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9th November 2014

Giró d'España

 A Spanish discovery in Barcelona

I was excited to be asked by my old friend Richard to help out at a Corporate Event where he was organising some wine entertainment for some clients of his. This year’s was due to be better well attended than previously and he felt he needed someone else.

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The theme for this event was exclusively Spanish wines, and I was manning the white wines table so got to try some usual suspects (Rioja, Rueda and Albariño) and one rather less well known wine, made from the grape variety Giró. I have to confess at the back of my mind was the vague nugget of knowledge that there was an Italian red grape called ‘Giro’ (and in fact there is, from Sardinia – which in itself reeks of Spanish origin somewhere) but Giró Blanc is a new one on me. It originates in Mallorca (as do some truly excellent wines these days), but this example is from Penedès on the mainland, and made by a producer more well known for their Cava, .

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Giró², Giró Ribot 2012 Penedes, Catalunya
A young wine, in fact there is no vintage on the label (but you can read through the lot numbers). Aged briefly in oak barrels, adding weight and oiliness of texture as much as anything in terms of flavour, this is rich and full with excellent underlying grapefruit acidity and a wealth of deep baked fruit and hazelnut flavours. Fresh, herby finish.
I suspect that this may have been the least expensive of the four wines, but it was clearly the best, and I finished the evening with a glass of this one.

Well, I say finished. Barcelona tends to eat somewhat late so we caught a taxi into town and found a great tapas restaurant two streets off the Rambla. A short trip, but an enjoyable and memorable one!

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