Wine of the week
Adrian McManus explores the fascinating history of a once popular sweet wine from Galicia
Celme Tostado 2019 (Adegas Celme)
DO Ribeiro
ABV: 13%
Varieties: Treixadura (85%), Loureira (10%) and Albariño (5%)
€64.00 from Adegas Celme
Ribeiro, in Galicia, is one of the oldest wine regions in Europe. It’s an area of rolling green hills, fast flowing rivers and craggy granite outcrops such as Peña Corneira, a huge rock associated with the fertility rights of the castrexa culture, the Celtiberian tribes that lived here prior to the arrival of the Romans. Local historians are now casting doubt on the Roman or Phoenician origin for viticulture in Spain, saying there’s hard evidence out there in the form of lagares rupestres, ancient wine presses hewn from huge slabs of granite. They will concede that the Romans introduced new varieties and more sophisticated ways of keeping wine, but insist that the Gallaeci were farming vineyards long before the Roman conquest.
By the 15th century, wine from Ribadavia (as the region was then known) was a much sought after commodity throughout Europe, thanks in great part to the town’s Jewish community. Quality red and white wine was exported to the British Isles, Germany, the Low Countries and Scandinavia, but with the expulsion of the Jews in 1492 and Spain’s economically nearsighted response to the religious reform movement sweeping across Europe - the banning of trade with “heretical states” - the area was plunged into a long decline, forcing people to emigrate or face the grim reality of impoverishment.
The British responded to this by calmingly switching their operations to the Douro in Portugal, which offered convenient access to the Atlantic Ocean. British wine merchants could now visit Oporto without the fear of being harassed by the Inquisition, and so began England’s love affair with Port wine.
Thankfully, and through the efforts of a new generation of winemakers, Ribeiro has bounced back and is once again making fabulous wine using native grape varieties such as Treixadura, Albariño, Lado, Loureiro, Caiño, Mencía, Ferrón and Brancellao, to name just a few. There’s also a sweet wine known as Tostado which has been rescued from oblivion and formally recognised by the appellation.
Traditionally, Tostado would have been presented as a prestigious gift among noble families when celebrating engagements, weddings, births and christenings. It was also a favourite drawing room tipple for women till well into the twentieth century.
The wine is naturally sweet, with all the sugar (+70 g/L) and alcohol (13-15%) coming exclusively from the grape. The grapes undergo a six-month drying process or pasificación by means of natural air ventilation. After initial fermentation in a stainless steel vat, the wine is then racked to 100 L oak barrels for a minimum of eight months lees contact. After bottling the wine spends another twelve months in a “sleeping room” before being released. The resulting wine boasts a distinctive bouquet and extraordinary longevity, as long as 40 years in some recorded cases. Visually it’s bright and viscous, with colours ranging from golden and amber to mahogany. In the nose it’s quite complex. Raisin notes are predominant, along with confit citrus fruit, honey, nuts and spices. In the mouth its unctuous and velvety, displaying an excellent balance of sweetness and acidity (8.3 g/L), while the finish is long and intense. Apart from foie, you can pair it with dried figs, pâté, mature cheeses, hazelnuts, walnuts and ‘Death by Chocolate’ puddings.
Why not get yourself a bottle of Celme Tostado for your next festive cheeseboard, and ponder on ancient Jewish voices in Ribadavia and prim ladies in Alphonsine drawing rooms.
