Article dedicated to the master phrases of the tasting of 6 wines from Tenerife by Carlos Delgado at Gastronomika SS 2023, on Monday 9th of October.
Who doesn’t know Carlos Delgado? Writer, journalist and critic for ‘El Pais’ since the end of the eighties. He always leaves his mark, and that is because he is passionate, close, generous in his knowledge and has seen a lot in the world of wine, and he is already back from everything. That gives him an absolute frankness and honesty. A tasting with him makes you fall in love with the world of wine all over again.
And now let’s go to his master phrases, one after the other, as I wrote them down, to make you fall in love again, with wine, with Tenerife, and with Carlos Delgado.
Let ‘s be captivated by the wines!
Let’s not decipher the wines!
The orchard of ashes! It is the spirit of the tasting.
The life that rises from the inert, from the disaster.
Tenerife is the largest island, with the highest peak. Its vineyards range from 0 to 1700m of altitude.
Its viticulture is heroic. And the fact that a vine grows there is a heroic deed of the Canary Islanders.
There are many types of Picon ‘the ash’, from the northern slope, from the south, from below…
Its thin layer absorbs and fixes the humidity. There are black, red, gray, with more or less sand.
The Canary Islands are home to the largest phylloxera-free area in the world. You only have to taste Listán Blanco and Palomino Fino from the peninsula to see the differences in tasting.
There are more than 80 grape varieties in the Canary Islands, many of which are native and only found in the Canary Islands.
If you want to learn more about the varieties here:https://www.canarywine.com/variedades/
And here the wines that captivated us:
Tajinaste blanco ecológico 2022: DOP Islas Canarias. Listán Blanco and Albillo. 2 months in French and American oak barrels. We start with the smoke of the volcano in the glass, an expression of the terroir and the marked acidity as a common thread. Brioche, orange, toasted hints.
Testamento Malvasia aromática 2021: DO Abona. Single varietal of the aromatic Malvasia. Fermentation in American and French oak. 3 months on lees. This wine has a lot to offer, aroma, texture, body, tension and length. Passion fruit, roasted pineapple, spices and cinnamon.
Brumas de Ayosa 100% Marmajuelo 2022: DO Valle de Güímar. Here came Carlos’ best phrase during the tasting, telling us how to “not taste” like the professionals, with an advanced reprimand full of affection: Let it soak! Don’t make a big deal or noise out of the tasting.
Yes, he was referring to that little noise “professionally speaking”, to oxygenate and centrifuge the wine in the mouth: the arch-feared bubbling noise of the wine!
What a great wine, an eternal freshness, lemon, melon, and pure electricity between the teeth.
Suertes del Marques Vidueño 2021: DO. Valle de la Orotava. Hold on, there’s a huge curve coming (with the varieties of this wine): Malvasia rosada, Negramoll, Vijariego negro, Baboso negro, Listan negro, Tintilla, Castellana negra, Albillo criollo, Gual, Verdello … and more! Reaching up to 20! What extreme elegance and we also had Jonatan Garcia Lima seated behind us. Orotava Valley full of violets, vintage leather jacket, and with Pinot Noir soul. And each master has his own recipe book and Jonatan really knows how to make great wines.
Envínate Benje 2022: DO Ycoden-Daute-Isora. Listan negro and Listan prieto. A very wild and crazy wine. 30% stems pecking the nose, indigenous yeasts in freedom, 8 months in used Burgundy barrels. Unfined, unfiltered and with a minimal dose of SO2. A wine that can give more around a table, than at a quick pim-pam tasting. I will come back to taste you!
Magma de Cráter 2019: Bodegas Crater. DO Tacoronte Acentejo. Negramoll (90%) and Syrah (10%). Biodynamic. Mamma Mia! What a well placed aroma and what a chinese ink in texture and color. Raspberry and chocolate notes, Sacher cake everywhere. Lots of freshness. Silky double-layered texture, blackberries, cherries and a sweetish finish.
Two other masterful phrases:
Retired and tourists do not consume Tenerife (in Tenerife). Neither the light trend, without sugar or alcohol.
Let’s take advantage of these great wines from the Spanish wine region with the best future in quality and profitability.
Big hurrah Tenerife and the Canary Islands! Big hurrah Carlos Delgado! And big hurrah Gastronómika!
One thing is clear to me, I am landing in Tenerife this year. It’s on my list.
Honorable mention for my gastronomic-festive battle companions: Amaya and Lore! Two brilliant women and professionals in a tasting also with its own brilliance.
