Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/343109
AGE OF RIBERA • C SOMMS & BUYERS Wine #5: D.O.5. Hispanobodegas 2009 12 Linajes ($26) Victor Gonzalez's tasting notes: Red fruits of cherry and strawberry character show a bal- anced wine with gripping tannins and sweet oak accented by floral notes on the finish. Perfectly paired: "The red fruit of this wine cut through the salty ham in Jose's taco and the caviar worked with some nutty aromas I found on the finish of this wine." —Keith Blauschild of The Cook and the Cork and Parkland Chef Catering Wine #7: Bodega y Viñedos Martín Berdugo 2010 Martín Berdugo Crianza ($22) Margaret Shugart's tasting notes: Mocha notes of coffee and dark chocolate, vanilla and black fruit round out the nose, while the vanilla carries through on the palate and red fruits soar over the top, held up by spice and a shelf of chalky tannins. Perfectly paired: "I really enjoyed this with the pork belly. I loved how the fruit and tannins mingled with the salty and smoky notes of the pork."—Krista Grauberger, of Market 17 Wine #6: Bodegas Ismael Arroyo 2009 Valsotillo Crianza ($30) Seth Witte's tasting notes: Great nose on this of rich, dark fruited wine, giving way to black pepper and leather notes, bright acid and mild tannins, earthy with a hint of coffee. Perfectly paired: "The escalivada was my favorite pairing with this wine, as the peppery notes and bright acidity in the wine married perfectly with the rich and acidic tomatoes." —S. W. Wine #8: Bodegas Fuentespina 2010 Fuentespina Selección ($29) Hubert Harriman's tasting notes: An elegant wine of blackberry fruits, high-toned herb notes, redolent of dried thyme and sage, a rich mouthfeel, green olives and tea-tannins on the finish. Perfectly paired: "This worked great with the pork belly. Fat and smoke, meets fruit and spice." – H. H. :: the wines :: Fort Lauderdale based Eten Wines Wine Buyer and Sommelier Margaret Shugart also enjoyed the conversation with fellow somms and the round table environment of the Ribera wine event. "I love the earthiness and I love this new renegade spirit were seeing coming out of this region that's making it approachable to the market," says Shugart, who focuses on custom orders and working with the yachting community and special events. "We only have a few Spanish wines and none of those include Ribera, but these tastings are helpful—from the education we receive to tasting with other somms in the community." Shugart usually tastes with her partner, who has a background in yachting, so to taste with people who, she says, are as "obsessed with wine as I am" was helpful to better understanding Ribera. —Kelly Merritt Hubert Harriman, Wine and Food Consultant and Educator. Margaret Shugart, Certified Sommelier and Wine Buyer, Eten Wine; Carol López-Bethel, Wine Consultant, www.swirlwineconsulting.com.