The luxury dictionary of wine

The luxury dictionary of wine

A good bottle of wine is a story, sometimes a legend. There are bottles of wine that survive shipwrecks and cross the centuries, some are immortal and are auctioned at prices worthy of a Picasso. Wine is taste and knowledge, it is something seductive and exclusive. It is also enjoyment and fashion. What are the best wines in the world? How and where are they drunk? Who rules in this world?

There go ten tracks to enjoy of this pleasure in the most current and exclusive way.

Eiswein: icy luxury

The luxury dictionary of wine

The history of gastronomy is indebted to chance and the so-called Ice wines demonstrated. Apparently, at the end of the XNUMXth century, in the German region of Franconia, a frost fell on the grapes of a harvest. The winegrowers did not give up and used those grapes to make a slow fermenting wine they called Eiswein, ice wine. That “Ugly Duckling” It did not take long to turn into a wonderful swan, ice wines being the quintessence of luxury due to their complexity and scarcity. These are natural wines, made from white grapes –generally Riesling and Gewürztraminer– which are frozen on the same vine, harvested in winter, at night, at a temperature that does not exceed -7ºC and are immediately pressed. On Vilaviniteca, one of the best wine stores in Spain with more than 85 years of experience, a bottle of Dönnhoff Brücke from 2003 exceeds the 400 euros.

Wine influence

The luxury dictionary of wine

He is avocado, he is 70 years old and lives in the country with his wife, daughter and their dogs. Robert Parker He doesn’t exactly have the profile of the influencer we are used to, but if there is someone who rules the world of wine, this is him. Its bimonthly magazine, The Wine Advocate, has been published since 1978 and has more than 50.000 subscribers all over the world. He and his team are dedicated to tasting thousands of wines for each issue, ranking them on a scale of 50 to 100. A score of 90 and above can catapult a winemaker into the Olympus of wine. The Wine Advocate is the compass for amateurs and professionals in the sector. The reason for this success? The independence of the one who does shows. Even so, if you prefer something more indie, The Art of EatingAn independent American quarterly magazine (not a single ad line) has a fixed section dedicated to wines called Why This Bottle, Really?

Montalcino, a luxury getaway

The luxury dictionary of wine

Tourism around wine is, we could say by definition, a very exclusive leisure option. The pilgrims of wine are able to travel kilometers between wineries, vineyards y hotels with charm stopping just to taste the best wines. If you want to savor a piece of Tuscany film and at the same time one of the best Italian reds –according to some, in the world– we propose a getaway to Montalcino. An architectural gem a few kilometers from Siena where you can taste a glass of Brunello it becomes an almost mystical experience. If then it is the vintages of 2010, 2012 and 2015, the last three best, there would be nothing more to ask of life.

Atrio: the best winery in the world is in Cáceres

3.400 references on track to become 4.100 next fall. 40.000 bottles from 20 different countries, that is, all those that produce quality wines. From France to Italy, passing through Spain, Greece, Argentina, Chile and the United States. The Atrio cellar, hotel and restaurant under the seal Castles Relay located in Cáceres, it is undoubtedly one of the most important in the world.

Customers who want it, can enjoy a guided tour of the winery (in which some of the most expensive wines in the world are found) from the hand of the experts. It’s about visits “Made to measure”, explains José Luis Paniego, head of the Atrio winery, which can be specific and technical as well as entertaining and entertaining, adapting to the profile and interest of each client.

When wine is a religion: biodynamic wines

The luxury dictionary of wine

Inspired by the anthroposophic theories of the Austrian Rudolf SteinerBiodynamic wines come from vineyards where Nature is the boss. In the strictest sense. The use of machinery is prohibited and of course also that of pesticides, herbicides and chemical products, although they should not be confused with organic or eco wines. They are wines that trust the cycles of the sun, from the moon and from the planets and that sprout from soil fertilized at dusk with compost of organic origin. Although in a somewhat eccentric and snobbish way, biodynamic wines fight against the industrialization, massification and standardization of wine. They are, in other words, “religious” wines, unique and exclusive, most of the time in the hands of big names in the sector.

Château d’Yquem, a leyenda vino

The luxury dictionary of wine

Château d’Yquem is a sweet wine from Sauternes, one of Bordeaux’s wine-growing regions. But the similarities with a “normal” wine end here. It is the only Premier Cru Supérieur according to the classification established on the occasion of the Universal Exhibition of 1855 and which is still valid today. It is a late harvest wine, whose grapes are harvested after their natural season, by hand and only if they are affected by a fungus, the Botrytis cinérea, which occurs naturally and in very unique climatic circumstances. This fungus is responsible for the grape drying on the plant itself, concentrating the sugars. A phenomenon called noble rot and that is not exclusive to this wine, but also, for example, to the Hungarian Tokaji.

This type of wine has a very low yield: from Château d’Yquem it is said that only one glass comes out of each vine located in its hills. It is not surprising that these bottles are auctioned like Picasso and are sold for incredible figures depending on the vintages. From 1806 there are only three bottles in the world: two in private collections and one in the Atrio winery in Cáceres. Its price: 310.000 euros without VAT.

How to taste a wine

The luxury dictionary of wine

Tasting a wine is like a ritual of seduction. The first sense involved is sight, In a first phase, the color of the wine, its brightness and its clarity are evaluated. Hence the importance of using transparent glasses. Then smell intervenes: you have to bring your nose closer and let all the drawers open in which the aromas that we know are locked. This is how chocolate, red fruits or white flowers “end up” in our glass. If you have to choose a glass, some experts advise Burgundy, more paunchy than Bordeaux. Must always grab her by the stem, never at the base of the cup. Finally, the taste (and touch) that allows us to play the sweet, bitter, acidic, salty keys. The right amount of wine takes up a third of the glass. As to temperature, the red wines are usually served at a temperature between 16ºC and 18ºC, the whites between 10ºC and 12ºC, the cooler cavas. The rosés at around 8ºC and the fine and generous ones below 10ºC.

Sherry wines, Spanish luxury

The luxury dictionary of wine

Each filtering bag sherry wines They are one of the treasures of Spanish gastronomy. Manzanilla, Fino, Amontillado, Oloroso, Palo Cortado, Cream… Sherry varieties depend on the magic wrought by the flower, a yeast that develops spontaneously during the first aging phase, giving the wine its peculiar aromatic notes. The Pedro Ximénez It is a natural sweet wine that is made only with grapes of the variety that bears the same name and that is then subjected to the double aging typical of these wines. Extremely versatile, sherry wines they can lead to surprising pairings. Juan Ruíz Henestrosa, room director and sommelier of Aponiente, with two Michelin stars, accompanies the dishes of the “ship’s captain” Ángel León with these Andalusian jewels. Pairings imply a supplement of 70 euros in the case of the shortest menu and 90 euros in the case of the longest.

Wines aged under the sea

A underwater cellar, located 20 meters below the sea surface in the Bay of Plentzia, Vizcaya, in the Cantabrian Sea. The Crusoe Treasure Winery is a pioneering, radical and very exclusive project focused on two limited edition red wines aged under the sea for a year. The Classic variety, vintage 2010, is made from Graciano, Mazuelo and Tempranillo grapes from 80-year-old vines. Only 3.200 bottles of this wine were marketed from the sea in December 2012. Of the Passion variety, there are 5.560 numbered bottles emerged from the depths of the sea in September 2013. The Crusoe Treasure wines They can be purchased on the winery’s own website and in specialized stores for a price of around € 70.

The wine and the famous

The luxury dictionary of wine

Few things are as exclusive and glamorous as producing your own wine. That is why the list of stars of music, cinema and sports who have joined the fashion of wine does not stop growing. The legendary film director Francis Ford Coppola He was one of the first to create a winery with his name. One of her collections is called Sofia and is inspired by her equally famous daughter. The actress Drew Barrymore, in collaboration with the Carmel Road wineries, has a red, a white and a rosé that bear his name. Kate Hudson and her husband Mathew Bellamy they also produce wines in the wineries that bear his two surnames. The powerful ex-partner formed by Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie also launched into the world of wine with a rosé produced in the vineyards of their Château Miraval in Provence. Nor have music stars resisted the charms of wine John Legend, Fergie y Sting, from whose mansion in Tuscany come out wines with names as suggestive as Message in a Bottle, Sister Moon or When we dance.

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