Granada is probably best known for nearby skiing in the Sierra Nevada and the Alhambra Palace, but good wines???

Güey Restaurant in Nueva Andalucia recently hosted a wine tasting for the Pago de Almaraes Vineyard and on a cold December night we were invited to try a selection of the bodegas wines. 

In terms of altitude, the Pago de Almaraes Vineyard is the highest in Europe and is located on the elevated plateaus north west of Granada.  The vineyard extends over 60 hectares and produces several varietals such as Tempranillo, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Torrontés, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay whilst insuring the most exacting standards throughout the whole process of the wine production.

We started with the Mencal 2009, a young, fresh white with Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and (60%)  Muscatel grapes; almost watery in colour with a strong Muscatel aroma that came through at first, however, after a gentle swill of the glass, lychee and elderflower gave it a more prevalent fruity nose.   It was a clean, delicate wine, surprisingly dry on the palate with good length; it would go as well with fish and seafood as with blue cheese, pâtés and some white meats.

Moving on, we tasted the Almaraes 2007, an intense, brilliant, deep dark red coloured Cabernet Sauvignon-Tempranillo, the intensity is derived from the climate variables between day and night on the high planes where the wine is grown at an altitude of above 1000m.   An unusual wine with a lot of personality and a distinctive taste, complex, high in tannin and with first essences of vanilla and blackberry and with balsamic and liquorice flavours coming through at the end.  The wine was awarded the Zarcillo Plata 2009 award and would be a pleasant complement to lamb or a juicy steak. 

 
La Piece de la resistance was the Memento 2007, visually, even more intense and richer than the Almaraes, deeper, darker and with a wonderful bouquet.  From the grape varietals Syrah, Merlot and Tempranillo and aged for 12 months in French, American and Hungarian barrels, the combination lent itself to a full wine with great tannins.  On the palate hints of vanilla, balsamic and dark chocolate with some plums from the merlot, and pepper from the Shiraz and more velvety than it´s predecessor.  The Memento is a complete wine and would be a good accompaniment to red meats and stews.

The wines were served in some stunning decanters from Riedel Crystal, highly original and totally functional and Güey Restaurant was the perfect place to host the tasting, serving some delicious amuse bouche in a really agreeable environment. 

Bodegas Pago de Almaraes                             Güey Restaurant, Nueva Andalucia
info@bodegaspagodealmaraes.es                   http://www.gueymarbella.com/
http://www.bodegaspagodealmaraes.es/       952 929 250