Once again this year I was able to participate in the Premio Vila Viniteca de Cata por Parejas with my friend Daniel Monsonis. Like last year, we were fortunate to enter at the last minute, as we did not get a place during the registration phase, although this time we did not qualify for the final phase. The experience is always unforgettable. A magnificent staging that brings together the best national and international tasters, not in vain the winning couple was French and the second-placed Belgian.
In this edition, the qualifying phase was very particular. In my opinion, four wines made the difference. The Grange des Pères 2018, Languedoc-Roussillon, and the Buçaco Branco Místico 2017, Portugal, were almost impossible wines, while the PX was hard to fault, at least the variety and the zone. The key was the matching of the three sparkling wines (France, Spain and Italy) and Peter Sisseck’s tempranillo (PSI). With the sparkling wines we evaluated the option of the three countries, however, we also saw the possibility of Champagne-Corpinat-Cava, deciding on the latter since the wood and volume of the Franciacorta led us to Catalonia rather than Italy. On the other hand, with the Tempranillo we went for a modern Rioja, as we never saw the typicality of Ribera del Duero.
These were the seven wines from the qualifying round:
– PSI 2021, Ribera del Duero
– La Grange des Pères 2018, Languedoc -Roussillon
– Buçaco Branco Místico 2017, Portugal
– Jacquesson La Cuvée 742 Dégorgement Tardif, Champagne
– L’O de L’Origan Brut Nature Edición 13, Cava
– Ca’ Del Bosco Annamaria Clementi 2014, Franciacorta
– Alvear Pedro Ximénez 1927, Montilla-Morales
We would have liked to have been able to participate in the finals, not only for being able to compete in the finals, but also for playing their seven wines. A priori, from the sidelines, we found the wines very enjoyable and playable, especially the Cabernet Sauvignon game, from France, New Zealand and Italy.
The wines tasted in the Grand Final were:
– Agrapart & Fils Terroirs Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut, Champagne
– Sandhi Romance Chardonnay 2022, California
– Pazo Barrantes Gran Vino Albariño 2021, Rías Baixas
– Paternina Gran Reserva 1962, Rioja
– Te Mata Coleraine 2021, New Zealand
– Château Latour Les Forts de Latour 2018, Bordeaux
– Marchesi Antinori Solaia 2020, Toscana
From here our congratulations to the winners of the 17th Vila Viniteca Tasting Award for Couples. Winning among 135 couples is a great success:
1st Prize: Maxime France y Pierre Citerne
2nd Prize: Peter Arijs y Stijn Verleyen
3rd Prize: Alberto Botía González y Eduardo Dequidt Herrero
Next year we will try again, although we hope to get a direct place to participate in the competition. In any case, we will continue training to be able to discover wines only with our senses, now, for the Spanish Championship!