You know it and we know it, save for the tippy tops of a few of our biggest mountain ranges, our new home here in Spain does not have snow, sleet or other bone chilling weather that other wine regions around the world are prone to. Thus, this week’s WBW challenge hosted by the Wine Chick website might have been a bit of a challenge for us if it were not for the winery, Gramona.
Known mainly for their award winning Cava, they have also embarked on other various endeavors from time to time – some of which are small plots of Gewürztraminer and Riesling grown in the DO Penedés. These types of grapes are what most people think of when they hear the term “ice wine”; and while there is no “natural ice” to freeze their grapes, a bit of dry ice can smoothly help the process along. In fact, though this is an “artificial” ice wine, the process, aside from the harvest, is pretty similar to the route that most ice wines take. If your interested in the process they employ, the Gramona site has a great video on makeing ice wine in Spain.

Personally, I love ice wines and have a small collection of them back in my US cellar, though none of them are with me today. Consequently, we were forced to buy this Spanish anomaly from Gramona for a very reasonable 10 Euros +/-. I’ve had Gramona’s Vi de Gel Gewürztraminer many times and loved it, along with a few sips of the Riesling at tastings around Spain. As far as the Gewürztraminer, it shows text book flavors while retaining a strong acidity which balances the fruit quite well. On the other hand I’ve never had the opportunity to sit with the Riesling and taste through a bottle, thus explaining why I thought it would be a perfect match for this month’s WBW theme and I’m glad I did. I love German Riesling, and while this might have lacked a bit of the nuance you would find in other Rieslings, the purity of the fruit and the great acidity made up for it – rich yet light and refreshing. This is a wine that I could fall in love with. I always know it’s a winner when Gabriella sits next to me, verbally silent while a low mmmmm begins resonating from somewhere within her small frame. Smiles usually follow along with a request for MORE!

So thanks to the Wine Chick for a great theme on my personal favorite style of wine!

Ryan Opaz

Search here for all my tasting notes in the Vi de Gel line from Gramona here: Gramona Vi de Gels