It’s always good to hear of US big guns mentioning wines from the Valencia region. The gung ho motormouth Gary Vaynerchuck,
who is an increasingly big noise in the wine world and doing a great job of promoting wine beyond established wine drinkers, did a tasting of three wines from Valencia on his Daily Grape site. Gary V kicked off by saying that he was “excited” by the area. He kicks off with a Bobal rosado (he pronounces it “Babol”, oddly), the Aula “Rosado de Lágrima” 2010 from the Coviñas cooperative (DO Valencia) – see more on this near namesake, but unrelated, site. “Strawberry, rose-flower”, he says about the nose. “Attractive price points”, “crisp acidity”, “vibrant fresh rosé”. “I like it,” says invisible sidekick.
There follows the Tapias Merlot Crianza 2005, not a very representative grape or wine from the DO Valencia, and it’s getting on a bit.It’s produced by gigantic producer of cheap wine El Villar Cooperativa Agrícola. “Huge eucalyptus”, but “very green”, “amateurish”. Get’s a big thumbs down.
Then the sparkling that we bought to christen our empty apartment when we moved to Valencia. The excellent Requena winery Pago de Tharsys‘ sparkling white Único made with 100% Bobal (so not officially a Cava as not a grape admitted by DO Cava). On the nose he finds “rubber, banana, guava, artichoke, lemon peel”. In the mouth “almond paste, apple, and the viscosity rivals $30-40 champagnes” “very good sparkling wine”.
Gary V signs off with “Valencia, a region that needs to be explored”. So that’s good, though his was an odd selection. I wonder if they just went to a wine shop and bought what they happened to have from Valencia. Two cooperative wines and then an exotic novelty in the form of sparkling Bobal. No red Bobal in the tasting, which is how it is almost always found. Still, good to have this interest and enthusiasm shown. One day he and his compatriots will get the pronunciation right, too.