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I was inspired once again by my WSET 3 studies this week. I saw a wine, I saw the the grape variety it was made out of, I thought it was funky-cool and I remembered a thing or two about the grape and wine region from my WSET 3 class and boom, I picked this week’s wine. We’re definitely going off the beaten track with this one, Friends! If you like a funky wine, you’re going to want to keep reading.

And with that, let’s get into this week’s wine pick!

2019 Alvear 3 Miradas Vino de Pueblo

This week’s wine comes from the Andalusia region of Spain, located at the southern tip of the country. This region is perhaps best known for Sherry, however we are not looking at a sherry this week - though the bones may be the same. Intrigued? Keep reading!

What does this wine cost?

$19.95

Where does this wine come from?

Montilla-Moriles D.O.P. Located very close to the city of Cordoba, the Montilla-Moriles wine region is known for its albariza soils and intensely sunny and hot summers. It is also known for fortified and sweet wines. However, they also produce a lot of unfortified wines here too.

Why is this wine unique?

The better question might be - why is this wine not unique? This wine, to me, sings "funky-cool” through and through. For starters, it is made from the Pedro Ximinez grape, from old bush-trained vines.

Have you had a wine made from Pedro Ximinez before? If you’ve had sherry before, then yes, you have…though it was probably blended with other grapes. But here, we have a wine that is not sherry - it is not fortified. AND it is made from 100% Pedro Ximinez.

What’s even more interesting here is that the production method utilized here is the same as fino sherry - that is to say that this wine has been aged under a veil of yeast (flor), which gives it a super cool flavour profile. It may not be for everybody, but it sure is unique!

What in the (wine) world is flor?

Flor is a film of yeast that forms on top of the wine. It is a naturally occurring phenomenon and it creates very interesting changes to the taste and flavour profile of a wine. Most often, aging under flor is associated with flavours of salinity, savoury tang and nuts such as almonds. When wines are aged under flor, they are not as affected by oxygenation i.e. because the flor essentially creates a barrier - and this is apparent in both the appearance and flavour of these wines.

Who makes this wine?

Alvear is the oldest family owned winery in Spain, the oldest winery in Andalusia and the second oldest winery in all of Spain. This family is definitely noteworthy. The 3 Miradas is a project with another entity, the focus of which is to really showcase the terroir of the plots of land that the grapes come from.

A few Wine Geek “essential facts” about the wine (feel free to skip this if you don’t care about detailed wine-making information!):

Grape Varieties - 100% Pedro Ximinez

Soil types - albariza

Vinification - direct pressing, fermentation in large traditional concrete amphora, different plots vinified separately, aged under flor for 8 months

ABV - 13.5%

Residual Sugar - 2 g/L

My tasting notes:

A pale gold that glimmers in the glass, this wine’s bouquet immediately tells you that you are in for something different! An experienced wine taster would be able to detect light aromas of flor aging (i.e. aging under the veil of yeast as explained above); a less experienced wine lover might note a mushroomy-barnyard-olivey smell. There is also a biscuit and almond quality to the nose, with a hint of lemons. On the palate, you get a wine with presence and longevity, at once blunt and smooth too. The palate delivers a touch of salinity, some mushrooms, almond skins, bitter green olives, and orchard fruit such as crunchy apples and sun-kissed lemons. The best part for me is the finish of this wine - it has definite savoury staying power! This is a very enjoyable wine if you are in the market for what it is offering.

Aging potential:

Don’t age it, just drink it now.

Recommendations to Wineitupanotch:

A simple poached white fish dish with capers, dill and olives on top. It would also be magnificent with olives and manchego cheese or a sashimi platter.

Wineitupanotch Wine Score: 92 points

What can I say, I just really loved this wine! It was a beautiful, pleasant surprise. I think it is incredibly well priced and is sure to please the hard-to-please-been-there-done-that wine lover who wants something new for a change.

FINAL VERDICT:

A definite recommended buy in my view. But I will warn you that not everyone is going to love this wine - it may simply be too funky for some people. And that is ok with me - because wine is a very personal thing :). But if you’re seeking something new, believe me, you should try this.

If you’ve tried this wine already, or decide to pick it up and try it after reading this post, I’d love to hear from you and hear what you think of it! Please do drop me a line.

Until next time, wishing you love, light and of course - good wine!……

Cheers…..XOXO