE WINES Albariño, Godello et. al ...... Pg. 8 ATLANTIC RED WINES Mencía, Bastarda, Trousseau ...... Pg. 10 The Wines of Dominio del Urogallo ...... Pg. 12 Canary Islands ...... Pg. 14 CONTINENTAL WHITE WINES Albillo, Verdejo, White Rioja ...... Pg. 15 CONTINENTAL RED WINES The Wines of the Sierra de Gredos ...... Pg. 18 Tempranillo ...... Pg. 20 MEDITERRANEAN WHITE WINES Garnacha Blanca, Verdil, Albilla ...... Pg. 22 MEDITERRANEAN RED WINES Catalonia ...... Pg. 23 Southern Mediterranean ...... Pg. 24 The Wines of Partida Creus...... Pg. 25 REST OF THE WORLD Bubbles ...... Pg. 26 White ...... Pg. 26 Pink and Orange ...... Pg. 27 Red ...... Pg. 28 Burgundy ...... Pg. 28 Rhone Valley ...... Pg. 29 Cascina Ebreo ...... Pg. 29 Two Metre Tall ...... Pg. 30
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DRINK THIS NOW
As much as we love our wine list, we realise that settling into a corner and flicking through a 30 page wine tome isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. These two pages offer a snap shot of what the rest of the list goes into in more detail. These two pages are a ‘quick pick’ of what we are drinking now.
SHERRY
NV Bodegas Alonso ‘Velo Flor’ Manzanilla Sanlúcar de 95 Barrameda
BUBBLES
2016 Raventos i Blanc ‘Blanc de Blanc’ Xarel- Conca Del Rui 80 lo, Macabeo, Parellada Anoia
2008 Colet Navazos ‘Reserva Extra Brut’ Penedes, 100 Calalunya 2016 Partida Creus ‘C.V’ Ancestral Pet Nat Bonastre, 95 Catrioxa Vermell Catalunya
WHITE
2016 Bengoetxe Hondarabbi Zuri Getariko 50 Txakolina
2017 Disznoko ‘Tokaji Dry’ Furmint Tokaji, Hungary 60
2014 Dominio del Urogallo ‘Pesico’ Albarin Cangas del 75 Narcea
2013 Zarate ‘Tras de Vinya’ Albarino Val do Salnes, 120 Rias Baixas
2015 Bodegas Maranones ‘Picarana’ Albillo Real Sierra de Gredos 60
2015 Chateau Yvonne Chenin Blanc Saumur Blanc 100
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PINK
2017 Antidoto ‘Roselito’ Tinto Fino, Albillo Ribera del 75 Duero, Spain
ORANGE
2016 Forjas del Salnes ‘Cos Pes’ Albarino Val do Salnes, 90 Spain 2015 Menti Giovanni Monte de Cuca Garganega Gambellara, 75 Italy 2017 Petracavallo Fiano Puglia, Italy 70
2015 Antadze Rkatsiteli Kakheti, Georgia 90
2008 Gravner ‘Ribolla Anfora’ Ribolla Gialla Fruili, Italy 180
RED
2016 Comando G ‘La Bruja De Rozas’ Garnacha Sierra de 75 Gredos, Spain 2016 Envinate ‘Taganan Margalagua’ Listan Tenerife, Spain 100 Negro predomínate field blend
2015 Girlan Lagrein Alto Adige, 55 Italy 2015 Mount Majura Mondeuse Canberra, ACT 65
2012 Cellar Communica Garnacha, Samso, Syrah Montsant, Spain 55
2013 Alvaro Palacios ‘Finca Dofi’Garnacha, Gratallops, 95 Carinyena 375ml Half Bottle Priorat
2013 Cellar del Roure ‘Safra’ Mando Garnacha Valencia, Spain 75 Tintorera
2014 Casa Castillo ‘Pie Franco’ Monastrell Jumilla, Spain 150
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SHERRY
Oxidative and marvellously complex wines of Jerez are some of our favourite things to drink. Manzanilla and Fino go well with summer days and cricket matches. Amontillado on the other hand is full of complex aged characters yet remains gloriously fine and delicate. Oloroso is more robust and finally Pedro Ximénez is the full blown, dark and sweet gear. But like a lot of wine categorization methods, much of the interesting stuff happens in the grey areas in between the official laws, be it Manzanilla Pasada, unfortified Palomino or En Rama single cask bottlings. Like the rest of our wine list we’ve divided sherries first by location, then by style.
SANLÚCAR DE BARRAMEDA
6y.o Sanchez Ayala ‘Gabriela’ Manzanilla Sanlúcar de 30 (375ml) Barrameda
4y.o Equipo Navazos ‘I Think’ Manzanilla Sanlúcar de 10/40 (375ml) Barrameda
10+ Bodegas Alonso ‘Velo Flor’ Manzanilla Sanlúcar de 95 (750ml) Barrameda
10y.o Delgado Zuleta ‘Goya XL’ Manzanilla Sanlúcar de 130 (500ml) Barrameda
20+ Sanchez Ayala ‘Galeon’ Oloroso (500ml) Sanlúcar de 160 Barrameda
??!! Equipo Navazos ‘La Bota 47’ Palo Cortado Sanlúcar de 250 Viejisimo ‘Bota NO’ a la Gaspar Florido Barrameda (500ml)
JEREZ
4y.o El Maestro Sierra Fino (750ml) Jerez 10/55
15y.o Romate ‘N.P.U’ Amontillado Jerez 15/80
5+ El Maestro Sierra Pedro Ximénez Jerez 12/75
NOT SHERRY
2015 Equipo Navazos ‘La Bota 77’ Palomino Sanlucar de 115 Blanco Barrameda
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BUBBLES
CAVA
Cava is a non-geographic D.O. Meaning that provided the secondary fermentation happens in bottle and a couple of other technical boxes are ticked then the term Cava can be used for sparkling from all over Spain. Despite that fact 95% of Cava comes from the Catalan region of Penedès. Our selection below focuses on ‘grower’ producers, some organic, some biodynamic, but above all else people who make wine that’s interesting to drink.
2014 Suriol Brut Nature Cava Penedès 60
2015 Raventos i Blanc Blanc de Blanc Penedès 75
2001 Suriol ‘Grabuac’ Brut Nature Penedès 80
ANCESTRAL METHOD SPARKLING
2015 Vinedos Culturales ‘Acequion’ Moscatel Alicante 70
2017 Little Things ‘Flo’s Fizz’ Sauvignon Adelaide Hills 75 Blanc
2016 Partida Creus ‘V.N’ Pet Nat field blend Bonastre, 95 Catalunya
2016 Partida Creus ‘C.V’ Pet Nat Catrioxa Bonastre, 95 Vermell Catalunya
CHAMPAGNE
Cava is interesting, unique, and delicious. Champagne is interesting, unique and delicious in some overlapping but very distinct ways. Here is a small selection of some really cool, especially delicious growers Champagnes (meaning the producer grows their own grapes unlike a majority of the more well know large scale houses). NV Bereche & Fils Brut Reserve Pinot Noir, Montagne de 160 Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier Reims
NV Bereche & Fils ‘Reflet d’Antan’ Pinot Montagne de 350 Meunier, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay Reims
2011 Chartogne-Taillet ‘Les Beaux Sens’ Pinot Montagne de 215 Meunier Reims
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ATLANTIC WHITE PAIS VASCO
Basque Country means Txakoli. Super bright, high acid whites that should be smashed with salted things. Think dry Clare Valley Riesling with a pinch of salt and an unpronounceable name.
2016 Bengoetxe Hondarrabi Zuri, Izkiriota Getariako 50
RÍAS BAIXAS
2016 Castro Martin ‘Sobre Lias’ Albariño Val do Salnés 65
2016 Forjas del Salnés ‘Leirana’ Albariño Val do Salnés 65
2013 Forjas del Salnés ‘Genoveva’ Albariño Val do Salnés 75
2016 Forjas del Salnés ‘Cos Pes’ Albariño Val do Salnés 90
2016 Zarate Albariño Val do Salnés 70
2013 Zarate ‘Tras de Vinya’ Albariño Val do Salnés 115
2016 Zarate ‘El Balado’ Albariño Val do Salnés 115
2015 Zarate ‘El Palomar’ Albariño Val do Salnés 115
2012 Palacio de Fefinanes III Ano Albarino Val do Salnés 150
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RIBEIRA SACRA 2016 Fedellos do Couto ‘Conasbrancas’ Godello, Ribeiras do Sil 70 Doña Blanca et al
VALDEORRAS
2016 Telmo Rodriguez ‘Gaba do Xil’ Godello Valdeorras 45
MONTERREI
2015 Quinta da Murradella ‘Alanda Blanco’ Doña Monterrei 80 Blanca, Treixadura, Verdello, Monstruosa
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ATLANTIC REDS
The easiest way to navigate the Atlantic red wines from Galicia is to follow the Sil River. In Rías Baixas, where the river meets the sea the reds are extremely light, sappy, and have crazy acid lines. The further inland you go, heading up towards the Continental shelf, the more fruit and body can be found in the wines. So something like a Ribeira Sacra Bastarda is cracking for old world Pinot or Jura drinkers, while a Bierzo Mencía is probably closer in weight to Central Otago Pinot. Outside of Galicia we’ve basically only got red from Asturias, an obscure, forgotten corner of the viticultural world that is really unique and worth trying for yourself.
RÍAS BAIXAS
2010 Forjas del Salnes ‘Goliardo’ Caiño A Telleria 95
Produced from 100 year old vines on a bed of Granite, Goliardo is a reflection of what was possible for Rías Baixas reds before the success of Albariño convinced local growers to rip out their reds en masse. It’s a beautiful, delicate, and precise wine. Light bodied and age worthy.
VALDEORRAS
2016 Telmo Rodriguez ‘Gaba do Xil’ Mencía Valdeorras 45
2012 Telmo Rodriguez ‘As Carborcas’ Mencía Valdeorras 90
2012 Telmo Rodriguez ‘Falcoeira’ Mencía Valdeorras 100
RIBEIRA SACRA
One of the most dramatically beautiful regions of the world, Ribeira Sacra is a network of canyons split by the River Sil and it’s tributaries. It’s most famous vineyards lie along a south facing bank in the Amandi region known as the Golden Mile where Mencía dominant reds are grown on incredibly steep slate terraces. There is much to love here for crunchy, pure fruited and mineral wines. There’s also some incredibly elegant wines made from Bastardo, the local name for Trousseau, which was brought to Galicia from the Jura by French monks’ centuries ago and has found a home in the wilder, cooler sites of Ribeira Sacra.
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2015 Alberto Nanclares ‘Penapedre’ Mencía Chantada 75
2015 Fedellos do Couto Bastarda Ribeiras do Sil 80
2016 Fedellos do Couto ‘Cortezada’ Mencia Ribeiras do Sil 80
2015 Envinate ‘Lousas Parcela Seoane’ Mencía Amandi 95
2015 Envinate ‘Lousas Parcela Camino Novo’ Amandi 95 Mencía
2013 Guimaro ‘Pombeiras’ Mencía Amandi 155
BIERZO
Bierzo is technically part of Castile y León, not Galicia. It sits to the north east of Ribeira Sacra like a little bowl nestled into the mountains that divide Galicia from the rest of Spain. Viticulturally however it makes much more sense to think of Bierzo as the final stop on the Galician wine trial than to lump it in with the Garnachas and Tempranillos of Continental Spain. It’s also Bierzo that was home to the first big international breakthrough for the Mencía grape variety, thanks to the stunning wines of Descendientes de J. Palacios (DJP) of Corullón. The Mencía’s of Bierzo tend to be richer, more opulent and luscious than those found further west. For those whose taste in Pinot leads them to the more muscular Pinot styles of Victoria or New Zealand should find plenty to like here, in the top wines there’s also enough structure to keep the tannin thirsty Barolo or Cornas fan interested.
2016 Altos de San Esteban ‘La Perra Gorda’ Bibembre 40 Mencía
2016 Mengoba ‘Brezo Tinto’ Mencía Valtuille and 45 Villafranca del Bierzo
2013 DJP ‘Corullón’ Mencía Corullón 120
2008 DJP ‘Moncerbal’ Mencía Corullón 300
2005 DJP ‘Las Lamas’ Mencía Corullón 350
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DOMINIO DEL UROGALLO
CANGAS DEL NARCEA, ASTURIAS
Cangas is a town in the Province of Asturias, directly North of Bierzo, nestled into the steep mountains that fall down towards the Cantabrian sea. To be honest we stumbled across the region by accident when taking the scenic route on a road trip between Galicia and San Sebastian. We’d never heard of Asturian wine until then, there’s hardly anything written about it and as far as we know no one had ever imported it to Australia. Monks had brought vines to the monastery in Cangas del Narcea some five hundred years ago, so the town has an amazing array of unknown varieties, an incredible set of vineyards and a long viticultural history but it had sort of disappeared into obscurity. Vineyards in Cangas can be as steep and dramatic as Ribeira Sacra, yet with the rainfall more typical of Rías Baixas or the Basque Country. The result is a completely unique set of flavours unlike anything else we’ve stumbled across. On our first research trip back to Cangas del Narcea we tried wines from every producer we could find, which was only three. Of those two were unremarkable, industrially made wines, the third was a terroir obsessed, natural winemaker who had cut his teeth in the Northern Rhone with the man himself, Alain Graillot. His name is Nicholas Marcos and his winery is called Dominio del Urogallo. Nico’s wines were an eclectic mix of fresh, cool climate acidity, intense minerality, wavering tannin lines and elegant, subtle fruit. The very top single vineyard wines reminded us of the sort of cult wines of Jean Foillard or Thierry Allemande or even, if we’re being completely self- indulgent, the great Jean-Francois Ganevat. These will definitely not be wines that appeal to everyone, but the fun of a big wine list is that we get to include the weird and wonderful and that’s exactly what we think these are.
WHITE
2016 Dominio del Urogallo ‘Fanfarria’ Albarin, Cangas del 45 Albillo Narcea
2014 Dominio del Urogallo ‘Pesico’ Albarin Cangas del 80 Narcea
2015 Dominio del Urogallo ‘Las Yolas’ Albillo Cangas del 120 Narcea
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RED
2015 Dominio del Urogallo ‘Fanfarria’ Mencía, Cangas del 45 Albarin Tinto Narcea
2014 Dominio del Urogallo ‘Pesico’ Carrasquin, Cangas del 75 Mencía, Albarin Tinto, Verdejo Negro Narcea
2013 Dominio del Urogallo ‘La Zorrina’ Cangas del 150 Carrasquin Narcea
La Zorrina is a 125 year old vineyard on incredibly steep, slate terraces - as spectacular as anything found in Ribeira Sacra or Priorat. Planted over 120 years ago mostly to the native varietal Carrasquin. It’s somewhere between Trousseau and Pinot in weight, long, high toned, elegant, and precise. It was this vineyard and the potential it had that first convinced Nico to leave the coveted position at Domaine Alain Graillot.
2013 Dominio del Urogallo ‘Retortorio’ Verdejo Cangas del 130 Negro (aka Trousseau) Narcea
2012 Dominio del Urogallo ‘Cadario’ Mencía, Cangas del 120 Verdejo Negro Narcea
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CANARY ISLANDS
The Canary Islands are a very peculiar place. This chain of jagged volcanic islands are on the same latitude as southern Morocco and have every microclimate imaginable. Jungles, rainforests, desserts, beaches, and stark mountains all on islands that take at most an hour to drive across. Geographically Africa. Politically Spain. Culturally some sort of Portuguese / South American hybrid. A very peculiar place indeed.
Tenerife (Tenner-reef-ey) is the largest island in the chain and the most important viticulturally. With some of the highest vineyard sites in Europe and many vineyards literally touching the Atlantic Ocean, wines from indigenous grapes are made with a quite frankly startling amount of freshness and acidity given their geographical position. Wines tend to have a characteristic tyre rubber/pencil eraser smokiness and an extreme pronounced minerality from the black volcanic soils. Envinate (which means ‘Wine Yourself’) is one producer we are particularly fond of. Envinate was formed by four friends that met at Oenological College in Alicante in 2005. They bonded over shared principles, namely making wine with maximum freshness with minimal intervention from organically farmed fruit. They make their own wine from 4 regions all over Spain under the label, bound by those guiding principles. Roberto Santana is the Tenerife custodian. Below is Roberto’s whole Tenerife offering from the 2016 vintage. These wines are very much at the beginning of their life, showing the extreme freshness and puckering acidity possible from the incredible altitude and steepness of vineyards that are licked by the Atlantic Ocean.
2016 Envinate ‘Tàganan Blanco’ Listan Blanco Taganana 85 et al
2016 Envinate ‘Tàganan Tinto’ Listan Negro et Taganana 85 al
2016 Envinate ‘Tàganan Margalagua’ Listan Taganana 100 Negro et al
2016 Envinate ‘Palo Blanco’ Listan Blanco Valle de la 95 Orotava
2016 Envinate ‘Migan’ Listan Negro Valle de la 95 Orotava
2016 Envinate ‘Benje Blanco’ Listan Blanco Ycoden-Daute- 75 Isora
2016 Envinate ‘Benje Tinto’ Listan Negro Ycoden-Daute- 75 Isora
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CONTINENTAL WHITE
Continental Spain has been so successful in producing powerful red wine that it’s easy to overlook the whites and rose that have traditionally been produced here as well. Aside from Rueda almost all of the Denominación de Origen here are dominated by red wine production and in some the making of whites has even been banned in the D.O. despite historical precedent, Toro and Ribera del Duero being prime amongst these. Most of the wines produced here are textural and show the warmth of the sunlight hours of Continental Spain, but there’s plenty of individual spots where cold weather, altitude or specific soils help to build acidity and make age worthy, driven wines.
RIOJA
2015 Valenciso Viura, Garnacha Blanca Haro, Villalba 75
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SIERRA DE GREDOS
The Gredos is one of our favourite parts of Spain, it’s a magnificent mountain range to the West of Madrid might just be one of the most exciting area in the country right now. Whites produced here are mostly from the low acid, short cycle varietal called Albillo, that produces surprisingly fresh wines reminiscent of the Marsanne and Rousanne of the Northern Rhone. Paradoxically Albillo produces fresher wine in warmer places so it tends to be planted on the lower and more Mediterranean sites of the Gredos, leaving the extreme heights and cooler parcels free for Garnacha.
2016 Marañones ‘Picarana’ Albillo Madrid 50
2015 Marañones ‘Piesdeszcalzos’ Albillo Madrid 85
RUEDA
Rueda is a strange appellation, it’s wedged between a heap of famous Big Red Wine areas like Toro, Cigales, and Ribera del Duero yet it’s almost 100% white here. Likewise the small amounts of white planted in the neighbouring areas is a broad collection of varieties – Garnacha Blanca, Albillo, Palomino etc in Rueda it’s only Verdejo, although Sauvignon Blanc appeared later. Until the late 80s or early 90s Rueda was completely obscure, it’s wines were oxidative, flabby, and flat but with the arrival of modern technical winemaking it burst onto the world scene with high acid, vibrant wines that immediately appealed to the craze of Sauv Blanc. Now it’s almost overtaken Albariño as Spain’s most important white grape. There’s some lovely old vine wines made here, in a textural savoury style, there’s also a heap of faux-Marlborough Sauv produced for foreign markets. The governing body also allows Sauvignon Blanc to be blended into Rueda wines without mentioning it on the label which is the equivalent of the government condoning the ‘Marlborough-ization’ of Rueda. We’ve tried to pick wines here that we think reflect their soils and their origins as we have the whole way through this list, but in Rueda that can be a difficult task.
2015 Barco del Corneta ‘Cucu’ Verdejo La Seca 40
2016 Telmo Rodriguez ‘Basa’ Verdejo Rueda 55
2014 Barco del Corneta Verdejo La Seca 80
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Ismael Gozalo is a nth generation vine grower turned wine maker in the eastern corner of Rueda, the village of Nieva. From some stunning, pre- phylloxera vineyard sights he makes some seriously lo-fi funky little numbers, saving them from their previous destiny ending up in an average quality co-op. With little to no sulphur and a lot of experimentation Ismael shows what can be achieved from this much maligned area with a bit of imagination and balls.
2016 MicroBio ‘La Banda del Argilico’ Verdejo Nieva 85
2016 MicroBio ‘Issé Vinador Solador’ Verdejo Nieva 100
RIBERA DEL DUERO CLARETE
Despite being famous as a powerful, Parker Pointer, Red area Ribera del Duero has a very long and rich history of making and drinking Rose. Go to an old restaurant in town and you’ll probably see some old dudes smashing the pink stuff at the bar, it’s part of the region and we love it. Traditionally these wines would be Clarete, meaning a blend of white and red wine making a more savoury and structure rose than the typical Australian but there’s some classic Rose kicking around now too that’s bloody delicious.
2016 Antídoto ‘Roselito’ Tinta Fino, Albillo Ribera del Duero 75
2014 Dominio del Aguila ‘Picaro’ Tempranillo, La Aguilera 90 Albillo, Garnacha, Bobal
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CONTINENTAL RED
SIERRA DE GREDOS
Officially the Gredos isn’t even a Denominación de Origen, its split haphazardly between the Madrid DO to the East, Castile y León to the North and Mentrida to the South, but the Gredos makes up only a tiny part of each of these official D.O.S. Because of this, it makes much more sense to think of the Gredos as the Gredos. Within these mountains there’s three distinct zones, the Alberche Valley, around the town of San Martín where the wines are slightly more generous and the climate more Mediterranean, then there’s the higher areas of Alto Alberche which are seriously cold and wild, Garnacha here produces the most ‘extreme’ examples of the Gredos style – intense minerality - like licking rock and really firm linear structure. To the south, the third zone is the Valle de Tietar, at its apex the wines can be wonderfully elegant, floral and expressive, Las Umbrías from Comando G being the best example. Further down the valley the wines get more powerful and broadly structured culminating in the muscular Cantos del Diablo grown near El Real de San Vicente.
2016 Comando G ‘La Bruja de Rozas’ Garnacha Rozas 75
2015 Comando G ‘1er Rozas’ Garnacha Rozas 100
2013 Bernabeleva ‘Arroyo del Tortolas’ San Martín de 115 Garnacha Valdeglesias
2014 Comando G ‘Las Umbrias’ Garnacha Rozas 180
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RIOJA
Undeniably Spain’s most famous wine region. There’s so much to know and learn about Rioja that it’s almost impossible to write about without feeling like you’re leaving out more than you are putting in, we’d probably need twenty pages of just Rioja booze to do it justice… The way we’ve tried to work it is to split it first between the traditional, super old school producers who make oxidatively aged medium bodied, savoury styles and the modernists who are more interested in terroir, soil, place and whose wines generally show cleaner fruit flavours and less oak influence.
MODERN RIOJA
The fun news of modern Rioja is the rediscovery of wine villages. By this we mean producers who show that each village in Rioja makes wine that has a slightly different personality, this philosophy isn’t enshrined in Rioja DOC law and it’s still a minority of small producers who think this way but for us they’re the people making the most interesting booze in this classic old area. Like we did for the Gredos above we’ve listed the wines with village names where possible.
2016 Voladora ‘La Bicicleta’ Tempranillo Viura Rioja 45
2016 Sierra de Toloño Tempranillo Rivas de Tereso 55
2010 Telmo Rodriguez ‘Lanzaga’ Tempranillo Lanciego 105
2014 Artuke ‘La Condenada’ Tempranillo Banos de Ebro 135
2015 Olivier Riviere ‘Pozo Alto’ Graciano, Leza 350 Tempranillo
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TRADITIONAL RIOJA
By traditional Rioja we are referring to the old school producers who cut their teeth when phylloxera hit Bordeaux and the French started sneaking Spanish wine north to fill their bottles… these bodegas learnt their racking and oak aging techniques from the French and then carved out their own style, blending various subzones of Rioja and aging for long periods, usually in American oak. Traditional Rioja gets a bad rap because there’s a heap of average wine that’s passed off under the ‘Reserva’ or ‘Gran Reserva’ classification as if putting average wine in a barrel for a long time will suddenly make it good wine, unfortunately that’s not how it works. But good Trad’ Rioja is really tasty and it would be throwing the baby out with the bathwater to pass off all traditional producers because of the ones that use the style as an excuse for average wine. Below are a few wines from our favourite two producers, La Rioja Alta and López de Heredia. There’s a couple of other good old school producers kicking around, but those two are our favourites and we had to draw a line somewhere… López de Heredia tend to be a bit funkier, more mushrooms and forest floor, La Rioja Alta wines tend to be brighter and more elegantly fruited. Best enjoyed while wearing tweed.
2006 La Rioja Alta ‘Viña Arana’ Tempranillo, Rioja 53 Mazuelo (375ml Bottles)
2011 La Rioja Alta ‘Viña Alberdi’ Tempranillo Rioja 75
2009 La Rioja Alta ‘Viña Arana’ Tempranillo, Rioja 105 Mazuelo 2010 Valenciso ‘Reserva’ Tempranillo Rioja 90
2007 La Rioja Alta ‘Viña Ardanza’ Tempranillo, Rioja 110 Garnacha
2004 Urbina ‘Reserva Especial’ Tempranillo, Cuzcurrita de 120 Mazuelo, Graciano Río Tirón
2001 Urbina ‘Reserva Especial’ Tempranillo, Cuzcurrita de 120 Mazuelo, Graciano Río Tirón
1995 Urbina ‘Gran Reserva’ Tempranillo, Cuzcurrita de 140 Mazuelo, Graciano Río Tirón
2005 López de Heredia Viña Tondonia ‘Reserva’ Rioja 140 Tempranillo, Garnacha, Graciano, Mazuelo
2005 López de Heredia Viña Tondonia ‘Bosconia’ Rioja 150 Tempranillo, Garnacha, Mazuelo
1998 López de Heredia Viña Tondonia ‘Reserva’ Rioja 160 Tempranillo, Garnacha, Mazuelo
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2007 La Rioja Alta ‘Gran Reserva 904’ Rioja 135 Tempranillo, Graciano
2005 La Rioja Alta ‘Gran Reserva 890’ Rioja 250 Tempranillo, Mazuelo, Graciano
RIBERA DEL DUERO
Ribera del Duero is the second most famous Tempranillo growing area in Spain. It’s south west of Rioja, separated by the Sierra de la Demanda. Ribera del Duero is both ferociously hot and miserably cold, often on the same day, the locals only eat lamb, constantly, lamb, lamb, lamb, lamb. Over time the local clone of Tempranillo has adapted to this harsh environment and monotonous lamb consumption, the result are wines with higher alcohol, richer fruit pattern, more decadent palates and more concentration than those produced in Rioja. These are big powerful wines that appeal to certain American wine critics and consequently can cost an absolute bomb. The best balance freshness through the density of old vine Tinto del Pais.
2016 Quinta Milu ‘Milu’ Tinto Fino La Aguilera 45
2007 Alejandro Fernandez ‘Dehesa La Granja’ Zamora 70 Tinto Fino
2013 Dominio del Águila ‘Pícaro’ Tinto Fino La Aguilera 80 blend
2013 Dominio del Águila ‘Reserva’ Tinto Fino La Aguilera 150 blend
TORO
As you travel down the Duero River, to the west of Ribera del Duero, you hit Toro, another Tempranillo predominate region. It’s version of the infamous variety is even bigger again than those found in Ribera. It’s a region that’s famous for HUGE red wines but these can be tricky to work with in a wine bar where our chefs don’t have room to roast whole ribeyes, so we’ve included some wine from Alvar de Dios – a lovely young man who makes bright and vibrant wines in the sea of extraction that is Toro.
2016 Alvar de Dios ‘Tio Uco’ Tinto del Toro Toro 50
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MEDITERRANEAN WHITE
Modern transport methods have not been kind to the white varietals of the Mediterranean. Once upon a time local producers would produce all kinds of wine to suit the local consumption, but the wine regions of the Mediterranean have tended to specialize in red over the last few decades and trying to find a local bottle of white plonk when drinking in Valencia can be surprisingly difficult. There’s heaps of Albariño or Verdejo from the other side of Spain on offer but white production here has really suffered. We’ve included wines from a heap of different DO’s in the cluster below, they’re all delicious examples of what can be grown in warmer Mediterranean climates, textural, lush, stony wines that deserve their place in the world.
2016 Bodegas Ponce ‘Reto’ Albilla Manchuela 60
2016 Celler Comunica ‘La Pua’ Garnacha Blanca, Montsant 65 Garnacha Negra
2016 Celler del Roure ‘Cullerot’ Verdil, Pedro Valencia 70 Ximénez, Chardonnay, Malvasia
2015 Mendall ‘Abeurador’ Macabeo Vilalba 80
2016 Terroir Históric Blanco Garnacha Blanca, Priorat 85 Macabeo
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2015 Terroir al Límit ‘Terra de Cuques’ Pedro Priorat 120 Ximénez, Moscatel de Alejandría
2012 Terroir al Límit ‘Pedra De Guix’ Garnacha Priorat 175 Blanca, Macabeo, Pedro Ximénez
MEDITERRANEAN RED
The Mediterranean produces some insanely good value booze, the Southern appellations; Manchuela, Jumilla, Alicante are so dry and warm that disease pressure is almost non-existent, making farming organically or biodynamically a much easier proposition than in the wetter and colder regions of Galicia or Castile. The result for people drinking in a laneway in Melbourne is that there’s some amazing, old vine wine from really good growers available at a fraction of the price they’d be if they came from Rioja. The wines will tend to have more generosity of fruit, more thyme, bay, and lavender notes, maybe more rustic tannins but there’s a lot to love here. The Northern areas, basically the Catalan country, like Empordà, Montsant, Priorat, and Penedès have a much more developed wine scene. Probably thanks to the parochialism of the drinkers of Barcelona. There’s some wonderful old indigenous varieties here like Sumoll and Garrut, a fantastic super expensive, world class region that is Priorat, and a massive and thriving natural wine movement.
THE CATALANS
2012 Celler Comunica Garnacha, Carinyena, Falset, Montsant 55 Syrah
2014 Celler Comunica ‘La Peluda’ Garnacha Falset, Montsant 70 Peluda
2015 Alvaro Palacios ‘Camins’ Carinyena, Priorat 85 Garnacha
2013 Alvaro Palacios ‘Finca Dofi’ Garnacha, Gratallops, 95 Carinyena 375ml Half Bottle Priorat
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SOUTHERN MEDITERRANEAN
Monastrell trumps the southern parts of the Mediterranean, both in terms of finesse, and also in terms of sheer bulk of vines planted. There’s also some wonderful wines to be drunk from little known local varieties like Bobal or Moravia Agria. Bobal is powerful, dark, and firmly tannic, Moravia somehow manages to produce elegant, light, and delicate wines even in the most harsh sun baked terrain. The wines we’re attracted to here manage to balance the natural depth of fruit and power of this hot growing area with a freshness to keep them in check.
2015 Bodegas Ponce ‘Clos Lojen’ Bobal Manchuela 40
2013 Bodegas Ponce ‘Depaula’ Monastrell Jumilla 45
2015 Casa Castillo Monastrell Jumilla 55
2015 Casa Castillo ‘El Molar’ Garnacha Jumilla 95
2012 Vinedos Culturales ‘Ramblis’ Fourcayet Alicante 60
2014 Bodegas Ponce ‘P.F.’ Bobal Manchuela 60
2014 Bodegas Ponce ‘Buena Pinta’ Moravia Agria Manchuela 60
2016 Cellar del Roure ‘Safrá’ Mando, Garnacha Valencia 75 Tintorera
2014 Casa Castillo ‘Las Gravas’ Monastrell, Jumilla 90 Garnacha, Syrah
2014 Casa Castillo ‘Pie Franco’ Monastrell Jumilla 150
2012 Viñedos Culturales ‘Cuvee Juan Padilla’ Alicante 175 Monastrell (1500ml Magnum)
Made from old vine Monastrell by maverick natural wine producer Rafa Bernabe. Cuvee Jaun Padilla is a seductive, floral and open Monastrell that smells of violets, baked red clay and brambly fruit.
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PARTIDA CREUS
Partida Creus is somewhat of a zeitgeist for what’s happening in the Catalan wine scene right now. There’s a swath of natural winemakers championing indigenous Catalan grape varietals who are making incredibly exciting wine in almost unknown appellations. These producers are fully supported by a string of small bars and restaurants dotted throughout Barcelona. Partida Creus, the work of husband and wife team Massimo and Antonella are amongst our favourite of this band of rogues. Their wines are eminently drinkable, brightly fruited and precise. They are wines that we loved discovering in the depths of Barcelona’s infamous Bar Brutal and we are super excited to share them with you here!
2016 Partida Creus ‘V.N. Vinel.lo’ Ancestral Bonastre 95 Pet Nat Blanco
A blend of the major varieties of Bonastre, slight skin contact and light spritzy pet natty deliciousness.
2016 Partida Creus ‘C.V’ Cartoixá Vermell Bonastre 95 Ancestral Pet Nat
2016 Partida Creus ‘V.N’ Blanco Field Blend Bonastre 80
2015 Partida Creus ‘S.P.’ Subirat Parent Bonastre 95
Subirat Parent is the Catalan name for Malvasia. A widespread grape that retains acid well and can gives almost pineapple like exotic fruit flavours.
2016 Partida Creus ‘X.L’ Xarel-lo Bonastre 95
2016 Partida Creus ‘S.M’ Sumoll Bonastre 95
2016 Partida Creus ‘V.N.’ Tinto Bonastre 75
Bobal, Trepat, Ull de Perdiu. There’s more power here than in the V.N. but still within the Partida Creus motif of drinkability above all else.
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REST OF THE WORLD
We love Spanish plonk. We feel that Spanish wine deserves at least a 25 page wine list. That being said we don’t want you to miss out on the rest of the world's rich tapestry of banging booze.
This part of the list is a little less encyclopaedic and comprehensive with the criteria for inclusion being that a wine is;
a)Delicious b)Fun or interesting
c)Offering something unique that we couldn’t find a ready alternative to in Spain BUBBLES
2011 Gembrook Hill Blanc de Blanc Chardonnay Yarra Valley, 95 VIC
Andrew Marks of Gembrook Hill makes some of the most delicate, flinty, and outright delicious Blanc de Blanc in Australia. This one has had a couple of extra years on its lees so has developed serious brioche complexity.
2017 Little Things ‘Flo’s Fizz’ Pet Nat Adelaide Hills, 65 Sauvignon Blanc SA
2016 Dal Zotto ‘Col Fondo’ Prosecco King Valley, VIC 70
2017 Shobbrook Wines ‘Making Space’ Pet Nat Seppeltsfield, 75 Shiraz Mourverde SA
2017 Shobbrook Wines ‘Rose’ Pet Nat Grenache Barossa Valley, 75 SA
WHITES
2017 Disznoko ‘Tokaji Dry’ Furmint Tokaji, Hungary 60
2016 Hahndorf Hill ‘Gru’ Gruner Veltliner Adelaide Hills 75
2015 Domaine de Pas Saint Martin ‘La Pierre Saumur, Loire 65 Frite’ Chenin Blanc Valley
2014 Franz Saumon ‘Mineral +’ Chenin Blanc Montlouis Sur 85 Loire
2016 Domaine Bobinet ‘Les Gruches’ Chenin Saumur, Loire 100 Blanc Valley
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2016 Jean Gerlinger Gewurtztraminer Alsace 80
2015 Vie di Romans ‘Dessimus’ Pinot Grigio Alto Adige, 100 Italy
2017 Brash Higgins ‘ZBO’ Zibbibo Ricca Terra, 85 Riverland
2014 Philippe Tessier ‘Les Sables’ Romorantin Cour Cheverny, 85 France
2014 Michel Gahier ‘Les Crêts’ Chardonnay Arbois, France 90
2015 Bongiraud ‘Poema’ Riesling Rojljevo, Serbia 85
2015 Chateau Yvonne Chenin Blanc Saumur, Loire, 110 France
2014 Domaine Berthet-Bondet ‘Savangier’ Côtes-du-Jura, 110 Savagnin France
PINK AND ORANGE
2017 Petracavallo Fiano Puglia, Italy 70
2017 Shobbrook Wines ‘Giallo’ Riesling and Vine Vale and 75 Muscat de petit grains High Eden
2016 Antadze Rkatsiteli Kakheti, Georgia 90
2016 COS Pithos Bianco Grecanico Vittoria, Sicily 105
2015 Menti Giovanni ‘Monte del Cuca’ Gargenega Gambellara, 90 Italy
2017 Shobbrook Wines ‘Tommy Ruff Seppeltsfield, 75 Poolside’Syrah SA
2016 Radikon ‘Sivi’ Pinot Grigio Venezia Giulia 110
2016 Radikon ‘Slatnik’ Chardonnay Fruilano Venezia Giulia 110
2011 Radikon ‘Oslavje’ Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Venezia Giulia 130 Blanc, Chardonnay (500ml)
2011 Radikon ‘Jakot’ Fruilano (500ml) Venezia Giulia 130
2011 Radikon ‘Ribolla’ Ribolla Gialla (500ml) Venezia Giulia 140
2008 Gravner ‘Ribolla Anfora’ Ribolla Gialla Venezia Giulia 180
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RED
2017 ‘PiMo’, MoVida/Bar Tini/Bill Downie Gippsland, VIC 75 Collaboration Pinot Noir
2015 Girlan Lagrein Alto Adige, 55 Italy
2016 Mount Majura Mondeuse Canberra, ACT 65
2013 Casale Della Ioria Olivella Lazio, Italy 75
2015 Damion Ciolii ‘Silene’ Cesanse Lazio, Italy 60
2017 Approach to Relaxation ‘Sucette’ Grenache Barossa, Italy 75
2016 Sandrone Dolcetto Alba, Piemonte 70
2014 Theirry Germain ‘Terres Chaudes’ Cabernet Saumur Champigny 98 Franc
2015 Cascina delle Rose Langhe Nebbiolo Barberesco, 85 Piemonte
2015 COS Nero di Lupo Nero d’Avola Vittoria, Sicily 80
2016 Izway ‘Angelo’ Aglianico Barossa Valley, 90 SA
BURGUNDY
2015 Domaine Montanet-Thoden ‘Vézelay’ Bourgogne 90 Chardonnay
2015 J.J Morel ‘Les Genouvrées’ Chardonnay Bourgogne 120
2015 J.J Morel Puligny Montrachet Chardonnay Bourgogne 240
2013 J.J Morel Saint-Aubin ‘Le Ban’ Pinot Noir Bourgogne 155
RHONE VALLEY
2014 Domaine du Tunnel Saint Péray Marsanne Northern Rhone 100 Roussanne
2014 Domaine du Tunnel Saint Joseph Syrah Northern Rhone 100
2014 Domaine du Tunnel Cornas Syrah Northern Rhone 135
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CASCINA EBREO
We love Cascina Ebreo’s booze. We had a big night at the winery in 2016, opening back vintages with Pete and Romy and we’ve been obsessed with their wines ever since.
Made with all the love and dedication of the finest Barolo, their first vintage in 1997 was rejected by the tasting panel of the DOGC as being of excellent quality but ‘too cloudy’ to meet with the typicity for Barolo. Thus ‘Torbido’ was born - torbido meaning ‘cloudy’ in the local Piemontese dialect.
From an area famed for its dense structure, dynamic complexity and tannin, these wines have all that and more but with drinkability through the roof!
2000 Cascina Ebreo ‘Segretto’ Barbera Piemonte, Italy 140
2005 Cascina Ebreo ‘Torbido’ Nebbiolo Piemonte, Italy 180
2000 Cascina Ebreo ‘Torbido’ Nebbiolo Piemonte, Italy 225
1999 Cascina Ebreo ‘Torbido’ Nebbiolo Piemonte, Italy 280
BELLA RIDGE ESTATE
We are also big fans of these guys; Alon and Jodi Arbel, who are making wines of exceptional depth, quality, and finesse, from their family run winery in Swan Valley, Western Australia. It is not often that we taste wines from a single producer in a line up and want them all on the list, but here they are.
2011 Bella Ridge Chenin Blanc W.A. 60
2008 Bella Ridge ‘Belle Mere’ Chenin Blend W.A. 75
2012 Bella Ridge Estate ‘Bella Rose’ W.A. 65 Tempranillo
2012 Bella Ridge Estate Tempranillo W.A. 80
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TWO METRE TALL
The only entry in the wine list that isn’t wine, Two Metre Tall produces beers of outrageous complexity and interest. They are wildly aromatic, develop in bottle, have acidity, and are supremely food friendly; it’s beer that thinks it’s wine.
Ashley Huntingdon is the man behind these amazing beers and whose height is where the name is taken from. Ashley brews his beers in true farmhouse style, wild yeast, barrel ferments, local grains and hops, and he lets them do their thing. Whereas in Belgium they wait 3 years until these lambic styles of beers settle into stability, Ashley bottles many of them in the first year - meaning they develop in bottle and can cellar like a wine. He thinks being able to see this development and variation as part of the fun and we couldn’t agree more.
Two Metre Tall ‘Cleansing Ale’ 375ml 15 The stalwart entry level of range and designed as what it says on the tin, a cleansing farmhouse ale, souring and evolving with age
Two Metre Tall ‘Derwent Spelt Ale’ 500ml 25 Made to highlight Spelt (the ancient precursor to wheat) from the Derwent Valley this brew is super aromatic and bright
Two Metre Tall ‘Forester Bitter Amber Ale’ 500ml 25 Richly flavoured amber ale using bittering hops from the last working hop farm in the Forester River region of N.W Tassie.
Two Metre Tall ‘Lacto-Black’ 375ml 25 A naturally soured black wort beer aged in barrel for 12 months. Preserved red fruits, umami, bone dry.
Two Metre Tall ‘Sour Cherry Ale’ 750ml 80 A sour ale brewed with fresh whole Morello cherries for 18 months in bottle. Crimson red, sour and fffing delicious.
Two Metre Tall ‘Foragers Ale’ 750ml 85 The product of a whole season of foraging in the Derwent Valley and 4 years in barrel. No tasting note for this one. I couldn’t do it justice.
Two Metre Tall ‘Salty Sea Stout’ 330ml 18 A batshit crazy stout brewed with sea water, fresh oysters, and mussels. Rich, dark, and bitter, and a serious salty sea dog.
Two Metre Tall ‘Seven Years at Sea’ 750ml 80 A precursor for the above beer. An experimental brew with oysters Ashley made in 2010 that he re-discovered in 2017 (hence the name) - seriously weird and even more wonderful.
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