Dry Rosés from Spain's Montsant and Bierzo

Several years ago, I had the opportunity to visit Spain’s Montsant, a Denominación de Origen (DO) about 100 miles southwest of Barcelona. It was something I had wanted to do ever since I first tasted the rich and powerful wine from the area.

Although Montsant’s wine-growing history dates back to the middle ages, it’s still a fairly young appellation having been given the DO status in 2001. However, it almost completely encircles Priorat, the famous appellation that today produces some of Spain’s most sought-after and expensive big reds. In fact, Priorat has Spain’s highest classification Denominación de Origen Calificada (DOCa). Only Priorat and Rioja have been awarded this status.
 

Montsant and Priorat are ruggedly beautiful  but I’d be surprised if many American tourists even know about these areas.  You’ve got to rent a car to see them and driving on the winding, steep roads is not for the faint hearted.  But if you’re brave enough to tackle the roads – or like me, lucky enough to have a friend who happily took on the task – you will see charming ancient villages and breathtaking vistas that remain unmarred by chain restaurants or shopping centers.

The wineries, also, do not have the touristy tasting bars that we find in most U.S. wine growing regions. Most require advance appointments, and the owners of Cal Torner, a charming seven-guest room hotel in the village of Els Guiamets, were able to arrange my visit to Cellers de Capçanes. This is a cooperative that was started in 1933 by five families from the village of Capçanes. In the 1990s it started to draw broader interest because it took the unusual step of making kosher wines in addition to its regular portfolio. The winery has also gotten attention because well-respected U.S. importer Eric Solomon has launched several custom cuvée projects with Capçanes.

While the Celler de Capçanes Mas DonisBarrica big, luscious red wine has been available in the St. Louis market for a few years, a newcomer here this year is the Mas Donis Rosat (Catalan for rosé), Although  I was thrilled when I found it at Straub’s in July, I did have the kosher version a few months earlier when I conducted a kosher wine tasting  for BaisAbraham Congregation in St. Louis.

Like it’s red counterpart, the Rosat is a powerful wine that’s fairly complex and a bit tannic for a rosé. In fact, it’s even closer to a light red than a pink. This vibrant wine,  which is made from 80 percent garnacha, 10 percent syrah and 10 percent merlot, is packed with juicy strawberry fruit and ends with a citrusy finish.

Another new rosé in our market is the Armas de Guerra, 2013 Rosado from Bierzo, a Denominaciones de Origen (DO) located in northwestern Spain. Bierzo is becoming one of the country's new wine hotspots thanks to flavorful reds made from the region’s primary grape, mencía.

I absolutely loved this wine, which I found at Whole Foods.  This unique wine is one of my new favorites this season. It’s made from 100 percent Mencía and is the first rosado (Spanish for rosé) I’ve tasted made from this varietal. A pale salmon color, it’s a refreshing rosé that combines citrus and tropical flavors with mineral notes and hints of bakery spice. Delicate and refined, this is a lovely aperitif wine that would go with appetizers and lighter fare.

Bot the Mas Donis Rosat and the Armas de Guerra Rosado are featured in my Aug. 6 Wine Finds column that appears in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

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