There was an exciting array of Garnatxa on the table plus a number of other indigenous varietals that made for an intriguing contest and a complex series of wine-food pairings.
Pitting a hubby against his missus isn’t a natural recipe for a cordial evening, but the husband and wife winemakers Rafael de Haan and Núria Altés are respectful of their individual differences.
Rafael de Haan and Núria Altés. NB. photo taken before Battle of the Winemakers evening
Catalonian Núria embarked eight years ago on an ambitious project to produce high quality wines under the name Herència Altés first using grapes bought from her father and now from vineyards in Terra Alta. Terra Alta is a Spanish Denominación de Origen (DO) for wines located in the west of Catalonia near Tarragona. Meanwhile, Rafael, who hails from England (but had a Spanish mum), has spent the last ten years sourcing wines across Spain for his négociant business, Bodegas Abanico.
What unites Rafael and Núria as oenologists is to produce high quality wines that show off the winemakers’ art. We gathered at Mayfair’s 28-50 wine workshop and kitchen to see how far they have succeeded. Each had suggested a wine to be paired with a food course; strictly, we were here to judge the quality of the pairing rather than the wine, although that admittedly can be tricky.
Round One: Godello versus Garnatxa Blanca
The food featured in round one was salmon gravlax.
Núria’s wine suggestion was the Herència Altés Benufet 2015 – a Garnatxa Blanca from 100 year-old vines – that was ranged against Rafael’s Tempestad Godello 2014 from his De Haan Altés Selection. The trade price for both these whites is roughly £11 a bottle.
Rafael emerged as excellent at painting a picture of wine in words, and it was difficult to disagree that his offering from the Atlantic-facing Galicia had the acidity to cut through the oiliness of the fish. One up to the Rafael.
Round Two: two styles of Garnatxa Blanca
Next up was foie gras terrine. A touch over-rich for my liking, Núria had pitched the winery’s topmost white, the oak-fermented Garnatxa Blanca from 118 year old vines La Serra Blanc 2014 (£16) against Rafael’s Experimental Blanc 2016 (£12.50), a skin-contact Garnatxa Blanca. The former is all about finesse, with a fine nose and an excellent mouth feel. The latter is “a winemaker’s wine”, deliberately rustic.
The wines are worlds apart, as the bold label of the Experimental and the delicate look of the La Serra Blanc make clear. I’m inclined towards the Experimental but it failed to impress enough against the more traditional wine. 1-1.
Round Three: the gloves start coming off
Now on to the reds with a first pairing with belly of pork. Here we have both teams playing some of their more unusual varietals to deliver a killer blow to the other: Núria’s La Peluda 2016 which is 100% Garnacha Peluda (or Hairy Garnacha) pitched against Rafael’s El Becario 2015, (£10.95 and £12.50 respectively) that is made from Rufete, a local varietal to Sierra de Salamanca. Clearly, the wine here will have to cut through the fat. For us judges it’s the toughest call yet. But the refinement of La Peluda made with Garnacha Peluda edged it. Núria comes back from behind to lead 2-1.
She shoots she scores
Round Four: can Rafael pull one back to level the scores?
A cheese course of Taleggio (Italian, oddly) sees Núria present a single vineyard Garnatxa Negra La Xalamera 2016 (£15.25). Rafael meanwhile, needing to find the top corner with this one, curls in his El Convertido 2015 (£12.50) made with Garnacha Tinta to stay in the match.
Again we are wavering – the Video Assistant Referee is called – things being complicated by the fact that the El Convertido is slightly, but pleasantly, chilled. Again Núria finally comes out on top, as ‘the ball did cross the line’ making the scores on the doors 3-1.
Nuria’s grapes spoke louder than her husband’s words, at least on this occasion. Rafael left the restaurant in disgust refusing to shake anyone’s hand (this last bit might not be entirely true).
The wines of Herència Altés are available from Bancroft Wines
