It is a monovarietal of Pinot Noir grapes planted at an altitude of 1000 metres in the Pallars Jussà, in the Pyrenees of Lleida. These vineyards are some of the highest planted vineyards in Spain.

The grapes are harvested manually with small boxes of 10 kg of grapes from their own vineyard. 100% of the wine has undergone malolactic fermentation in barrels.

Tasting notes:
It has a ripe pomegranate color.
In nose it gives floral notes (flower of vine, jasmine…) and red fruit like strawberry and raspberry.
In the mouth it has a silky entrance with good acidity and a long finish.
The aftertaste is varietal with notes of undergrowth.

This wine has not been filtered or stabilized and therefore precipitate may appear. It is recommended to decant it before serving.

Since its first vintage, 2008, the Acusp has been collecting magnificent scores from the most renowned wine critics, such as the great world wine guru Robert Parker, or as the Spanish wine specialist José Peñín.

La entrada Acusp: Another great wine from Raül Bobet se publicó primero en Blog INVINIC.

Let’s learn a little more about Etienne Dumont, and then look at three ways to step up your Champagne game, shall we?

About Etienne Dumont Champagne

If you’re not familiar with it, here’s the deal: Etienne Dumont Champagne is a non-vintage Brut Champagne. It is produced by Maison Burtin in Epernay, a town in Champagne.

Champagnes like this are not intended for the luxury market like Cristal. No, these are more in the style of “own brands” for supermarkets and wine stores. More important than brand recognition is that they have a consistent (good) taste and can be sold at relatively low prices. Etienne Dumont Champagne ticks both boxes.

Tasting Etienne Dumont Champagne

The plus side of sparkling wines like Etienne Dumont is that you know what you’re getting, and the price is usually right. On the downside, that consistent taste is usually on the blander side. It tastes how Champagne “should” taste, rather than reflecting the particular terroir of a Grand Cru Champagne village or a distinctive house style. It doesn’t taste bad – far from it – but it’s not the most exciting thing you’ll ever drink.

• Sight:

  Clean, light gold colour with nice racy bubbles. It looks the part, for sure.

• Smell:

  Citrus fruits dominate, with a little bit of yeast too.

• Taste:

  In the mouth, this is quite round and creamy. You’ve got citrus again, and some bready notes. A textbook Brut Champagne.

There’s nothing wrong with you wanting to buy Etienne Dumont Champagne or other supermarket wines. If that’s your thing, go for it. Some wine snobs may turn their nose up at the idea, but who cares?

What you can do, however, is step your Champagne game up with our three top tips.

3 top tips for enjoying Champagne

Whether you’ve got a bottle of Etienne Dumont or an old vintage of Krug Clos du Mesnil, there are little ways that you can enhance your Champagne experience. You don’t always need to spend a fortune on your Champagne to enjoy it like a king or queen!

1. Temperature is everything

Serving Champagne at the right temperature makes all the difference. Champagne – and most sparkling wines – are at their best when served well chilled, between 6°C and 10°C. This will take your bottle down to around 10°C within half an hour.

2. Sabre your Champagne (it’s classier)

It may seem a little over the top, particularly for an inexpensive bottle like Etienne Dumont Champagne, but sabrage is undeniably a cool-looking way to open your bottle of bubbly. It’s not easy, and it’s very dangerous, but it looks good. Best not to try this at home, though and leave it to a professional.

3. Champagne and food pairing

Pairing sparkling wine and food can be a lot of fun. Far from being just an appetiser, dry Champagne like Etienne Dumont can pair well with a surprisingly wide range of foods. The acidity in the wine is your friend, opening up a lot of possibilities. Perhaps the classic pairing is Champagne and oysters, though virtually any seafood will work well. For us, Champagne and sushi is a seriously underrated pairing!

Do you have any Champagne tips to share with us? Leave a comment below!

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La entrada Etienne Dumont Champagne: 3 top Champagne tips se publicó primero en Blog INVINIC.

A Great Location:

Priorat is found in the hills of Catalunya. Interestingly, the vines grow on a unique soil of red slate mixed with tiny bits of mica. This soil, known as llicorella, is excellent at reflecting heat. As a result, the vines receive good signals for ripening, and avoid frost damage despite being up in the hills. Being on a slope ensures that the grapes get maximum levels of sunshine. It’s a fantastic site.

The Kind of Wine that Priorat Produces:

Traditional:

Classic Priorat is a very alcoholic wine. It is made from Garnacha and Cari?ena vines with very small yields, and it’s aged for an extended period of time. Some examples have even used soleras. The process tends to give them qualities of hung meat and fungi. That’s not to knock this style, as there’s a time and a place for that sort of wine as ‘Tio Pepe Shows Sherry’s Savoury Side’ makes clear.

The New Style:

This is the style that’s been making the headlines. Since encouraging experimentation with other styles, Priorat has earned the highest classification in the Spanish wine system, DOC. In fact, to know that you’re getting a good specimen, look for ‘DOC’ on the label.

What makes the difference is the addition of non-Spanish grapes. Often the wine still includes Garnacha and Cari?ena, but they appear alongside Shiraz, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon. Now, Priorat wines have a really strong bramble flavour. It’s also possible to detect new oak, but the big tannin and pronounced fruit character mean that these wines have great ageing potential. By all means buy them to drink, but considering improving a few with age.

Good Priorat Wine to Try:

1. Ferrer Bobet Vinyes Velles shows how a little experimentation pays off. It mainly uses Cari?ena and Garnacha but with Cabernet Sauvignon as well. The tasting notes include lots of red fruit flavour, and some minerality as well. There’s a good balance between acidity and tannin too. As a result, the bottle picked up 92 points from Robert Parker, 92 from Vinous and 95 from Guía Peñín.
2. Barranc Dels Comellars mixes things up even more. The bottle uses Black Grenache in a mix with Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Expect more plummyness from the merlot along with the bramble and tannin provided by the Cabernet Sauvignon. Guía Peñín gave it 89 points.
3. Coma Blanca really is very different. It’s white, for a start. Yet the experiment has payed off, as Robert Parker gave the bottle 93 points. It’s a spicy white which would go well with curries, and particularly those with roasted meat, as it has a fuller body for a white.
4. L’Ermita 2000 Magnum is for really pushing the boat out. Not only is magnum bottle an ideal size for special occasions, but it picked up an incredibly rare 100 points with Guía Peñín! Mind you, the 2000 vintage will set you back €1600. That’s how good it is, but if you’re looking for a bargain from a wine with good pedigree, there are other vintages available.

Buy now.

Explore the Wider Region:

Just around the corner from Priorat is Penèdes. There have been some interesting developments in the wine industry there too, as biodynamic wines have taken off in the area. Read ‘Recaredo Aloers 2010: The First Penedés Wine Certified With The Demeter Biodynamic Farming’ to find out more.

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La entrada Everything You Need to Know About Divine Priorat Wine se publicó primero en Blog INVINIC.

Where does Lustau Sherry come from?

Lustau Sherry is produced in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, by leading producer Emilio Lustau. The origins of Emilio Lustau date back to 1896 when the winery was established by one Don José Ruiz-Berdejo. The Don’s wine estate, Nuestra Señora de la Esperanza, was located on the outskirts of Jerez de la Frontera and was the basis for the wines now known as Lustau Sherry.

3 Lustau Sherry products you’re going to want to try

When we say “products”, these are Sherry wines and Jerez brandies. Both categories share grapes as their raw material. The Lustau Sherry wines are fortified during fermentation, while the brandies are distilled to a considerably higher alcohol content. Whether you’re in the mood for a fortified wine or something even stronger, we’re sure that there’s a Lustau Sherry or brandy for you.

1. A Lustau Sherry not from Jerez: Manzanilla Papirusa

Sherry wines that are labelled as “Manzanilla” have undergone their ageing not in Jerez de la Frontera, but in the coastal town of Sanlucar de Barrameda. Production is identical to that of standard Sherry, though the specificities of the climate here – cooler and more humid weather – give the wines their own distinct character. This Lustau Sherry has a distinctively tangy aroma and some saltiness.

Alcohol content: 15%

Serve between 6ºC and 12ºC

Optimal consumption period: 2017-2022

Best served in Sherry Glass

Pairing: Blue Cheese, Chocolate, Desserts, Ice Cream, Pastry.

2. A Fino-style Lustau Sherry: Fino Jarana

Fino Sherry, you may remember, is a style of dry Sherry aged under a layer of yeast known as flor. This Lustau Sherry is a rather typical Fino, showing a signature pale lemon colour and boasting aromas of almonds, herbs and yeast. There is some saltiness and tanginess here, though it’s less pronounced than with the Lustau Manzanilla above.

Alcohol content: 15%

Serve between 6ºC and 12ºC

Optimal consumption period: 2017-2022

Best served in Sherry Glass

Pairing: Blue Cheese, Chocolate, Desserts, Ice Cream, Pastry.

3. A classic Spanish brandy: Lustau Solera Reserva

If a Lustau Sherry isn’t quite what you’re after, how about a Lustau brandy? Spanish brandy is all about two regions, Jerez and Penedès. Lustau’s brandy is, naturally, from Jerez. Here, they age their brandies just like their Sherries, in the complex and unique solera system. This one is a Reserva brandy, so regulations state it must be aged for at least a year in the solera. The producers have gone above and beyond, however, and Lustau Solera Reserva has actually been aged for three years. The American oak barrels in which it was aged for previously used for Oloroso Sherry, so this brandy shares a lot of the flavours traditionally associated with that style of Sherry, including toffee, leather, spice and nuts.

Alcohol content: 40%

Best served in Brandy Glass

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La entrada All about Lustau Sherry (and brandy) se publicó primero en Blog INVINIC.

What Drives Up the Price of Dark Sherry?

There isn’t a secret tax on tastiness. Dark sherry is just given more time to mature. Amontillados and Olorosos can spend 10 years maturing in the barrel, but the really good stuff is sometimes matured for 25 years. The bodegas have to factor in the cost of all that warehousing. What’s more, grape production is at a premium in Jerez, the sherry producing region, and these days many of the grapes that make PX, the wine that sweetens sherry, are shipped in. They can come from Montilla or Málaga, but the haulage costs all add up. Of course, each country has its own taxes to apply. In Britain, wine that might cost pence abroad has so much tax added to it that it you wouldn’t get many pounds change from a twenty. Added to that, sherries are branded wines. Because each bodega blends to create its own particular taste, you’re paying for the perceived value of that particular sherry house too, and then there are all the other costs of making a sherry on top.

How to Tell Good Cheap Sherry from Bad Cheap Sherry

If you really wanted to, you could buy cheap dark sherry easily. The trick is to find cheap dark sherry that’s also delicious. To do that, you can look out for a few things on the side of the bottle:

• How long has it been aged for? If a wine doesn’t have the potential to age well, it’s unlikely to be kept in the barrel beyond the minimum time to create the sherry;
• Is the mark ‘Sherry DO’ on the side? That being so, it will have been made to the quality regulations that all wines need to abide by in order to officially become a sherry;
• Has it won any awards? Sherry makes enter their wines to compete in award shows, and panels of blind tasters select the best. It’s a good marker of quality.

Where Else to Look

INVINIC! We have a really good selection of dark sherry, and we often have reductions on our stock. It’s probably because we’re based in Spain, and can find the good stuff for less. The price works out even better if you buy in bulk as it makes the best of the postage and packaging charge.

What’s more, we include the ratings given to sherries by wine critics.  Some critics develop a bit of cult following, and one of those is Robert Parker. Well, we’ve devoted a whole section of the site to wines that Robert Parker has rated highly, and that are still below €20.

Three of the Best

• Gran Barquero Oloroso. This sherry has been rated highly by both Robert Parker, at 92 points, and Guía Peñín gave it 90. Yet it’s only €13.95 – and for a full 75 cl bottle. Using Pedro Ximénez grapes, this is a sweeter style of Oloroso, and well worth the money.
• Juan Piñero Oloroso. Robert Parker gave this bottle 90 points, and at €13.50 for a full bottle, it’s a decent dark sherry on the cheap. As it uses Palomino grapes only, expect it to be more of a dry sherry with nutty, savoury flavours.
• Alvear Pedro Ximénez. This lovely sweet sherry picked up 93 Guía Peñín points, and 90 from the Wine Spectator. It has a lovely nose of coffee and toffee with a yummy chocolatey and coffeeish taste.

However if your tastes are more for the lighter kind of sherry, make sure to read ‘Palo Cortado Sherry: What You Need to Know’.

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La entrada How Do You Find a Dark Sherry at a Reasonable Price se publicó primero en Blog INVINIC.

What is vin doux naturel?

The French phrase “vin doux naturel” literally translates to “naturally sweet wine”. VDNs, as they are often known, are produced mostly from Muscat, though sometimes from Grenache. The typical VDN is a strong Muscat drink with a lot of sugar, a lot of alcohol, and some pleasant, if a little simple, grape flavours.

The name is not entirely accurate, however, as the level of sweetness (and alcohol) does not occur naturally. Like Port, VDNs get their sweetness and high alcohol by the addition of a high-alcohol spirit during fermentation. The alcohol kills the yeast before it has had the chance to convert all the grape sugar into alcohol. The result is a wine with high residual sugar and high alcohol. In the best cases, this makes for a very tasty Muscat drink indeed.

VDN: Is it a “wine” or a “Muscat drink” (or what)?

VDN is officially considered to be a wine, and not just merely a “Muscat drink” or similar term. The best French VDNs tend to come from two distinct winegrowing regions: Languedoc-Roussillon and the Rhône Valley. Within each, there are numerous individual appellations dedicated to VDN production, and most bare the word “Muscat” in their name, leading many casual drinkers to think of VDN as its own category, a type of Muscat drink, rather than as a wine.

Where does VDN come from?

You’ll find Muscat-based VDN produced in various parts of France, generally in and around Languedoc-Roussillon and the southern Rhône Valley.

Roussillon

The largest appellation and production area is Muscat de Rivesaltes, in Roussillon. Muscat de Rivesaltes accounts for some 70% of France’s total Muscat production. Most Muscat de Rivesaltes is released very early, often in the spring following the harvest, and is intended to be enjoyed right away.

Another local VDN, simply known as Rivesaltes, is permitted to use Muscat grapes, though many other grapes are also permitted and, often, favoured.

Two other appellations, Banyuls and Maury, produce excellent red VDNs, with Grenache being the major grape variety.

Languedoc

In Languedoc, VDN is associated with four appellations in particular:

• Muscat de Frontignan
• Muscat de Lunel
• Muscat de Mireval
• Muscat de St-Jean-de-Minervois

Of these, Muscat de Frontignan is the most historically significant, known to produce the finest fortified sweet Muscat drink of all. Classic Muscat de Frontignan is gold, luscious and sweet. Its flavour profile is not all that complicated, but very generous and pleasant: Think a lot of grape flavours and aromas, sugar and alcohol. It’s not exactly an everyday drink, but it can certainly give a lot of pleasure.

Rhône Valley

In the Rhône Valley, the best fortified Muscat drink comes from Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise. The other well-known VDN appellation in the area is Rasteau, where Grenache is the primary grape. Rasteau is a rich, heady red fortified wine.

Have you ever tried any vin doux naturel?

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La entrada VDN: The best Muscat drink you’ve never heard of se publicó primero en Blog INVINIC.

Say hello to El Coto Rosé!

Introducing El Coto Rosé: The perfect summer wine

Rioja talk is dominated by red wine, although Rioja Blanco is pretty trendy too. Far less talked about is rosé wine from Rioja. This is a shame, but it’s an easy fix. Summer’s here and that’s as good a reason as any to discover pink Rioja.

El Coto Rosé 2016 is a great example and is just about perfect as a no-nonsense summer wine. A rather classic blend of Tempranillo and Grenache (or “Garnacha”, to give it the local twist), El Coto’s Rioja rosé is a glassful of sunshine, and it’ll cost you less than €5 a bottle.

Keep a case or two of El Coto rosé on hand this summer and you’ll always have a suitable bottle to welcome guests or enjoy a leisurely lunch. Don’t let its price point fool you, though: This is a pretty serious wine, too.

El Coto Rosé 2016: Some technical stuff

We’ve got summer on our minds, so let’s not get too bogged down in the detail. Here are a few technical tidbits that might just come in handy if you find yourself at a loss for words at a family barbeque.

• The grapes for the El Coto rosé are sourced from two distinct vineyard areas. The Tempranillo is grown in the Rioja Alavesa region, while the Garnacha grapes come from the El Coto vineyard in Ausejo.
• The El Coto technical team use a combination of two distinct rosé winemaking techniques.
• Everything in the winery is down at low temperatures in order to preserve the inherent fresh fruit aromas and flavours of the wine.

That’s the awkward small-talk with your brother-in-law out of the way. Let’s get on to the fun stuff: Tasting the wine!

Tasting El Coto Rosé 2016

Still not convinced that you need El Coto rosé in your life? Not enough for you that it comes from one of Rioja’s most famous producers, it’s a stone cold bargain, and it’s seriously well-made? OK, let’s open a bottle and see what it tastes like.

• Sight:

  Well, it’s pink. No surprise there. It’s quite a pale pink, telling of the dual winemaking methods used.

• Smell:

  Mmmm. It smells like summer. Think strawberries – fresh market strawberries. A little bit of sweetness too, a bit like caramel.

• Taste:

  Fruity, clean and refreshing. You’ve got strawberry and some other red summer fruits zipping around, with the faintest hint of sweetness. Above all else, it’s thirst-quenching and easy to drink. Well-chilled, this is exactly what you want for an outdoor picnic or lazy day at the beach.

Alcohol content: 13%

Serve between 2ºC and 5ºC

Optimal consumption period: 2016-2017

Best served in Riesling Glass

Pairing: Eggs, Omelets, Pasta, Rice Dishes, Roasts, Semi-mature Cheese, Soft Cheese, Soups and Creams, Whitefish.

La entrada Why El Coto Rosé is the perfect summer wine se publicó primero en Blog INVINIC.

Ageing whisky in wine barrels or other wooden vessels is just one of the techniques used by the world’s top distilleries. Wineries in Bordeaux, California and elsewhere routinely sell their used barrels to be used in whisky production, and whisky producers love the new flavours and complexity that the vessels can bring.

How is Sherry cask whisky made?

It’ll vary from producer to producer, of course, but it’s pretty simple. The distiller makes the whisky as normal, and the difference comes at the end of the process, during maturation. The cask, barrel or other vessels in which a whisky is aged imparts a huge amount of flavour and colour upon the whisky itself. Age your whisky in an old

Age your whisky in an old California Cabernet barrel from the Napa Valley, and you can expect certain characteristics to shine through – blackberry fruit, cedar, tobacco and coffee, for example. Age your whisky in

Age your whisky in an old Sherry cask, and you can expect it to pick up flavours, aromas and characteristics reminiscent of the fortified wines from the Jerez region in Spain. Of course, there is not just one style of Sherry, so there’s not just one type of Sherry cask whisky. Let’s try to understand better with an example, shall we?

A Sherry cask whisky to try: Laphroaig PX Cask

Laphroaig is one of the finest names in Scotch whisky. It’s also one of the easiest to mispronounce. “La-froyg” is the correct pronunciation, if you weren’t sure. The distillery, located on the remote island of Islay, has been in operation since 1815.

Even long established players like Laphroaig experiment sometimes, and this Sherry cask whisky, Laphroaig PX Cask, is the result. This whisky is aged in three different vessels, starting with American oak, then quarter cask and, finally, Pedro Ximénez Sherry casks.

It is the Pedro Ximénez (PX) that makes the most impact here. The naturally sweet PX Sherry style has clearly left its mark on the wood, imparting a world of complex and inviting Sherry aromas and flavours upon the whisky.

Single Malt Whisky

Producer: Laphroaig

Zone: Scotland

Capacity: 100 Cl.
Alcohol content: 48%
Best served in Whisky Glass

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La entrada All about Sherry cask whisky se publicó primero en Blog INVINIC.

A 30-second history of Pommery Champagne

Pommery Champagne was founded in Reims in 1858 by Alexandre Louis Pommery and Narcisse Greno. In those early days, the company was known as Pommery & Greno, and its primary business was not Champagne, but wool. It was Pommery’s widow, however, that would develop Pommery Champagne into one of the world’s leading producers of sparkling wine.

Pommery Champagne and the Lady of the Roses

Madame Louise Pommery, Alexandre Louis’ widow, is one of the most iconic women in the history of wine. It was her influence, either directly or indirectly, that led to the success of the Pommery Champagne house. She took over the company in 1860 and undertook various innovative initiatives that forged the very identity of Pommery.

Nicknamed “The Lady of the Roses”, Madame Pommery will go down in history as a true champion of Champagne.

The secrets to Pommery Champagne’s success

1. Pommery Champagne was among the first to use underground cellars

Today, many of the great Champagne houses use the network of crayères – underground pits of limestone and chalk – to store and age their wine. This underground environment has all the natural characteristics needed to store wine in a cool, dark place and at a constant, ideal temperature. Visitors to Champagne today will be shown proudly around the various underground tunnels and cellars, but they were not always used in this way.

Madame Pommery was one of the very first to make use of the crayères for this purpose. She bought up some 120 crayères and effectively created the modern Champagne cellar.

2. Pommery invented Brut Champagne…

Way back in 1874, Brut Champagne was not the commercial heavyweight it is today. Sweet or demi-sec Champagne was in fashion when Madame Pommery made the bold move to introduce a bone-dry style. Madame Pommery charged Pommery Champagne’s Cellar Director, Olivier Demas, with the challenge.

It was no mean feat, but Monsieur Demas rose to the challenge. Pommery Nature 1874 was the first Brut Champagne to hit the market. The dry, racy and finesse of the style became an instant classic and inspired many imitators. Most Champagne houses today consider their Brut to be the benchmark for everything else they produce, representing the very essence of the house style and brand. This all started with Pommery Champagne.

3. …and hasn’t stopped innovating since!

Madame Pommery has long since passed away, of course, but her innovative and creative spirit surely lives on. Champagne is often seen as a conservative and old-fashioned wine region, though there are innovators at work here without a doubt. Pommery Champagne is one of the leaders of this charge and always has been. Whether it’s eco-friendly Champagne, launching a Champagne for each season or even the introduction of a 200ml portable Champagne, there is no signs of stopping.

Tasting Pommery Champagne

The first Brut Pommery Champagne, Pommery Nature, is long gone. Today, the house’s flagship non-vintage Brut is Pommery Brut Royal, a rather classic blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier.

• Sight:

  Pale yellow with a little green here and there, nice fine bubbles.

• Smell:

  Lively and tingly in the nose, with fresh fruits and some bready, yeasty notes.

• Taste:

  Elegant, fine and refreshing. Some berry fruit flavour and some toasted notes. The finish is very pleasant and long-lasting.

Alcohol content: 12,5%

Serve between 4ºC and 8ºC

Optimal consumption period: 2017-2018

Best served in Champagne Glass

Pairing: Appetizers, Bluefish, Fowl, Seafood, Soft Cheese, Whitefish.

La entrada The secrets to Pommery Champagne’s success se publicó primero en Blog INVINIC.

So there’s not a lot of Pingus wine to go around, and what’s out there is far from cheap. What makes Pingus wine so special, you ask? Let’s take a closer look and try to find out.

Why you should try a Pingus wine

The simple answer is that Pingus is one of the world’s best wines. In its native Ribera del Duero region, there is only one other wine that really comes close: Vega Sicilia. The fact that Vega Sicilia has been around since 1864 and is perhaps the most iconic Spanish wine of all time should indicate that Pingus wine is something very special indeed.

But what makes Pingus wine so special (read: expensive)?

Even by fine wine standards, Pingus enjoys a stellar reputation – and commands especially high prices. That’s really saying something. There’s got to be some logical reason why Pingus wine is on such a pedestal, right? Right! In fact, there are many reasons for it. Here’s five:

1. Peter Sisseck:

   Founder and maker of all Pingus wine, Danish oenologist Peter Sisseck is a living legend in fine wine. Having cut his teeth in Bordeaux and later at Hacienda Monasterio, Sisseck founded Pingus in 1995 and the rest is history.

2. The vineyard:

   Well, make that “vineyards“. Pingus wine comes from a couple of tiny vineyard plots in the Ribera del Duero region, exclusively planted with old vines. Some vines are more than 70 years old and have never been treated with any fertilisers or other nasty stuff. The Pingus vineyard land is pure, unadulterated beauty.

3. Biodynamics:

   Sisseck has been making biodynamic wine at Pingus since 2000. Biodynamics is an arm of organic farming that takes things to extremes. In essence, the biodynamic winegrower treats his or her vineyard like a living, self-contained organism. There are all sorts of weird and sometimes controversial practices, but it usually ends up with the winegrower becoming seriously attuned to the land itself and knowing every plot inside and out. It’s also time-consuming and labour-intensive, which usually makes for a more expensive bottle.

4. Scale:

   The production of Pingus wine is small, to put it mildly. Of the tiny vineyard land – around 4 hectares in total – there are exceptionally low yields. The average yield of just 12 hectolitres of wine per hectare of land is microscopic. An average high-end Bordeaux château might see yields closer to 50 hectolitres per hectare, by comparison, and from a considerably larger vineyard area. Some such producers command even higher prices than Pingus.

5. Critical acclaim:

   Pingus wine routinely receives scores in the high 90s from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate and other leading wine magazines. Three Pingus wines have received perfect 100-point scores from that magazine, an enviable record for any producer anywhere.

How to enjoy Pingus wine

Wine is for enjoying, and usually, you shouldn’t worry too much about enjoying wine “properly”. Serve and drink wine the way that makes you happy, and that’s it. Usually. When it comes to something like Pingus, one of the world’s great wines, you should probably take things a little more seriously – if for no other reason than the price tag. If you’re going to spend hundreds or thousands of euro on a bottle, you’ll want to get the most out of it. Here are three tips for enjoying a top Pingus wine, Pingus 2007.

Storing, serving and tasting Pingus 2007

Pingus 2007 is a serious wine. With 98 points from the Wine Advocate and 97 from Guía Peñín, this is €1,100 a bottle and yet there’s still not enough to go around. If you get your hands on a bottle of Pingus wine from 2007, or are planning a big purchase, keep these three tips in mind.

1. Storing:

   If you’ve got a wine cellar or wine fridge, store it there – on its side, to keep the cork in contact with the wine to ensure it doesn’t dry out. If you don’t have facilities like that, go for somewhere cool and dark, with as little fluctuation in temperature is possible. Let it rest without being disturbed. This will cellar for at least another ten years or more.

2. Serving:

   When it comes time to serve this Pingus wine, you are going to want to show it at its best. To do this, stand it up the day before you’re going to drink it. This will allow all the sediment to fall to the bottom of the bottle, making it easier for you to decant. Decant the wine an hour ahead of time, and you should be good to go.

3. Tasting:

   Wine tasting is a personal experience. Our only instruction here is to savour each drop. Use your eyes, your nose and your mouth in order to get the most of it. You’re drinking one of the world’s best wines, after all!

Buy Pingus 2007 here.

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La entrada What makes Pingus wine so great? se publicó primero en Blog INVINIC.